Meanwhile, the gently-angled front and rear door handles are closer to each other for a sleeker appearance. They also underscore the "lightning-bolt beltline" imagined by Matei specifically to make the Odyssey unmistakable from 100 meters away.
Another effective design cue is the smoother liftgate arch that combines with the tapered, chrome-accented rear side window to achieve a dynamic profile à la Mercedes-Benz R-Class. Speaking of which, did anyone ever associate the luxurious German people hauler with these plebian vehicles called minivans? How dare they?!
Gorgeous AND generous!
The 2011 Honda Odyssey isn’t all about style, obviously. Seven- and eight-passenger configurations are available, and the interior provides tremendous flexibility thanks to removable, foldable second-row seats and a clever split-folding third-row bench that vanishes under the floor.
The very generous cargo area offers about as much room as the Sienna with the rear seats up (1,087 vs. 1,110 L) but a whole lot more with the rear seats down (4,887 vs. 4,250 L), allowing you to carry a wide variety of items, from grocery bags to bicycles to 10-foot long lumber. Heck, you can fit 4x8’ plywood sheets flat against the floor… and still be able to close the liftgate!
The highly-rigid unibody structure of the Odyssey is now more resistant to flex, which reduces the amount of noises that creep their way into the cabin. Engineers also claim to have neutralized other parasitic noises that normally impede conversations between occupants.
Dynamic performance on top of that
Under the hood of the new 2011 Odyssey is a 47-kg lighter evolution of Honda’s 3.5-litre i-VTEC V6 engine featuring Variable Cylinder Management (VCM). Producing 248 horsepower (+4), it sends the vehicle from 0 to 100 km/h in 8.8 seconds. A similarly-powered Sienna reportedly is two tenths of a second slower.
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| Meanwhile, the gently-angled front and rear door handles are closer to each other for a sleeker appearance. (Photo: Luc Gagné/Auto123.com) |
Another effective design cue is the smoother liftgate arch that combines with the tapered, chrome-accented rear side window to achieve a dynamic profile à la Mercedes-Benz R-Class. Speaking of which, did anyone ever associate the luxurious German people hauler with these plebian vehicles called minivans? How dare they?!
Gorgeous AND generous!
The 2011 Honda Odyssey isn’t all about style, obviously. Seven- and eight-passenger configurations are available, and the interior provides tremendous flexibility thanks to removable, foldable second-row seats and a clever split-folding third-row bench that vanishes under the floor.
The very generous cargo area offers about as much room as the Sienna with the rear seats up (1,087 vs. 1,110 L) but a whole lot more with the rear seats down (4,887 vs. 4,250 L), allowing you to carry a wide variety of items, from grocery bags to bicycles to 10-foot long lumber. Heck, you can fit 4x8’ plywood sheets flat against the floor… and still be able to close the liftgate!
The highly-rigid unibody structure of the Odyssey is now more resistant to flex, which reduces the amount of noises that creep their way into the cabin. Engineers also claim to have neutralized other parasitic noises that normally impede conversations between occupants.
Dynamic performance on top of that
Under the hood of the new 2011 Odyssey is a 47-kg lighter evolution of Honda’s 3.5-litre i-VTEC V6 engine featuring Variable Cylinder Management (VCM). Producing 248 horsepower (+4), it sends the vehicle from 0 to 100 km/h in 8.8 seconds. A similarly-powered Sienna reportedly is two tenths of a second slower.
 |
| Under the hood of the Odyssey is a 47-kg lighter evolution of Honda’s 3.5-litre i-VTEC V6 engine featuring Variable Cylinder Management (VCM). (Photo: Luc Gagné/Auto123.com) |