"Having purchased 6 cars in my life, I can honestly say that this was the easiest and most enjoyable car buying experience yet. Matt was laid back and just an overall nice guy to work with. We were there pretty late since I work late, so the other staff bought my friend and I Starbucks and we had a great time waiting for everything to get put together for me. Steve in finance made signing everything painless and fast. I didn't get the annoying call that they want $20 more dollars a month because of a mistake, and they've already emailed and called me a few times to make sure I'm satisfied! I've already sent a friend Matt's way to buy her car and I will keep them coming!"

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2011 Honda Odyssey Manchester

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The all-new 2011 Honda Odyssey is the ultimate minivan reinvented, re-energized and evolved. With its modern styling, spacious interior, and high-tech features, the 2011 Honda Odyssey almost demands a new category. Although it carries up to 8 passengers, there's nothing minivan about the Odyssey's efficient-yet-sporty performance, available 10-way power adjustable leather-trimmed front seating, authoritative acceleration and all the thoughtful engineering you'd expect from a Honda. Designed, developed and manufactured in the United States, Honda considers the 2011 model an American Odyssey. The domestic development team, owners of 46 Odysseys between them, labored to deliver a minivan with distinctive style, greater interior versatility and improved value. Did Honda build itself a worthy successor to the ever popular 2010 Odyssey?

2011 Honda Odyssey Overview

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.

2011 Style Design Honda Odyssey

The 2011 Honda Odyssey gets an all-new body that tries mightily to inject some spice into the minivan formula. Like every good minivan ought to be, the 2011 Odyssey is still essentially a big box on wheels. But Honda has created a new shell designed to appeal to people who recognize the utility advantages of a minivan but reject the minivan image. Honda calls these people "hesitaters" and hopes the 2011 Odyssey's sleek new look makes minivan ownership palatable to them.

The windshield pillars are raked rearward to form an aero nose, the wheel arches flair to create a wide stance, and the rear roofline tapers in violation of minivan convention. Honda designers say minivans look most generic when viewed from the side. To set the 2011 Odyssey apart, they kink the line that separates its lower body from the glass "greenhouse." Occurring just behind the sliding side doors, the kink creates what its designers call a "lightning bolt beltline." More than just a visual flourish, they say the kink also enlarges the rear side glass and improves outward visibility for passengers in Odyssey's third-row seat. Honda also boasts more room inside for third-row passengers, despite the tapered roofline.

2011 Trims and Styling Honda Odyssey

The 2011 Honda Odyssey lineup expands from six models to seven with the addition of a new top-of-the-line Touring Elite trim level (see the "2011 Honda Odyssey Prices" section below for a detailed description of model content).

The 2011 Odyssey LX returns as the base trim level. Targeted at value-minded buyers who can live with manual sliding side doors, for example, the LX is expected to account for just 9 percent of 2011 Odyssey sales. Next up the line is the 2011 Odyssey EX. It's pegged at 20 percent of sales and aimed at buyers who want a few additional features, such as alloy wheels and power sliding side doors, but don't need the kid-resistant durability of leather upholstery.

The 2011 Odyssey EX-L models will again take the lion's share of sales, with nearly 50 percent of Odyssey buyers choosing from this upscale trim line. The EX-L family is actually divided into three tiers, though they all come with leather upholstery (that's what the "L" denotes). To the basic EX-L, the EX-L with Rear Entertainment System model adds a DVD player with a 9 inch ceiling screen; this is expected to be the single most popular 2011 Odyssey, accounting for 23 percent of volume. Next up the line is the EX-L with Navigation model, which substitutes a satellite-linked navigation system for the DVD entertainment setup.

Powering the 2011 Honda Odyssey

The 2011 Honda Odyssey continues with one engine 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.

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.

New Features for 2011 Honda Odyssey

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.

The 2011 Odyssey does not adopt an in-the-floor stowage system for its second-row seats. In-floor second-row stowage is a high point of the Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan. Nor does the 2011 Odyssey copy the Dodge and Chrysler arrangement in which second-row seats swivel to face the third-row seats and form a table-and-chairs arrangement. And neither does it offer the extravagant Lay-Z-Boy-type lounge seats available in the second-row of top-trim 2011 Siennas.

The 2011 Odyssey's third-row seat is wider than the outgoing model's and has more shoulder and leg room. Top models also gain a fold-down center armrest. Honda's second-generation Odyssey (1999-2004) pioneered the space-efficient setup in which a minivan's third-row seat folds fully into the rear floor. All rivals now have it, and the 2011 Odyssey simplifies the folding process via a single-strap pull system, though it does not match the Dodge, Chrysler, and Toyota minivans by offering the convenience of a power-folding third-row mechanism.

2011 First Drive Honda Odyssey

For 2011 Honda has created created a roomier Odyssey with features its predecessor lacked yet didn't add more than 105 pounds to the curb weight of any model. The 2011 Odyssey's bumps in horsepower and torque easily compensate for the extra burden, leaving this once again among the liveliest minivans on the road.

The V-6's transition from six to four or three cylinders is virtually transparent. And back-to-back test drives in a 2011 Odyssey EX-L with the five-speed automatic transmission and a Touring Elite with the six-speed revealed little difference in seat-of-the-pants acceleration or throttle response. The six-speed did a better job keeping the engine in the heart of its rpm range, so climbs to peak power were a sliver quicker. And nit pickers might argue the six-speed contributed to a slightly more refined overall experience. But both transmissions are smooth operators and produce surprisingly similar results. Neither invites manual gear changes, though: there's no separate gate or paddle shifters and the dashboard-mounted lever has only Drive and Low detents. Shifting to low simply surrenders control to the transmission's electronics, which decide when engine rpm is compatible with vehicle speed and then chooses the appropriate ratio.

Handling is again an Odyssey high point. This is the only minivan with a fully independent suspension (rivals use less sophisticated torsion-beam rear axles) and it's evident in a relatively agile feel at low speeds and confident tracking through faster turns. Cornering lean is well-controlled. And locked-in straight-line stability gives this rig cross-country legs. Steering feel in turns is meaty and linear in Touring and Touring Elite models thanks in large measure to the particular compound and larger footprint of their 18-inch tires. By contrast, Odysseys with the 17-inch tires can suffer a light, vague steering feel as you transition from the straight-ahead.

2011 Honda Odyssey Conclusions

The 2011 Honda Odyssey is the perfect choice for anyone looking to get a mini-van that comes loaded with plenty of features. It is for this reason why this vehicle series is one of America's most popular. On the other hand, it offers decent mileage when driving this on a city(18MPG, 19 MPG Touring/Elite) or highway(27MPG, 28 MPG Touring/Elite)  [1]. Hence, it comes with the practicality you need to make full use of this vehicle. For more info, specifications and photos of the 2011 Honda Odyssey in NH visit Hondacars.com.

[1] Based on 2011 EPA mileage estimates. Use for comparison purposes only. Do not compare to models before 2008. Your actual mileage will vary depending on how you drive and maintain your vehicle.