2005 Honda Odyssey trip review.

[refaller]

After 9 plus years of ownership, 132,000 miles, I just drove it to Kentucky and back to drop the final kid to his final stop (newly married). This has been the most reliable car I have ever owned. It has also been the one with the most fender benders (my wife has hit a remarkable number of things plus 3 places where it was hit while we were not in it). Regardless, the car was great on the trip. It is not the quietest minivan and now has a vibration at lower speeds that I can't figure out (I am currently leaning toward the tires as they have over 50,000 miles). On the trip out there, while fully loaded and doing predominately 72mph or stop and go traffic, I averaged 26 mpg. On the way back, almost empty and doing 72 with no stop and go traffic, I averaged 28 mpg. I must say I still appreciate the engine's power and efficiency for such a large vehicle. I would highly recommend one as functional and fun to drive (there, I said it, I enjoy driving a minivan!)

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[CharBaby]

When you get a good one, stay with it!
Change your tires and keep the vehicle maintained. You may run this forever

 

[Hokiefyd]

They drive very good for such large vehicles. We have a similarly large vehicle that is loosely based on the same platform (a 2005 Acura MDX) and it's been one of the better vehicles we've had. Ours is nearing in on 110,000 miles, so it's just a spring chicken.

 

[Corvette Owner]

My son bought a 2013 Odyssey and his wife has been in 3 accidents so far! A deer hit it, she hit a brick garden wall, and a mystery hit. Do these attract accidents?

 

[Kira]

My brother found a 2007 Honda Odyssey Touring and I regard it as the nicest vehicle in the family.
It has ~64K of which 12 are his.

We've drained & filled the radiator as well as the transmission twice.
Everything I've learned came from reading here and I decided Honda coolant was the way to go.
While it's likely the "newer" generic pale blue 'long-life' coolants are good for his application, it's easing on the brain not to have doubts.

Honda Z-1 was the trannie's factory fill and we've been displacing it with Honda's new DW-1 fluid. There was some dirt to be seen in the old fluid.

I'd suggest doing the same with your transmission as the unit's design is said to be weaker, or some such, and the old Honda fluid is yesterday's news through and through.

Just read the above post. A cabbie in D.C. ran a light and hit them. You might be on to something! Kira

 

[Vikas]

I have never been able to top 26mpg in my 1999 Odysey in its 205K miles.

 

[bepperb]

Originally Posted By: refaller
I just drove it to Kentucky and back to drop the final kid to his final stop


So what's next, is the Odyssey being traded in on a Boxster?

 

[gfh77665]

Originally Posted By: refaller
On the way back, almost empty and doing 72 with no stop and go traffic, I averaged 28 mpg.


I have a 2006 with the non-VCM 3.5. I cruise at 72 over very flat lands and the best I could get is 22.5 mpg.

I did not know these vans are capable of 28 mpg. They are rated at 17/23. http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/noframes/21236.shtml

 

[datech]

I have read it is possible to get higher MPG in hilly terrain than on flat land by taking advantage of the downhill and slacking off going up hill.

Wind can have a lot to do with the MPG on a van, too.

 

[gfh77665]

So hills CAUSE mpg gains? They create energy?

Thats not based in science I am familiar with. Also, he said he "did 72" for the duration of the trip.

Sorry, but I am not seeing a H.O. getting 28 mpg over a long trip.

 

[IndyIan]

Originally Posted By: gfh77665
So hills CAUSE mpg gains? They create energy?

Thats not based in science I am familiar with. Also, he said he "did 72" for the duration of the trip.

Sorry, but I am not seeing a H.O. getting 28 mpg over a long trip.

If the hills have the right down grades, they can help quite abit, think gravity assisted hybrid.
Going up the hill,(if your vehicle can hold top gear) forces the engine to make power more efficiently(bigger throttle opening at low rpms). Then going down the hill, you get to use all that efficiently produced energy, while the engine just idles along. It works best if you just put the transmission in N.
Its the same idea as "pulse and glide" but with a more constant speed.
If the hills are steep enough to force downshifts going up and lots of braking going down, then they probably hurt mileage a bit.

 

[gfh77665]

Originally Posted By: IndyIan

Going up the hill,(if your vehicle can hold top gear) forces the engine to make power more efficiently(bigger throttle opening at low rpms).


Thats called "lugging" and is detrimental to engine health and mpgs.

https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/1144169/1

No, lugging won't cause 28 mpg in a Honda Odyssey.

 

[Thermo1223]

I am a big fan of if you are going to do 72MPH then just do it the whole time. Not slowing to 55 on a hill and speeding back up on the way down, that's just me though.

 

[IndyIan]

Originally Posted By: gfh77665
Originally Posted By: IndyIan

Going up the hill,(if your vehicle can hold top gear) forces the engine to make power more efficiently(bigger throttle opening at low rpms).


Thats called "lugging" and is detrimental to engine health and mpgs.

https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/1144169/1

No, lugging won't cause 28 mpg in a Honda Odyssey.

Ok, enjoy your poor mileage...

 

[refaller]

Used cruise control- I actually can't stand people who don't. They go whizzing past me, then I have to pass them, then here they come again. Not trading it in- it has been transformed to my pick-up truck. Plus, that is why I have my SLK. The hard top convertible is a must for me. I have one with VCM, when I purchased it the estimate was for 20mpg city, 28 highway using old formula. I don't recall getting less than 25 on a trip. The 28 was very close to my record of 28.5 in very similar conditions, but I think I was driving slower that trip. Oh, and I hand calculate every fill-up, not computer readings.

ref

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: refaller
I have one with VCM, when I purchased it the estimate was for 20mpg city, 28 highway using old formula. I don't recall getting less than 25 on a trip. The 28 was very close to my record of 28.5 in very similar conditions, but I think I was driving slower that trip.


The "old" methodology is more representative for us as well. Our 2005 Acura MDX had 17/23 on the window sticker (AWD, no VCM), and that's about what we get. We average between 22 and 24 mpg on the road, and between 15 and 19 in town, depending on conditions. The "revised" measurement is 15/21, and we rarely get that poor. I don't think we've ever done as bad as 21 on the road, and 15 only occurs once in a blue moon during a cold snap if we do a lot of short trips.

Our 2008 CR-V has the "new" measurement, rated at 20/26. In mixed driving, I get between 25 and 26. Full highway is 28+. The 2007 models with the same powertrain were rated with the "old" method at 22/28. Bang-on what I get (I'd get as bad as 22 probably, if driving in stop-and-go traffic).

 

[datech]

Originally Posted By: gfh77665
So hills CAUSE mpg gains? They create energy?

Thats not based in science I am familiar with. Also, he said he "did 72" for the duration of the trip.

Sorry, but I am not seeing a H.O. getting 28 mpg over a long trip.


I haven't tested the theory myself but like I said I have read about it and was offering an explanation as to how the OP might have gotten the 28 mpg.

I have also read about hyper milers getting REALLY high gas mileage with regular cars using very special driving techniques, so I wouldn't say what or what isn't possible with a particular car.

 

[Vikas]

By the way, cruise control in itself is not the most efficient way to get the best mileage. It is much better to keep the pedal at constant angle which means the speed increases as you go down the hill and drops going up the hill slightly. This is quite easy to verify if you have cumulative and instantaneous gauge on the car.

 

[hypervish]

Originally Posted By: Vikas
By the way, cruise control in itself is not the most efficient way to get the best mileage. It is much better to keep the pedal at constant angle which means the speed increases as you go down the hill and drops going up the hill slightly. This is quite easy to verify if you have cumulative and instantaneous gauge on the car.

+1, very true.

 

[JTK]

IIRC, we could get to ~25mpg avg, tank/tank with our 2007 Honda Odyssey LX on long highway runs with our family of 6 and gear loaded into the van. Not too shabby.

Our 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan does the same. Wife, kids and mother-in-law recently did a trip from the Buffalo area to CT and back and avged ~25mpg in the Dodge.

I like the Dodge better as far as driving and riding goes, but the interior and fit/finish was better on the Honda.