The 2011 Honda Odyssey

 The 2011 Honda Odyssey

Car news from The Automotive Car - The 2011 Honda Odyssey is fully redesigned with a fresh look inside and out. This fourth-generation Odyssey is wider and lower than the 2005-2010 generation and has a zigzag body-side line that sets it apart from other minivans.

The 2011 Honda Odyssey gets an all-new body that tries mightily to inject some spice into the minivan formula. Like every good minivan ought to be, the 2011 Odyssey is still essentially a big box on wheels. But Honda has created a new shell designed to appeal to people who recognize the utility advantages of a minivan but reject the minivan image. Honda calls these people “hesitaters” and hopes the 2011 Odyssey’s sleek new look makes minivan ownership palatable to them.

The windshield pillars are raked rearward to form an aero nose, the wheel arches flair to create a wide stance, and the rear roofline tapers in violation of minivan convention. Honda designers say minivans look most generic when viewed from the side. To set the 2011 Odyssey apart, they kink the line that separates its lower body from the glass “greenhouse.” Occurring just behind the sliding side doors, the kink creates what its designers call a “lightning bolt beltline.” More than just a visual flourish, they say the kink also enlarges the rear side glass and improves outward visibility for passengers in Odyssey’s third-row seat. Honda also boasts more room inside for third-row passengers, despite the tapered roofline.

Compared to the outgoing model, the 2011 Odyssey’s overall exterior dimensions change little: it gains about an inch in overall length and 1.4 inches in overall width, and loses 1.6 inches of height. Wheelbase remains at 118.1 inches. Wheelbase is the distance between the front and rear axles and key to how much room a vehicle can devote to passenger space. Odyssey’s wheelbase is actually a bit shorter than that of its key competitors, the redesigned 2011 Toyota Sienna, and the Dodge Grand Caravan and its corporate cousin, the Chrysler Town & Country.

The 2011 Honda Odyssey lineup expands from six models to seven with the addition of a new top-of-the-line Touring Elite trim level (see the “2011 Honda Odyssey Prices” section below for a detailed description of model content).

 The 2011 Honda Odyssey 

The 2011 Odyssey LX returns as the base trim level. Targeted at value-minded buyers who can live with manual sliding side doors, for example, the LX is expected to account for just 9 percent of 2011 Odyssey sales. Next up the line is the 2011 Odyssey EX. It’s pegged at 20 percent of sales and aimed at buyers who want a few additional features, such as alloy wheels and power sliding side doors, but don’t need the kid-resistant durability of leather upholstery.

 The 2011 Honda Odyssey

The 2011 Honda Odyssey  EX-L models will again take the lion’s share of sales, with nearly 50 percent of Odyssey buyers choosing from this upscale trim line. The EX-L family is actually divided into three tiers, though they all come with leather upholstery (that’s what the “L” denotes). To the basic EX-L, the EX-L with Rear Entertainment System model adds a DVD player with a 9 inch ceiling screen; this is expected to be the single most popular 2011 Odyssey, accounting for 23 percent of volume. Next up the line is the EX-L with Navigation model, which substitutes a satellite-linked navigation system for the DVD entertainment setup.