Question Honda Odyssey Models

I am loving the 2011 model, but are there any other that are fabulous for maximizing car seat options? Which year models of the odyssey are most desirable and why? If only it came with AWD, sigh.

It really depends on your needs. Pretty much 2006-2010 are the same and the 2011+. We have a 2006. The older ones with an 8th seat have a much smaller 8th seat than the new ones, BUT the captain's chairs have center armrests so they are more comfortable if you don't need the 8th seat. You just have fewer 3 across options. The new ones have more sets of LATCH with 5 vs 3, but LATCH has weight limits anyway. The old has 5 top tethers (all but 8th seat) which is more important than lower anchors anyway. The new does have 6 top tethers. Here is where I think old vs new depends on your needs. With 3 kids I would have liked the better 3 across the 2nd row options so I could fit everyone there if I wanted to fold down the back. I have 4 kids though. I have to use the 3rd row. The old ones allow you to remove the small center 2nd row seat and slide a captain's chair over. This makes it easy for 2 kids to get in back even with 2 rearfacing kids in the 2nd row. In the new ones you either have to leave one captains chair empty to tumble (and have a narrow seat in the center to have room) or remove the seat altogether. So, I'm happy with my '06 for 4 kids.

I think 2011+ will maximize car seat options but (unless you plan to have 6 kids back there) pre-2011 will maximize overall configurability/usefulness of the car. I really wish they had not taken away the option of moving one of the captain's chairs over towards the middle. I think for 4 kids or less, the older ones are better.

Of course, there is a lot to be said for a fresh new car with low miles and a ton of warranty on it.

So which models have 5 latch? And which have the movable captains chairs?

aedevore said:

So which models have 5 latch? And which have the movable captains chairs?

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2010 and earlier have the captains chair that can be moved to the center. 2011 and later have 5 sets of LATCH.

We opted to buy a barely used 2010 instead of a new 2011 because for us, it was more important to be able to move the chair than to have more sets of LATCH. That was a matter of personal preference for what worked best with our situation. It might not be right for everyone.

And all have 5+ tether options aside from the '05?