Bye-Bye 06, Welcome Big-Momma :-(

[coolmazda5]

Oh well, the 06 had to go to make space for the big-momma. Family is growing and the Mazda5 space is very tight for 3 kids in car/booster seats (but we are keeping one as for short rides is OK)

Not too much to say except I still miss my car .

Ups:
- Space and interior design is great for the kids
- 3 seats fit across the 2nd row (full latches for all 3), no need to jump to the 3rd row to fit seat-belt fastening
- Very decent turning ratio
- Sliding doors, and I can still open the doors inside the garage
- We still have one Mazda5

Downs:
- Comatose ride and handling (and add auto-tragic to it)
- Lightning bolt design, still on need to grow on us
- Fuel economy
- Parking space
- Wife calls it a boat

I found a picture in AutoGuide for the 2nd row. Same setting we will have except we still have one car seat facing backwards...

 

[zoom^2]

Nice Choice

Oh well, the 06 had to go to make space for the big-momma. Family is growing and the Mazda5 space is very tight for 3 kids in car/booster seats (but we are keeping one as for short rides is OK)

Not too much to say except I still miss my car .

Ups:
- Space and interior design is great for the kids
- 3 seats fit across the 2nd row (full latches for all 3), no need to jump to the 3rd row to fit seat-belt fastening
- Very decent turning ratio
- Sliding doors, and I can still open the doors inside the garage
- We still have one Mazda5

Downs:
- Comatose ride and handling (and add auto-tragic to it)
- Lightning bolt design, still on need to grow on us
- Fuel economy
- Parking space
- Wife calls it a boat

I found a picture in AutoGuide for the 2nd row. Same setting we will have except we still have one car seat facing backwards...

Nice pick. We are in the same boat of needing to upsize my wife's car (Honda CR-V) and are looking at vans.

Did you happen to compare the 2011 Odyssey vs. 2010 Odyssey and/or the 2011 Sienna? If so, what made you pick the 2011 Odyssey?

I agree with the lightning bolt - probably my biggest reason for not loving the 2011 Odyssey.

 

[coolmazda5]

Thanks

Did you happen to compare the 2011 Odyssey vs. 2010 Odyssey and/or the 2011 Sienna? If so, what made you pick the 2011 Odyssey?

Yes, we test drove both (and also checked the 2010 VW Routan, the 2011 Chrysler/Dodge siblings and even the upcoming 2011-2 Nissan Quest)

Wife and I liked the Sienna exterior and ride the most, but wife was turned down by the cheap-er Sienna plastic fake wood (XLE)/carbon fiber (SE) interior accents and the lack of 3rd car seat space along with the lack of 3rd latch set in the 2nd row.

Also, those extra few inches in the 2nd row in the Honda when expanding are a deal maker for our purposes

As per the 2010 Honda Odyssey, I'll be honest, we did not really looked at it, it looks nice but quite dated (interior and exterior), it reminded us at our 99 Honda Civic, and that it was not very good. Oh, and also, they don't yet have the 3rd latch care seat set in the 2nd row...

Check this video, ours is not a damn Touring Elite, but has the same seat config. Also check the 2010 vs 2011 Odyssey comparo I attached. I found it somewhere the other day

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[zoom^2]

Thanks



Yes, we test drove both (and also checked the 2010 VW Routan, the 2011 Chrysler/Dodge siblings and even the upcoming 2011-2 Nissan Quest)

Wife and I liked the Sienna exterior and ride the most, but wife was turned down by the cheap-er Sienna plastic fake wood (XLE)/carbon fiber (SE) interior accents and the lack of 3rd car seat space along with the lack of 3rd latch set in the 2nd row.

Also, those extra few inches in the 2nd row in the Honda when expanding are a deal maker for our purposes

As per the 2010 Honda Odyssey, I'll be honest, we did not really looked at it, it looks nice but quite dated (interior and exterior), it reminded us at our 99 Honda Civic, and that it was not very good. Oh, and also, they don't yet have the 3rd latch care seat set in the 2nd row...

Check this video, ours is not a damn Touring Elite, but has the same seat config. Also check the 2010 vs 2011 Odyssey comparo I attached. I found it somewhere the other day

<object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/nOgSrJ4_NNw?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/nOgSrJ4_NNw?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>

Thanks for the feedback. I agree with you on the Sienna - nicer exterior, but the interior is not as nice compared to the 2011 Ody.

Based on your comments, I will definitely have to pay close attention to the interior functionality when comparing the two.

Did you get an EX-L? Do you mind if I ask what your purchase price was (including Destination but excluding taxes, etc.)? Thanks.

 

[flcruising]

My mother has an '09 Odyssey EX-L. It's feels like a full size conversion of the 80's + 90's. I don't recall the center 2nd row car seat latch, but the 3rd row's is absent. Mid 20's mpg with the cylinder on demand for the highway. I see no reason to replace our Mz5 with 3 kids. A rooftop cargo carrier makes traveling a breeze. The best feature of her Odyssey are the retractable visors on the sliding doors.

 

[coolmazda5]

^^ The 2011 Honda model has 3 set of latches in the 2nd row and another 2 in the 3rd row. 4 out of 5 also have tethering. I had the same thoughts about 3 kids and the Mazda5 (well, we are actually keeping one of the Mazdas) yet I'm not sure how old are yours, but mine are not in age to buckle themselves up (it is going to take a few more years) so jumping to the 3rd row every time to try to buckle one up is a big turn-off. We'd also need at least 2 strollers and misc stuff for day-trips so that in itself is already very tight (and forget carrying something extra, like a scooter).

Yep, we also have the roof cargo box, it is awesome, but for short day-to-day trips it is not the best. The box does not even clear the garage door

As per the gas, yes, even with the VCM cylinder thingie, it is a guzzler in comparison

 

[coolmazda5]

Oh, and Did I tell you that I miss my 06 (sad2)

 

[kyoshiro]

Oh kids, glad im still single

 

[flcruising]

So you just wanted to load up the kids in the 2nd row only? How do you carry additional passengers in the 3rd row?

We don't have 3 kids (yet). (wink) 2 girls - 15mo and almost 4yo. My wife babysits every day for her best friend - another 4yo. They can go anywhere. We find it really easy to buckle up the 3rd row passenger through the back hatch. We have a compact stroller that stays in the car and can stand up behind the 3rd row if necessary. It's too bad there's no van option in between the size of the Mz5 and an Odyssey.

 

[DKaz]

Ford Transit Connect passenger version? Lol.

Maybe in a few years you'll trade the Odyssey for a 5+2 seater C-Max.

 

[Rockin03mp5]

lamest...

thread...

ever...

j/k

wow that thing is a boat! does it even fit in the garage? you should take a pic of it next to your 5.

 

[coolmazda5]

So you just wanted to load up the kids in the 2nd row only? How do you carry additional passengers in the 3rd row?

Yes, with a newborn in the middle and the other 2 little monsters on each side, quick and easy. The 3rd row go for any guests (in-laws?). That row can be retracted partially or fully like the Mazda5 one, except you can fit 3 souls. When needed they can jump through the hatch. Yes, not the most effective but it is not a daily thing, and still tons of space for cargo

lamest...

thread...

ever...

j/k

wow that thing is a boat! does it even fit in the garage? you should take a pic of it next to your 5.

Just wait until I rice it up, it is going to be the soccer moms' envy (lol2)...

Of course all my minivans' bashing in the forums has paid back with a vengeance but yes, it fits in the garage, although barely. Still learning how not to hit the mirrors (way in or way out) and get it all the way in so the door can close

(now let the dirty jokes begin )


I'll take some pics

 

[skyhawk]

They should allow driver side windows of minivans to be tinted real dark. To protect driver image. .

 

[coolmazda5]

^^ Not according to Dan Neil , I had a good crack at his review :

I think we all know what the stigma here is: To be seen driving a minivan is to admit to a kind of shameful domesticity, an existence of postsexual nullity and a state of parental slavery, ever orbiting from school, to grocery store, to ballet lessons, to games, like some suburban Flying Dutchman.

However, as the father of twin 3-year-olds, I have never suffered from minivan embarrassment. After all, nothing says "stud" quite like a minivan. Through the lens of evolutionary biology, females look at men driving minivans as far more likely to continue their genetic coding, to invest in their offspring, than some dork in a Lamborghini. Yes, indeed, the lure of a minivan is primal.

Also see 0:30 to 1:30:

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[Wall Street Journal]

 

[coolmazda5]

Big momma vs Mazda5 pics...

The car does not "look" that much longer (202.9in vs 181.5in) but the green house is ginormous in comparison and yes, it is wiiide (79.2in vs 69.1 in)

Oh, and that color was not on my top list (wife's choice), but hides dirt nicely

 

[skyhawk]

I have problem with the door handles. It appears it can pinch a finger.. too near the edge. Car color makes it look like the back of the old GMC Van. That had doors that swings open from the middle.

But then again, it is an Odyssey, no one can compete with the volume of air it can carry.
Like Mazda, maybe Honda is trying something new.

 

[thaxman]

Still having a problem with the whole "van-owner" thing. We all still fit in the 5. Ours are nearly-9, nearly-7, 4 and 9mos. Since the only van I can stomach (99-04 Odyssey) is getting too old and a large percentage have tranny-FAIL issues, I have crossed true van ownership off my list. Waiting for the Flex Limited to fall into the $mid-teens and we may end up leaving the forum. But that's still a few years away, at least.

## NOT ## looking forward to trading in 23 mpg city for 16 mpg!!

 

[5phreak]

ohhhh, I'm so envious. I want one.

 

[coolmazda5]

Waiting for the Flex Limited

Funny, I actually started to look at it, but no sliding doors and non-comparable 2nd row features killed the deal

## NOT ## looking forward to trading in 23 mpg city for 16 mpg!!

Highway hits 28mpg, pure city I've hit 18MPG lately, LOL

ohhhh, I'm so envious. I want one.

(boom06) you kidding.... (right?)

 

[5phreak]

^^^ kidding? heck no. I drive my girlfriend nuts with my lusting over Siennas and Odysseys. Seriously. I have wanted a full size mini-van (oxy moron if there ever was one) for like 15 years.