Honda Odyssey vs Toyota Sienna

bermuda

Drummerworld Pro Drummer - Administrator
Staff member
I'm looking at buying a 2013 Odyssey or Sienna. I've compared the pros and cons, and am still torn between the two. I've done a lot of research and scenario projection, and these two are definitely the best choices for what I need (so, no other suggestions necessary.)

Any specific comments, kudos, or complaints from 2013 or late-model owners of either?

Thanks,

Bermuda
 
Bermuda,

We Just purchased a 2013 Odyssey for my wife and love it. Price was right and got a great trade in. We never really looked into Toyota because we have always owned Hondas. We went from a CRV to the Odyssey.

Three way climate control is what won me over. Tons of room, 3 row seating. I'm 6'1 and the driver's and passenger seat have plenty of leg room. We are averaging about 28 on the highway.

No real complaints so far.
 
Bermuda -- i finally went the minivan route late last year (totaled sedan after t-bone mayhem). i test drove everything from KIA, Toyota (sienna), Dodge, Honda (odyssey) & Ford. i bought a 2012 odyssey. it was a complete slam-dunk. this is flat out the best car i have ever owned (seriously). makes gigging a dream & especially good when i bring extra sound gear. great for road trips, dogs & on-board computer pretty sick w/ iPod, CD storage & hands-fee phone.

parr of the deal is that the Honda looked the most bad-ass (to me) and definitely had the most power. since i am a car guy, the online community really appealed to me if i ever want to mod / search: http://www.odyclub.com/forums/

cavet is it is a HULKING BEAST, so get the back up camera if possible. takes forever to wash / wax. whatever. great van.
 
Bermuda, I feel the Toyotas are overpriced, and that's for their entire model range. Cant say anything bad about Honda, always had good luck with them.
 
Cool thing about the Honda is that the base models come with bluetooth and backup camera, I know I'd use both. Seats are ultra easy to deal with compared to the Toyota, and I know the Odyssey gets better mileage. BUT, the Toyota feels more powerful and drives very solidly and smooth. Cargo area is 2" wider as well.

Tough choice, we have 2 Toyotas at home and they've been great, but I know Honda owners love their cars, too.

I don't think there's a bad choice between the two, I just want to make the better choice if there is one. Otherwise, I suppose it comes down to price, and right now they're coming in about equal, which is odd since the Honda's MSRP is $2100 higher than Toyota! I think Toyota isn't very motivated, and that's pushing me towards the Honda. :)

Again, I'd be pretty happy with either.

Bermuda
 
Bermuda, I feel the Toyotas are overpriced, and that's for their entire model range.

Not sure if they're overpriced, but the dealers are certainly not giving them away or dealing very aggressively. Hondas are coming in at about 15% off sticker, but the Toyotas are consistently only 9% off.

Bermuda
 
Cool thing about the Honda is that the base models come with bluetooth and backup camera, I know I'd use both. Seats are ultra easy to deal with compared to the Toyota, and I know the Odyssey gets better mileage. BUT, the Toyota feels more powerful and drives very solidly and smooth. Cargo area is 2" wider as well.

Tough choice, we have 2 Toyotas at home and they've been great, but I know Honda owners love their cars, too.

I don't think there's a bad choice between the two, I just want to make the better choice if there is one. Otherwise, I suppose it comes down to price, and right now they're coming in about equal, which is odd since the Honda's MSRP is $2100 higher than Toyota! I think Toyota isn't very motivated, and that's pushing me towards the Honda. :)

Again, I'd be pretty happy with either.

Bermuda

It is a tough choice because you picked two of the most reliable makes out there. I agree, no bad choice either way.
 
Cool thing about the Honda is that the base models come with bluetooth and backup camera, I know I'd use both. Seats are ultra easy to deal with compared to the Toyota, and I know the Odyssey gets better mileage. BUT, the Toyota feels more powerful and drives very solidly and smooth. Cargo area is 2" wider as well.

Tough choice, we have 2 Toyotas at home and they've been great, but I know Honda owners love their cars, too.

I don't think there's a bad choice between the two, I just want to make the better choice if there is one. Otherwise, I suppose it comes down to price, and right now they're coming in about equal, which is odd since the Honda's MSRP is $2100 higher than Toyota! I think Toyota isn't very motivated, and that's pushing me towards the Honda. :)

Again, I'd be pretty happy with either.

Bermuda

The Blue tooth and backup camera are "handy." The camera is something you think you would never need but can't imagine life without it once you have it.
We bought at the right time since Honda is moving in the 2014's.

You definitely have a tough choice.
 
For what it's worth, I own the Honda Pilot and it has proven it's worth with bullet proof reliability. I recommend the Honda brand.
 
I lean toward the Honda but either vehicle is equally good and has a long proven track record.
I notice that the recent versions of the Odyssey have better seating comfort than previous models. The transmission has also been improved.
When it comes to seats both toyota and Honda seem to better fit shorter folks. At least I have always noted that being 5' 11".

Last year I bought a Hyundai Elantra over a Honda Accord and a Toyota Camry because of the fit of my body in the seat.
By the way, Hyundai makes a state of the art car today. Nothing like the disposable Hyundai's of the past.
 
My son has an Odessy. Has two kids, wife, the family schtick, but I love it when I go to visit. I am a wimp in the winter so the heated seat and me are best buddies. I would buy one even as a single guy.
 
I like the odyssey as well. I work on tons of them. Only a few problems with them (window regulators, sliding door rollers and zone had transmission issues (hopefully they fixed that)
 
FWIW...

I just replaced my 2004 Honda Accord with 312,000 miles - all original except tires, wiper blades, head/tail lights, oil and brakes (changed those at 209,000 miles!).

That being said, I replaced it with a Nissan Altima because Honda wouldn't deal - even with a repeat customer?!?

My brother-in-law loves his 2012 Sienna, but for mini-vans, I like the Chrysler products because you can close the rear door on 4 x 8 foot sheets of plywood or drywall (though not sure if that's true with the newer models).

Have you tried a coin toss yet? Maybe two out of three?
 
I went through the same debate two years ago. All the reviews I read at the time said that the vans are a toss up.

I went with Honda largely because of the subjective "feel" of navigating. As mentioned by doubleG, both vans are HUGE, but the Sienna felt monstrous when behind the wheel and the Odyssey felt more manageable for moving/parking in tight areas. (base 2011 models in Canada didn't have a backup camera - neither Sienna nor Odyssey)

The second factor was $$. Perhaps it was indicative of what was selling at the time, but Honda had a large "end of year" rebate ($4k, I think? Or maybe only $2k, I forget). The Toyota dealers gave 0% off list price ... I was in shock and thought it was me, but my bro in law had the same experience as he was looking at a Tundra. Never had that experience at a dealer before ... there wasn't much to talk to the sales guy about ... lol.

Anyhoo, two years and ~22k miles later, we are pleased. My thoughts on "the good":
1) Ody looks great from the front & rear. Side view is an acquired taste.
2) Ody has great highway mileage as it shuts down 3 cyl and goes into "ECO" mode. 28 MPG or more (depending on load, conditions, terrain) is expected.
3) Interior is comfy, looks good, easy to clean. (Sienna's interior looked cheap to me ... another admittedly subjective comment.)
4) The ride is as good as it gets in a van. (The Sienna ride is not at all bad either.)
5) I've had no mechanical issues at all so far (still early days).

"The bad":
1) The climate controls in the base 2011 are the worst I've seen in any vehicle! I have no idea how the design made it to production.
2) The stereo in the base does not have speakers in the rear pillars. Therefore the occupants of the third row can't hear very well. Another remarkable shortcoming (lots of stuff on the forum) ... but perhaps not a concern if you are getting a higher trim package.
3) The wonderful ECO mode worries me. (I'm a tech engineer as my real job ... and I don't trust electronics and software in cars or planes ... lol) I plan to keep the van for 8-10 years and the longevity worries me a bit. Sienna gets good mileage too (for its size) and has a more "conventional" engine.
4) The Odyessy is not the greatest in snow (not a concern in LA, but I dunno where your travels take you). This sounds odd, but it's "handling" is fine once moving. But the traction and getting moving is not as good as a Caravan in my experiences. I don't know about the Sienna in snow. (and yes, we have snow tires on all our vans)

Sorry for the long post. I hope it helps in some manner. Good luck!!

radman
 
Yeah, Honda is somewhat more aggressive on their pricing. Even at a $2100 higher price, the Honda is coming in pretty close to the Toyota.

Toyota is the best selling brand, they know it, and don't think they need to deal. Honda's gonna sell more Odysseys (with a few more features and better mileage) as a result.

Still haven't decided, but I did get a call back from the Honda dealer who I thought I was done with. :)

Bermuda
 
Well, after some major due diligence, hundreds of emails with dozens of dealers, and eventually visiting dealers where snakes and weasels play shell games, and bait & switch is still alive, I found a dealership that said they'd meet my out the door price... and they actually did! In fact the entire process was fast, easy, no pressure, it was suspiciously painless. After a genuinely enjoyable purchasing experience, I drove home last night in my new Odyssey!

odyssey.jpg


Thanks again for all of your input, I kinda knew at the start that it was gonna be the Honda! :)

Bermuda
 
Congrats Bermuda!

We just took a 1,400 mile trip over labor day weekend in our new Odyssey. Love it!
 
Bermuda, you're out there living the rock dream. This gives you certain responsibilities which you have failed miserably.

As befits your position, this post should really have been titled:

Porsche GT3 vs Ferrari 458 Speciale.

Please return the Honda to the shop and try again!







(Or just, you know, enjoy the Honda.)
 
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