2011 Honda Odyssey Los Angeles

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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. Improved engines and attachment points for five child safety seats, the most in any vehicle, are also part of the 2011 Odyssey redesign.

2011 Honda Odyssey Engine Design

The 2011 Honda Odyssey continues with one engine style and front-wheel drive. It employs the same basic 3.5-liter V-6 that served well in the outgoing Odyssey and continues in other Hondas, such as the 2011 Pilot SUV. Horsepower increases to 248 from 244 and torque improves to 250 pound-feet from 245. (Think of torque as the force that you feel when you accelerate and horsepower as the energy that sustains your momentum). However, all versions of the 2011 Odyssey have Honda’s Variable Cylinder Management (VCM) technology. This saves gas by automatically switching to three or four cylinders in low-demand situations. Previously, only the EX-L and Touring models got VCM, leaving the entry-level LX and midline EX versions without the fuel-saving feature.

Honda, however, reserves the 2011 Odyssey’s most advanced transmission for the Touring and Touring Elite models. They get a six-speed automatic that’s new to this minivan, while the LX, EX, and EX-L lines continue with a less-efficient five-speed automatic.

Front-wheel drive is the minivan standard, with only the Toyota Sienna offering an all-wheel drive alternative. Front-wheel drive groups the mass of the drivetrain in the nose of the vehicle for efficient packaging. And by concentrating the weight of the engine over the tires that also propel the vehicle, it aids snowy-surface traction. Further, without having to provide for hardware to drive the back wheels, front-wheel drive also allows for a lower rear floorpan, which benefits cargo and passenger room. Honda points buyers looking for all-wheel drive and three-row seating to the 2012 Pilot SUV.

A full suite of safety items is standard on every 2011 Honda Odyssey. These include antilock four-wheel disc brakes for more controlled stops, plus traction and antiskid systems for surer grip off the line and in turns. The 2011 Odyssey also includes Honda’s Brake Priority Logic, a brake-override system designed to prevent unintended acceleration by prioritizing stopping power if the brake and accelerator are pressed simultaneously.

Honda Odyssey Interior Features

The 2011 Honda Odyssey offers a host of features new to this minivan, including the 16.2-inch-wide rear video screen, a storage drawer for iPods and cell phones, and a refrigerated dashboard bin. And Honda says the presence of anchor positions for five full-size child-safety seats gives the new Odyssey the greatest child-seat capacity of any vehicle on the market for 2011. Other standard safety features include torso-protecting front-seat side airbags and head-protecting curtain side airbags for all seating rows. The curtain bags deploy both in side collisions and when sensors detect an impending rollover. Blind-spot detection and a rearview camera adjustable for a wide-angle image also are available.

The 2011 Odyssey LX comes with two second-row bucket seats for seven-passenger capacity. All other 2011 Odyssey models again seat up to eight, a capacity matched among minivans only by the Sienna. On eight-passenger 2011 Odyssey models, the middle section of the second row is a separate, narrowed segment that doubles as a fold-down armrest. The second row’s outboard sections can slide laterally in what Honda calls a Wide-Mode setup. On the eight-passenger Odysseys, Wide Mode allows the second-row to accommodate three full-size child safety seats, giving the 2011 Odyssey federally approved LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children) positions for five regulation-size child safety seats: three in the second row and two in the third. (The outgoing Odyssey had three LATCH positions.) The middle section of the 2011 Odyssey’s second-row seat can also slide forward for better access to a child from the front row.

2011 Honda Odyssey Overview

In an explosion of light and sound Honda's newest Odyssey entered the market through Honda's ad campaign. Fog and a spectacular fireworks show ushered the newest Odyssey into the world. Now, Honda’s fourth generation Odyssey minivan is ready to compete with the big boys of minivan excellence. Many reviewers have said in the past that other companies set the benchmark for minivan style and design. With the 2011 Honda Odyssey, perhaps there is a new benchmark. For more on the 2011 Odyssey in Los Angeles visit Hondacars.com.