Get the best power, road handling and cargo/passenger versatility of any minivan.
The 2009 Honda Odyssey receives accolades for its class-leading powertrain, sedan-like handling, eight-passenger capacity, long list of standard convenience and safety features and solid record of reliability. U.S. News Ranking and Reviews says the Honda Odyssey ranks first over all other minivans based on their analysis of 45 published reviews and test drives of the Honda Odyssey and a review of reliability and safety data.
The 2009 Honda Odyssey remains atop the minivan class for its content and driving pleasure. Minivan owners know what they need from their family vehicle, and they consistently find it in the Odyssey. Following a major makeover for the entire lineup of last model year’s Honda Odyssey minivans, changes for 2009 are largely a matter of trim content. For example, the EX-L trim level is now equipped with features previously exclusive to the Odyssey Touring including a power tailgate and expanded Bluetooth wireless capabilities.
Odyssey is offered in four models. All have front-wheel drive, a 3.5-liter V6 engine and a five-speed automatic transmission. Three rows of seats accommodate large families. A long list of safety features is standard. An available second-row jump seat increases passenger capacity to eight. The third-row seat folds into the floor.
The 2009 Honda Odyssey lineup starts with the LX model priced at an MSRP of $26,925 including Honda’s $670 destination fee. Power mirrors, locks and windows, remote keyless entry, cloth upholstery and an auxiliary jack for connecting iPods and other digital audio devices are among the LX’s standard features.
Odyssey EX models list for $30,025 (MSRP including destination) and add such features as tri-zone automatic climate control, eight-way power driver and front passenger seats, power sliding side doors, a six-disc in-dash CD changer, steering-wheel audio controls, an outside temperature readout and other items.
The 2009 Honda Odyssey EX-L lists for $33,725 (MSRP including destination) and adds leather upholstery among other features. The EX-L is also available with a DVD rear-seat entertainment system, which makes it eligible for the optional navigation system, a package that includes a rearview camera that projects the view behind on the navigation system’s eight-inch dashboard screen.
The top-of-the-line 2009 Odyssey Touring model lists for $41,075 (MSRP including destination) and adds such features as a memory system for driver’s seat and outside mirrors, front- and rear-obstacle detection, power-adjustable pedals and a power rear liftgate. Touring models also come with the DVD/navigation combination and can be equipped with run-flat tires on special alloy wheels.
Odysseys equipped with the navigation system include Bluetooth HandsFreeLink technology, a wireless telephone interface that uses the Odyssey’s audio system and a built-in microphone to allow the driver to make or receive cell phone calls without handling their phone or taking their eyes off the road.
The 3.5-liter i-VTEC V6 engine powering the Odyssey EX-L and Touring models uses Variable Cylinder Management™ (VCM) technology to imperceptively deactivate either two or three of the engine's six cylinders during cruising and deceleration. An "ECO" light near the speedometer provides driver feedback when the vehicle is operating at an optimal level of fuel efficiency. This engine produces 244 hp at 5,700 rpm and 245 lb/ft of torque at 4,900 rpm. The Odyssey EX-L and Touring models achieve an EPA-rated city/highway fuel economy of 17/25 mpg.
Known for its industry trendsetting One-Motion 60/40 Split Third-Row Magic Seat, the Odyssey's innovative eight-passenger seating areas (seven-passenger on LX) quickly and easily adapt between passenger and cargo duties. The Third-Row Magic Seat can accommodate up to three passengers and still allow 38.4 cubic feet of cargo volume behind the seats. It can be folded completely flat into the floor for cargo duty to create 91.1 cubic feet of capacity while retaining room for five passengers (four passengers on LX). With the second-row seats removed, total cargo volume expands to 147.4 cubic feet. The Second-Row PlusOneSeat integrates a storage bin inside the seat structure and is standard equipment on the Odyssey EX, EX-L and Touring.
Designed with families in mind, a total of three Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) child seat attachment systems exist. Two are located in the outboard second-row seating positions, and one is located in the middle third-row seating position. All Odyssey models are equipped with Vehicle Stability Assist™ (VSA), also known as electronic stability control; standard antilock brakes with electronic brakeforce distribution and brake assist; advanced dual-stage, dual-threshold driver and front passenger SRS front airbags; front side airbags with passenger-side Occupant Protection Detection System (OPDS); three-row side-curtain airbags with a rollover sensor; active front seat head restraints; daytime running lights and a pedestrian injury mitigation design in the front of the vehicle. An Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE) body structure provides enhanced occupant protection in a frontal collision.
The Odyssey achieves the highest five-star crash safety rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for both front and side impacts. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety rates the Odyssey as a Top Safety Pick with "good" ratings for frontal offset, side-impact and rear crash protection crash tests while including electronic stability control as standard equipment.
While the reviewers have made the Honda Odyssey number one in their assessment of the minivan segment, only Odyssey owners can truly testify to this minivan’s perfection as a family vehicle. We encourage you to perform your own inspection and take a test spin in the 2009 Honda Odyssey. See for yourself why the Odyssey is number one!
