Here’s the first installment of our “long term” updates of the 2011 Honda Odyssey. For our first trip, we ventured from Chicago to Louisville, KY, with a stop in Urbana, Illinois, for the Memorial Day weekend. We got to eat at my favorite college restaurant in Urbana, the Courier Cafe. Dagwood sandwich (no may0) and a Green River phosphate for me! In Louisville, we visited with my mom, my sister and her family (and their cats) and mostly lounged by the pool. We also had a night out with the adults at Eddie Merlot’s on Fourth Street in Louisville and got to take in some of the Abbey Road on the River concert from our 24th story hotel room at the Galt House. The kids had fun and the Odyssey made the drive a breeze.
The wireless headphones are very handy. You can select from various sources, audio CD, DVD, radio, XM, bluetooth audio, AUX input, etc. Each headset can have its own source as can the cabin. Very nice indeed! We’ll play with the split screen video next time. I love the blind spot indicator, as you can see in the video below. I also made good use of the parking sensors and backup camera quite a bit this first weekend. On the way back we had 3 adults and 3 kids, having removed the 8th seat for an aisle before we left Chicago. Only one carseat was in use, a Britax Frontier 85 SICT for my 6-year old. Overall, it’s hard to imagine a nicer vehicle for a road trip with kids.
Fuel economy was roughly 25 mpg on the trip there. It was 23mpg on the trip back. A bit lower than I expected and also lower than my 2006 Odyssey that averaged 25-26mpg on the highway. Of course, it was only one trip and not really enough data until we take some more road trips this summer. The only issues I had were some errors about “low battery” whenever I turned the car on or off, but those went away after a day. I’m told the van had been sitting for a while and that probably caused it. Also, the coolbox didn’t seem to cool all that well. I assumed you just hit the button to turn it on but even after over a few hours of driving it didn’t seem to have cooled much. I’ll have to read the manual!
I previewed the 2011 Honda Odyssey here and here and Kecia had a full review here.
I think chocolate or vanilla being fizzy could be what it was for the boys… I like fruit flavors being fizzy, but not my chocolate or vanilla… I know, I’m weird.
you made me thirsty for them, so now I’m getting tempted to make some at home… cause they’re pretty easy now that the phosphate is so easily gettable.
Darren! For shame! Taking VIDEO while DRIVING???
That blind-spot indicator is way cool. Unfortunately, that was one of the few things I liked about the ’11. We wound up getting a slightly used ’10 today because I like the versatility of the seating options (moving chairs together).
I think my oldest son got a chocolate phosphate, my daughter a cherry phosphate and my youngest son a vanilla phosphate. The two boys didn’t like theirs much, which is very surprising, considering they like almost any other type of sugar-laden fizzy liquid. As for the lap belt, you should have seen my son’s harness in the other video take! That was quickly corrected lol.
how did you manage to drive AND video it?? I love the blind spot indicators… I’m surprised at the mpg, too… but wow, you’re making me just a tad homesick for IL… talking about the cities I used to go to (grew up in Rock Island, btw)
Is it me, or was your wife’s lapbelt a bit high?
looking forward to more updates (and did anyone get a pineapple phosphate (assuming they offered other flavors)?)