How does the Honda Odyssey handle in snowy & icy conditions? archived

i don't have any info about the odyssey but i have a honda pilot which can seat 8 (if some are small kids)
it is absolutely fantastic in the snow. i really love this vehicle!

Odyssey is ok - i have skidded a few times but dont have anything to compare it to as it is my first NJ bad weather car - I skidded on Harvard at Tuscan school but that hill is very steep - overall love the car tho

I agree on the Odyssey being only ok in the snow - tends to slide and skid on hills. When it snows, we always drive the CR-V over the Odyssey. I think the Toyota Sienna might come with AWD as an option though.

We have an Ody, as well as 4 kids. We have the EX-L RES NAVI version with the 8-seat option (the middle row is not simply two captain's chairs, but has an individually-movable narrow seat which creates a solid bench if not removed). Third row access is very easy and fast (middle-row seats slide individually, just as easy for the kids to operate from the back) and the sliding power doors are great.

We have never had to use snow tires during the lifetime of the car, which is 4 years. There is no way it can be as good as an AWD vehicle, but, it is pretty sure-footed, with the VSA and traction control. During this winter, we've skidded a few times on a few really freezing days with icy roads, once significantly, but the van snapped back under control quickly. I'd never take it out in this weather, though But, if anything, my experience has been that it will sooner get stuck and spin the fronts in a snow bank in your driveway than skid on the road...

We love the car as it fits our 4 kids, 2 dogs and a ton of luggage easily and has great handling and power. That said, I'd love an AWD version and would second the Honda Pilot recommendation, if the third bench will fit the kids. With it up, though, cargo space in the trunk is greatly minimized, whereas the Ody has a good deal more. For a bit more luxury, check out the Acura MDX, which is built on the exact same platform as the Pilot, I believe.

Cheers,

Blueheeler

I have a 2007 Odyssey and love it for everything except snow. The seating is great and the car is overall very comfortable and well-designed. However, this winter is has been sliding around quite a bit on snow and ice, despite having new tires. It's skiddier than the Siena or Subaru I used to own.

Love my awd Pilot. Less cargo room and no sliding doors but more seating.

As someone above said comparable to the Odyssey is the Toyota Sienna, and it comes with AWD.

We actually use the Odyssey as our snow car It's so much heavier than the Accord we have, that it skids less in the snow (and I think the Accord is pretty good too). We've had no trouble, even traveling down to Central Jersey during that freak snow we got on New Year's Eve Day...

For what it's worth, the two cars that had to be dug/pushed/pulled/prodded out of the snow last evening at the train station were both Honda Odysseys... others had no issue. To say that they performed poorly in the snow would be a gross understatement.

Love my Odyssey, but think it stinks in the snow.

I agree with the consensus here . . . love my Ody in general, but it's awful in the snow. I've been in terrifying positions skidding out of control down SO avenue and other local, steep inclines.

I fail to understand why people have such a hard time putting snow tires on their cars. A set of snows with wheels is probably $800 - $1200 for most cars. A tiny fraction of the value of a new car -- and I'd bet not too off the cost of deductible.

Not only will the car "go" better -- it will brake far better with snows. The Odyssey is front drive -- with the right tires will do pretty darned well.

Just skimmed all this but I agree: LOVE LOVE my Odyssey. Stinks in the snow. I've never done the snow tires; I stay home or use our VW Passat.

peteglider is right. Snow tires are a good thing. Expecting a car to do well in the snow without them is asking too much.

With front wheel drive, you need snow tires on all four. If you put them only on the front, you encourage the rear to swing around to the side.

I test drove the Odyssey. Lovely minivan. I couldn't afford it. If you can, I bet you'll love it. Remember, we don't get that much snow here.

I don't know anything about snowtires. Do we get enough snow to make them worthwhile? Do you have to go to the mechanic every fall/spring to get them changed? Seems like it might be an expensive way to cope with the handful of snowstorms we get every year, but sounds like something to look into.

Had an Odyssey, got rid of it (terminated the lease early and bought ourselves out of it) as is royally sucked in the snow and on wet roads in general.

FWIW, I used to own an Odyssey and lived on a hill in S.Orange. Was terrified by the constant sliding around in the winter, so called the dealer and made an appt to have them put the recommended snow tires on my car.

Without going into a lot of boring detail, the car STILL stunk in the snow so I sold it (got an awesome price, bc it was an awesome car in non-snow) and bought a Toyota Siena Limited XLE AWD. Currently on my second Siena bc I was rear-ended by a moron and had to replace my first one after 14 months (and yes, we bought them both, so it was very painful for that reason!)

Sometimes I feel less than cool in my mom-mobile, but I can safely transport 5 children, 2 adults and 2 labrador retrievers in my car at one time, with everybody safely restrained and I know we're safe on slippery roads!

thanks, everyone, for your input and experience.

we test drove the buick enclave cxl2 today and it was great. i would strongly recommend this car to any moms with more than 4 kids who also require cargo space behind 3rd row and AWD. it is the number one ranked (out of 27) affordable SUVs. It has similar layout as the Ody with option for 8 seatings but the drive is more comparable to a luxury SUV like lexus, volvo, audi, mercedes, etc.

pricing wise, it is not that much more than the Ody if one gets the basic trims only.

here is the rankings: http://usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/cars-trucks/Buick_Enclave/

http://www.edmunds.com/buick/enclave/2010/review.html

pdg, i know what you mean regarding trying to be a cool mom--i can't believe i am buying a 'buick' (my friends were laughing hysterically when they heard i was considering the Ody). however, practical considerations rule for now until the kids are older and out of the house.

We have an Odyssey and I really like it. However, snow and the Odyssey don't mix well.

Posted By: FeelingFineI don't know anything about snowtires. Do we get enough snow to make them worthwhile?

No. This winter is unusual. Past winters it rarely snowed.

Even with a winter like this, the roads are taken care of within a day or two. How often do you really then drive in the snow? Three or four days in the season?

Posted By: FeelingFineI don't know anything about snowtires. Do we get enough snow to make them worthwhile? Do you have to go to the mechanic every fall/spring to get them changed? Seems like it might be an expensive way to cope with the handful of snowstorms we get every year, but sounds like something to look into.

The term "snow tire" is somewhat of a misnomer.
Think of them as "winter tires" and the purchase makes more sense.
Basically Summer tires start to lose grip when temps are in the 50's and by the 40's you have basically zero grip because the compound has effectively frozen.
All season tires will maintain grip thru the 50's and 40's but into the mid to low 30's grip starts to decrease.
Winter tires, especially those with the mountain/snowflake symbol, will give you grip to very, very low temps and will also have compounds and tread patterns designed to deal with snow and in some cases ice (though not successfully, true ice grip requires studs).

For most cars the easiest thing to do is source a set of cheap rims (steel if your car can fit them but alloys are fine also) and get tires narrower than what you have fitted for the summer (narrower is better to get thru any snow we do get and get the tires to the road surface).
Plenty of companies i.e. TireRack.com will sell you full sets you just bolt onto your car. Tire shop might charge 50 bucks to swap them out.

I consider it worthwhile because of the peace of mind and driveability of my car in winter with snow tires

I wonder why the Toyota would be so much better than the Honda.

had to Odys in a row - they DO NOT have AWD.

Now have a Chevy Traverse & love it. Seats 7, easy access to back row. less cargo than Ody but more than Pilot. AWD. Awesome in snow.

Tom - Don't underestimate the awesomeness of AWD!

It even helps you drive more safely in slippery rainy conditions! Have not aqua-planed at all in the Siena, and believe its due to AWD.

Friends of ours loaned us their (totally awesome) house in VT this past holiday break - it was located on a fairly steep and narrow road. Being VT, it was very snowy, but well plowed and one night we had to pull over and wait for about 10 minutes while a small sedan kept trying to get the right combo of momentum and safety to make it up the road! He'd get stuck, start to slide sideways (very scary!) and would stop, slowly back down the hill and try again.

Our AWD mom-mobile with all-weather tires didn't slip in VT one single time.

________

Paola - Congrats on finding your new family vehicle! I'll keep an eye out for the actually-pretty-cool mom behind the wheel of a new, safe and practical Buick! :peace:

Posted By: peteglider
Not only will the car "go" better -- it will brake far better with snows. The Odyssey is front drive -- with the right tires will do pretty darned well.

+1 this. Pretty much anything with front wheel drive, proper tires, a decent driver will fare well in the snow.

Posted By: Tom Reingoldpeteglider is right. Snow tires are a good thing. Expecting a car to do well in the snow without them is asking too much.

With front wheel drive, you need snow tires on all four. If you put them only on the front, you encourage the rear to swing around to the side.

+1 to this also. Like another poster said a $100 set of steelies and some decent tires and you're good to go.

Posted By: Tom ReingoldI wonder why the Toyota would be so much better than the Honda.

Aside from the awd (on some models the rear diff conflicts with spare tire storage so toyota ships the vans with "run flat" tires $$$) its most likely not. There might be factors like weight distribution and tire selection at play here too.

I don't own an oddessy. I have borrowed one a bunch of times to do deliveries all over northern NJ during snow storms. I really didn't want my rwd box trucks sliding all over and driving my insurance costs through the roof. I found that the oddessy was good in the snow provided I didn't do anything insane like drive at highway speeds on an unplowed highway. Coming down larger hills, I put it into a lower gear and was more generous with the brakes than usual. No skids no slides nothing. It did have decent winter tires on it and the cargo area was loaded with boxes (an empty front wheel drive minivan with a driver and 1 or to passengers might have a different weight distribution than 1 235lbs freeway and a bunch of heavy car parts in the rear most part of the vehicle). I'd say I put about 1500 to 2000 miles on one in 30-40 hours behind the wheel , in snow conditions ranging from 4 to 12 inches.

Overall I liked it but it might not be for everyone. I've also had the joy of driving tons of different vehicles in a variety of conditions (from over the road tractor trailer driving, to drag and road racing) and I feel I am an above average driver in terms of skill.

The 2 best cars I've ever driven in the snow were both rear wheel drive. The toyota MR-2 and VW beetle both have their engines far enough over the rear wheels so that you're essentially driving a front wheel drive car (when the laws of physics are concerned, weight of the engine over the drive wheels = easier winter driving)

Rastven -
Thanks for bringing me up to speed on winterizing my tires!

Posted By: pdgIt even helps you drive more safely in slippery rainy conditions! Have not aqua-planed at all in the Siena, and believe its due to AWD.

hyrdoplaning has less to do with which wheels are the drive wheels and more to do with the speed of the vehicle ,the amount of water on the road , and how quickly your tires can move the water / maintain contact with the road. If you are hydroplaning in anything you are driving too fast.

I have the Volvo V70 wagon (with rear seat) and my SO has the XC90 with 3rd row seating. The V70 is the T5 and although does not have AWD, it's good in the snow. XC90 is AWD and is great. Our issue is that both cars are tight with our 5 collective kids. Most of the smaller SUV's that offer a 3rd row option, sacrifice the cargo room when the 3rd row is in use. And the 3rd row is usually not fit for comfortable adult passengers...certainly not in my wagon! The same is true of most minivans. The 3rd row seat is fine but it eats up your cargo space. Depending on where they stow the spare tire, you either have a deeper well in the trunk or not. It's certainly not optimal. Plus, I'd never personally go the minivan route. It's just not my thing. I guess the idea of cargo space has to fit your personal needs. We travel a ton and have lots of sports equiptment. We NEED cargo space most of the time, not just on occassion. And we need the cargo space while our car is full of kids. It can't be either/or.

For my next car, I will go back to the large SUV world. I loved all my Suburbans. I will have comfort, room for 5 kiddies, and storage. While fuel economy is a consideration, the 15/21 isn't horrible, especially when you compare it to cars/trucks with similar features and space. The Odyssey is 17/23! Even with all our travel, I still stay at a very low annual mileage figure.

Posted By: FreewayThe 2 best cars I've ever driven in the snow were both rear wheel drive. The toyota MR-2 and VW beetle both have their engines far enough over the rear wheels so that you're essentially driving a front wheel drive car (when the laws of physics are concerned, weight of the engine over the drive wheels = easier winter driving)

Really now. I'll lend you my 911 C2 next storm...let me know how it works out for ya. :wink:

A lot has to do with tires, but just the size and the heavy front end of a mini-van causes a problem. These vehicles are very long and the rear end can be half way around before you know it. We had a couple of Chrysler minivans back in the 1990s before anti-lock brakes, traction control and vehicle skid control and they were pretty twitchy in the snow and stepped sideways all the time.

VW Bugs, of which I had two, had great traction, but because of the weight on the rear and the fact it had a enclosed pan underneath it would build up snow to the point the steering wouldn't work. That's when I learned about using the handbrake to change direction. It was almost weird, pull on the brake and flick the wheel in the direction you wanted to go. When you were headed in the right direction, release the brake, straighten the wheel and off you went. A lot of fun once you got the knack. .

Posted By: ctrzaskaReally now. I'll lend you my 911 C2 next storm...let me know how it works out for ya.

hahaha I'll leave all of my cars as a deposit and still owe you around $89k when I lock up those birthday cake sized brakes and end up as someone's hood ornament