Cars.com's Dave Thomas walks you through the 2008 Honda Odyssey.
Transcript
(intense guitar music) Hi, I'm Dave Thomas with cars.com and we're here with the 2008 Honda Odyssey. Honda made some mild changes this year, but we're gonna take you through the whole thing.
Now, the Odyssey comes with two different engines, both V6s, both with very similar power, but if you get the EXL or this Touring that we have here, it comes with the six cylinder with cylinder deactivation, meaning you go on half the cylinder power when you don't need the rest. So that gives you a few more miles per gallon. The 2008 Odyssey starts at 25,000, but we're in a Touring which comes with leather. And we must say every cars.com staffer that's been in this minivan has said it is by far the nicest minivan they've ever been in. And that's not a surprise, since the Touring cost $40,000. But what you get is some really nice leather seats all the way around for all rows, leather on the doors, a nice dashboard, heated seats. It is the ultimate minivan. Now all the doors on the Odyssey, you can get with power controls with buttons right up here on the left of the dashboard. The back seat of the Odyssey is great for kids. It's like a little command center. They can control their environment, AC controls right here, if you allow them from up front. It also has a DVD entertainment system, which is obviously an option, which a lot of people get these days. Has a pop-out remote control. We've seen a lot of minivans and SUVs these days with a removable center bench seat, and the Odyssey's also can be removed, but it also does a few other things. You can lift the seat cushion forward only, and it has some storage. You can take a seat right off, bring this down, and you got a little storage area for the two passengers. So there's no one sitting there, you can have drinks and some other toys or whatever. And then if you want, the whole thing can lift right out. Honestly, the best part about having a pass-through here now is that we can just hop right into the third row like that. Of course you can get into minivan just the standard way. Flip a switch, the seat slides forward, and you just get in. One great thing about minivans is a third row actually has some space to it. I'm a 5'10" adult, and I fit perfectly behind the second row, which is pulled back quite far. As you can see, I have plenty of knee room. The other great thing about the Odyssey is the third row even reclines. So you just pull a strap here, you can lie back a bit. If you're not familiar with minivans, most have a recessed cargo area, which is great for things like groceries, 'cause it can sit down and not roll around, but it's really to store the third row of seats. Stowing the third row of seats isn't the hardest thing in the world to do, but it's not exactly simple. You've got a strap here and a latch here. So you gotta pull the strap, pull the latch, and then it folds into the floor. Putting the seats back up's a little easier. You got a handle, and you grab the strap again, pull the strap. It releases, push it forward, pull the strap back towards you, and it's in place. The Odyssey is one of the most popular minivans on the market, and the 2008 has a lot of improvements besides all the great stuff we showed you that makes it a minivan. It's easy to drive, almost fun to drive. And it fits in a lot of parking spaces pretty easily. <v Narrator>For additional information on this car or any other, go to cars.com and our blog KickingTires.
