Odyssey Questions

I was going to buy an SUV for the next car and had it narrowed down to a Pilot. But I keep hearing good things about the Odyssey and now thinking about vans too.

Is there enough room to sit comfortably in the third row? I was in a minivan last weekend and sat in the third row next to our Regent, and I barely fit back there. And Justin had his feet on the top of the row in front of us, because there was hardly any room between the two rows. I can't remember what type of van this was though!

Also, can a carseat be installed in the center of the second row? When I look at the pictures on the Honda web site, the middle seat looks very narrow.

Thanks for any help and any other tips/ideas from those familiar with Odysseys or Pilots would be great!

I don't know much about Odysseys - only what I learned from researching them. It will definitely be our next van.

Here's some good info about suv vs van safety:

http://www.car-safety.org/family.html

I think the key is is to find a van that has a USEABLE comfy 3rd row - WITH ample trunk space behind it. There are many small/midsize suv's that have a 3rd row but it's practically right up against the back windshield - not very safe plus limited storage.

We're mainly looking at the Odys for the top notch safety ratings, the reliability of a Honda plus there are lots of nice extras you can add like DVD, rear back camera, power sliding doors, etc.

Good luck!

We have a 2006 Odyssey, and are VERY happy with it. We have two rear-facing Boulevards in the second row (45* angles) and one rear-facing Wizard in the third row (probably more like 35* angle).

I think there's lots of space, but I'm not 6' tall, either. My mom and I can fit in the third row next to the Wizard in the center. I'm not sure I'd want to be there for hours, but I can do up my seatbelt.

WRT the middle seat in the second row, it's very narrow. There's no LATCH (neither lower anchors nor tether). You might be able to get a Scenera or Radian in there. I think maybe Darren posted at one point about installing seats there? If you think you might want to do a three across situation in the second row, you'd probably be better off with an eight-seater Sienna.

Third row in the Ody's much bigger than the 3rd row in the Pilot...and easier to get to if you only have two seats in the middle row.
I had an SUV for like 6 months (Buick), and couldn't STAND the inaccessability of the third row, finally broke down and got the Ody and LOVE it...I LOVE the sliding doors...the kids never slam them open into other cars in parking lots...

I had a Pilot that I traded in for the Ody. There's WAY, WAY, WAY more room in the back of the Ody, both for people and for luggage when the 3rd row is up.

Of the 2 (Pilot vs Ody) the Ody does have more room in the 3rd row.

If you are still in the market for an SUV with comfortable 3rd rows & cargo area. The new GM cross over (Saturn Outlook, GMC Acadia or Buick Enclave) are a great option. Also the 2nd row seats move forward and back up to 8" to allow more leg room for all 3 rows. The 3rd row seats fold flat plus gets the same gas mileage as the Ody & Pilot. Plus GM has a better warrenty then Honda.

I love my Odyssey, but I have been unable to install my Regent anywhere with the SBP. LBP it is fine. There is a lot of room in the 3rd row.

Basically I want something that I can install a Regent in the center position of the second row. From what I can tell it looks like the Ody has captain's seats in the second row, with a small fold-down center seat? I don't know if the Regent would fit there and I would also need a tether anchor in that position.

The third row would not be used on a daily basis, but I want it for when we have play dates or other outings with multiple kids and then we could all go in one car. I prefer not to move the Regent to other people's cars unless I have to because they usually do not have tether anchors.

I do want cargo space in the back for groceries, but the third-row seats would not be in use while I was shopping and could be folded down. So maybe the Pilot is a better choice for us after all. I was mainly concerned with being able to fit carseats and/or adults in the third row if I have to. I will also look at the GM ones.

I prefer the ones that look like SUV's also rather than the ones that look like station wagons, and of course safety is a big concern. I know - I am picky!

donnas said:

I was mainly concerned with being able to fit carseats and/or adults in the third row if I have to. I will also look at the GM ones.

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The seatbelts in the 3rd row of the Pilot are forward of the bight, making for a trickier install than some vehicles. I could only get a good fit with the Marathon or Roundabout back there if I used the tether. Without it, the seat was way too loose.

Also, the 3rd row is NOT a comfortable place for an adult. My knees hit the 2nd row, and the seat sits extremely low, as well. Accessing the 3rd row is also a PITB, even if you don't have seats installed in the 2nd row, and if you do have 2 or 3 seats in the middle row, you may only be able to get to the 3rd row by climbing in the back hatch!

The Pilot is rated high on safety too, so that wouldn't be as much of a concern to me.
did you go to www.informedforlife.org?

We don't use our 3rd row in our Pilot and have only used it once and it isn't for everyday use.

I was in the same position as you (Ody vs Pilot) but we only have 1 child right now and the Ody seemed like too much of a car (plus I wasn't quite ready to drive a minivan).

The only thing I would be concerned about is the Regent installing well in the center of the Pilot (since the seatbelt comes from the ceiling), it's doable but hard to install my BV rf but that is rf so it's a whole different ball game. Can you take your Regent to the dealer? I installed my BV in both the Ody and Pilot before I made me final decision.

HTH

Yes I don't know if I'm ready for a minivan either, but wanted to explore all options! We'll take the Regent with us - that is our main carseat that I use everyday so I need to make sure it fits, plus Justin will be with us.

The seatbelt comes from the ceiling? That should be an interesting install! And I can only use LATCH for a few more pounds. I'll definitely have to try it out with the seatbelt.

donnas said:

Yes I don't know if I'm ready for a minivan either, but wanted to explore all options! We'll take the Regent with us - that is our main carseat that I use everyday so I need to make sure it fits, plus Justin will be with us.

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That's a great idea to try the seat in the car before buying!

I had an Acura MDX until last January (accident...all okay except the MDX). I couldn't fit 3-across the 2nd row IF our Husky (aka Regent) was one of the carseats; it took up too much room. I occasionally used the 3rd row with a carseat on 1/2 the seat, and the other side folded down...my son would climb in through the hatch. When I had to make the choice for a new car, I replaced it with an Odyssey...I couldn't have my teenage daughter and her friends climbing in through the hatch (they were getting too old for that, and I still had years to go with carseats taking up the 2nd row. Plus, I now had one more baby to babysit, so 4 carseats needed at least half the time.)

The Odyssey has been great; it's nice to have more seating options. I have the Husky in the captain's chair, with the passenger-side C.C. (with an RF FPSVD) slid over toward the center, which leaves easy access to the 3rd row. The 3rd row has a Radian 65 and a FPSVD.

I can squeeze a 3rd carseat in the 3rd row if it's narrow...the Cosco Touriva (aka Regal Ride) fits, as does the FPSVD Booster.

I've tried to use the center "jumpseat" on the 2nd row for an RF seat (the Regal Ride), but it wouldn't install tightly enough. The jumpseat does not have a hook for a tether, so you could put a narrow FF seat there, but you would not be able to tether it. I'm going to try it next with the FPSVD booster; I think that will work if it's ever needed (which may be tomorrow, if we take our family and our neighbors' family to the football game!)

The Sienna fits 3 seats across the 2nd row much better than the Honda, if that's what you need.

I occasionally miss my MDX, but I'm very, very happy that we have the Ody now!

donnas said:

Yes I don't know if I'm ready for a minivan either, but wanted to explore all options! We'll take the Regent with us - that is our main carseat that I use everyday so I need to make sure it fits, plus Justin will be with us.

The seatbelt comes from the ceiling? That should be an interesting install! And I can only use LATCH for a few more pounds. I'll definitely have to try it out with the seatbelt.

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Remember you can't use LATCH in the center seat of the Pilot so it doesn't matter his weight, you have to use the seatbelt.

HTH and goodluck