Cincinnati.com's view

We should all age so well. Honda’s Odyssey minivan enters its third model year, approximately the halfway point in its lifespan, with improvements that would be significant in a new-model introduction. And the funny thing is, Honda didn’t have to touch this, America’s most-desired minivan. It could have gotten by with just the more aggressive grille and amber rear turn signals, but noooo, they had to stick the knife in a little farther.

The Odyssey is in short supply and great demand in most parts of the country. Waiting lists are long and, according to the auto research firm Edmunds, which follows actual transactions nationwide, you’re going to have to pay about two grand over sticker – for even the cheapest version. And this is a stinkin’ minivan, not the latest candy apple, to-die-for silly little coupe of the week!

What’s the deal? Well, it sure isn’t looks. There are few shapes on dealer lots today that are more unabashedly purposeful, to put it kindly – a big box with a pointy nose.

But it has everything else – comfort, convenience, safety, economy, reliability – all that boring stuff that motivates astute buyers to gravitate to minivans in the first place.

Start with safety – the Odyssey garnered maximal five-star ratings in every category of the government crash tests in 2001 – protection for pilot and co-pilot in frontal impacts and protection for front- and rear-seat passengers in side impacts, and is likely to be even safer this year.

It’s worth pointing out that most minivans do quite well on the side-impact test – thanks to their trucky structure – but on the 2001-model-year tests, Odyssey alone aced every category. The results for 2002 are not in yet, but, with the addition this year of standard side air bags, it could hardly lose the crown.

In the more rigorous, 40-mph frontal offset tests conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Odyssey came in behind the Toyota Sienna, although it made top marks in every category except kinematics (the way dummies are thrown around) and structural integrity. IIHS observed that there was more steering-wheel movement in the crash than they would have liked. The Odyssey really shone, though, in IIHS’s series of four different types of 5-mph bumper bashes, performed on a 1999 model. Its total repair cost was $1,100, best in class. Worst in class was a Chevrolet Astro, which incurred $5,779 worth of damage. Must be balsa wood.

Consumer Reports rates the Odyssey its top pick, and gives it above-average or well-above-average reliability ratings in every category, based on its annual survey of owners.

In addition to picking up the side air bags, every Odyssey from the base LX (starting price $24,690 with freight) to the luxurious EX now gets more power, rear disc brakes, a five-speed automatic transmission and the availability of leather seating.

The engine is the same, a 3.5-liter V-6 with variable valve timing (VTEC). But in a remarkable bit of engineering, Honda ‘s wizards have persuaded it to run happily on regular gas instead of the once-preferred premium, AND to furnish palpably more oomph. Horsepower goes from last year’s 210 to 240, while torque bulks up to 242 foot-pounds, instead of 229.

Honda accomplished this with a new intake and exhaust system to aid breathing, and also went to a three-stage VTEC valve timing setup, which smoothes and broadens the torque curve.

With a curb weight on the hefty side of two tons, the machine can use every bit of the new-found power. The extra gear in the transmission lets the Odyssey dwell on the fat part of the torque curve under almost all conditions.

The trannie shifted quickly and unobtrusively, and was very eager to pop down from fifth when a little extra surge was demanded, or to do a double downshift for a passing maneuver. The shifter is column-mounted, and a week was insufficient for me to acclimate myself to its peculiar dogleg actuation, which is allegedly an improvement. Given the ra high overall gearing, I was inclined to disable overdrive around town and I submit that a switch on the end of the shifter is THE way to effect this.

EPA fuel-economy estimates are 18 mpg city, 25 highway. I did a surprisingly good 20.3 in an equal mix of freeway and byway work.

The Odyssey pulls itself to 60 mph from a standing start in comfortably under 10 seconds, and manages freeway merges quite assuredly.

With the new disc brakes at the rear, the big dude offers improved pedal feel and commendably short stopping distances on dry pavement, and good control even on wet. Antilock is standard, as it should be, and performs admirably.

The Odyssey sits on a limo-like 118-inch wheelbase, just an inch shy of the Chrysler extended-wheelbase machines that dominate the segment. This makes for a very smooth highway ride, especially with its unique independent suspension, front and rear.

Moderate-speed traverses of rutted road reveal just a bit of harshness and some resonant booming as shocks and springs get a workout, but on the whole, the Odyssey’s demeanor is effortless.

As a matter of fact, it’s so quietly competent that it’s not quite as much fun to drive as the Chryslers, which offer more give and take. But only us driving nuts would consider that a disadvantage, I suppose.

The machine I was given to test was a full-boat EX with leather seating, navigation system and DVD-based entertainment center. At the stated price of $30,690, that’s a sensational buy – easy to see why the marketplace has bid it up. There may be some price relief eventually – a new plant is coming on stream this month in Alabama to increase capacity ultimately by 120,000 units a year. Looks like they need it.

Both left and right sliding doors on the EX are power-assisted, while those on the LX are manual. Beyond entertaining my dogs, the remote entry feature proved golden during a rainy-day trip to the grocery, and the doors stopped closing when offered a sacrificial carrot as a surrogate for my finger.

The second-class seating can be configured as separate perches or slid together as a bench, and would serve two adults or three kids quite comfortably. The third-row seating is strictly for the pint-sized, but has the virtue of easily folding away to create a flat load floor. With the third row in place, there’s a deep cargo well which affords a capacious 38 cubic feet of stowage. Stow the rearmost seats and fold the middle row and you have 146 cubic feet to play or work with.

The navigation system was easy to use and, being DVD-based, covers the Lower 48 without the need for disc-swapping, thanks to the higher capacity of that medium.

This entertainment center on wheels also has two AM-FM tuners, allowing differential programming choices front and rear. I bet THAT gets the attention of those with teen-agers, especially when they find out the rear signal is transmitted to wireless headphones. Beyond that, a fold-down 7-inch-screen DVD player just aft of t he first row could take the horror out of those driving family vacations, just in time to capitalize on their newfound popularity.

The Odyssey EX is $30,690 manufacturer’s suggested including freight, the nav and DVD systems. If you could get one for that, you’d pay $622 a month for 48 months, assuming 20 percent down and 10 percent interest.