Honda or Toyota (Van, 5 kids)

rew829

New member
I am in need of a new car that can seat up to 5 children.
Kids -
2 FF
1 HBB
1 backless booster
1 goes back and forth with booster depending on the seatbelt and car.

I'm looking at the Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna. Hubby will ONLY consider new (no previous owners, can be the older model year). Looking mostly at L/LX - not a huge fan of the "extras" and dislike leather seats.

My 2 concerns are:
1 - Easy access to 3rd row without climbing over the seat. 60/40 is tough right now. I think with the odyssey, I'd have to move up to a the next trim level that has the captain chairs or a middle "isle." I don't really understand how the Odyssey ""flex middle seat" deal. Looks standard in the L model for the Sienna.

2 - Ease of installing car seats. I've never installed on a captain chair before. I guess there is a difference in the number of latch spots and top tethers? I've got an assortment of carseats, so I'm sure something will work.
 
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Keeanh

Well-known member
If it has to be new, go with the Odyssey. There was a redesign in 2011, and then a bunch of improvements in the last year or two. I think it was for the 2014 model year (someone correct me if I'm wrong). Including a built-in vacuum ;) Yeah, I know I have a shop vac in the shed, but I seriously want a vacuum in my van!
 

DawgDad

New member
If it's new, then you most likely will gravitate to the Honda Odyssey...especially at the lower trim level. Comparing the Odyssey LX trim to the Sienna L trim:

Odyssey standards (not found in the Sienna):
  • Rear-view camera
  • Power driver and passenger seat
  • Floor mats (1st and 2nd row only)
  • Tinted back windows
  • Better gas mileage
  • Much better crash test results

For the 8 passenger configurations in the Odyssey the captains chairs in the second row can pull out from the center by 1.5" on either side which will expand the hip & shoulder room of the passengers in all 3 seats across the middle row. This is fantastic for car seat installs, not to mention the Odyssey has LATCH in 5 seats including the 8th seat in the 2nd row AND top tethers in all rear passenger seats (6). Installing car seats in the Odyssey of varying sizes, makes, models, and RF/FF is much easier than in the Sienna. In both the LX trim of the Odyssey and the L trim of the Sienna, there is no center seat for the middle row...

Which brings me to my thoughts...I would seriously suggest you take a look at the Odyssey EX trim. It's not leather (that is the EX-L), but you get a few key features you don't have in the LX.

  • Auto A/C controls for both front, passenger, and rear
  • Alloy wheels (no hubcaps!)
  • Push button start (no more hunting for your keys in your purse...it uses proximity to unlock and start the car)
  • HomeLink (I like this a lot so I don't have two annoying garage door clickers on my sun visor)
  • Conversation Mirror to watch all the kids like a school bus driver without turning your head around (it's where the sunglasses normally go)
  • Removable front center console
  • Integrated sun shades in the 2nd row inside the sliding doors (great feature for napping kids!)
  • Floor mats for ALL 3 rows
  • The 8th seat (middle seat in the second row). You can either use it or it can fold forward for 3 additional cup holders between the captains chairs in the second row.
  • POWER SLIDING DOORS
  • Auto on/off headlights
  • Wiper activated headlights (they come on when you have your wipers on in the rain)
  • Heated side mirrors that are also the same color as your car and not black like in the LX
  • HUGE safety upgrade (watch the link)[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6w4zGzg2os"]Honda Lane Watch[/ame]
 

rew829

New member
Dawgdad- do you have a link for side by side for the Honda trims? I probably need to go look at the dealership. I thought the lx has 8 seats and 3 zone ac controls (essential in the south!!!) was included on lx. I'm not set on 8 seats but the ac will be an issue when it's 100 + degrees out.

Doubt I can get the ex down below 30k. :/.

As far as I can tell the sienna just looks nicer...otherwise the odyssey is better.

On the go and mobile site isn't agreeing with my phone. And I hate getting hounded at the dealer since I'm not ready to buy for another 4-6 months.
 

DawgDad

New member
Dawgdad- do you have a link for side by side for the Honda trims? I probably need to go look at the dealership. I thought the lx has 8 seats and 3 zone ac controls (essential in the south!!!) was included on lx. I'm not set on 8 seats but the ac will be an issue when it's 100 + degrees out.

Doubt I can get the ex down below 30k. :/.

As far as I can tell the sienna just looks nicer...otherwise the odyssey is better.

On the go and mobile site isn't agreeing with my phone. And I hate getting hounded at the dealer since I'm not ready to buy for another 4-6 months.

Sure. Here is the link to the comparison of the trims.

On the 8 seat situation...you may be right. The LX looks like it has the 8th seat where the Sienna doesn't, but the 8th seat in the EX gets a slide feature that it can slide forward and even fold flat to expose cup holders on the back for sort of a console in the middle row captains chairs.

The LX does have front and rear controls (not driver & passenger), but they are all manual. The EX trim adds climate control where you can put an auto setting of a certain temperature you want and it will hold it on that zone of the car (driver, passenger, and rear). That's usually only at the highest trim levels of most cars, but Honda is giving it to you on only their second trim level as standard.

The EX MSRP is less than $33K...you can definitely get this car for less than $30K. I live in the South as well (Metro Atlanta), so depending on where you live...I can help you on what the best deal is and where and how to get it. I always pay under invoice on my cars, it's all a matter of negotiating and I have quite a few easy things to do to assure you get the best deal for your budget. There are certain dealerships that are "volume" (typically move a LOT of cars for lower profit margins) and some that sell low volume but higher profit margins...and you can sniff that out pretty quickly which dealership is which.

Also, I think once you look and drive the two, the interior of the Odyssey will stand out as a much nicer car than the Toyota. Exterior styling, while I prefer the Honda, I can see is a wash and down to just preference. But the fit and finish on the interior...Honda wins here. Especially in the 3rd row folding. I have no idea what Toyota was thinking on their folding seats...

I personally think the best time for you to buy would be December of this year. One, the 2015s will be out for a couple of months and most likely many dealerships will still have a few 2014s on the lot. Second, it's exceptionally slow sales during that month. Third, it's the end of the year and also end of the month...so you can ALWAYS get the best deal you have ever gotten on a car. Since you have a 4-6 month timeframe, then this should fit your window fine.
 

rew829

New member
Any chance you can message or email me? I'm about 4 hrs north of you (NC- stateline). All the dealers around here seem low volume (if I had to guess...) even though we are a major city with about 5 Honda dealers at least. I'll drive for the best deal at this point.
 

rew829

New member
Any reason why msrp is different on the main Honda site to individual dealer sites and kbb? 33105 vs 32xxx on ex model.
 

DawgDad

New member
They don't include this thing called "destination fee" in the MSRP. It's usually like around $850 and on every new vehicle (this isn't a Honda exclusive...every manufacturer does this). It's literally an additional fee the dealership charges to get the vehicle from where it was manufactured to the dealership along with administrative fees lumped in at times as well.

Also, sometimes certain dealers do special add-ons on all their vehicles. Some like to do pinstriping on their cars, others like to make sure every van has a cargo tray, mudflaps, wheel locks, all-weather mats, and/or roof racks. It just depends...but that can sometimes either be added into the sticker cost OR they eat it as a "dealership differentiator".
 

MMNA

New member
I know you’ve sort of narrowed it down to the Odyssey and the Sienna, but have you considered checking out the Mitsubishi Outlander? It’s definitely big enough for your whole family, including all of your kids’ car seats, and it was recently named to the "10 Most Affordable 3-Row Vehicles" List by Kelley Blue Book's KBB.com. It also has tons of advanced safety features such as forward collision mitigation and lane departure warning system. But don't just take my word for it, visit *broken link removed* all the info you'll need.
 

Admin

Admin - Webmaster
I know you’ve sort of narrowed it down to the Odyssey and the Sienna, but have you considered checking out the Mitsubishi Outlander? It’s definitely big enough for your whole family, including all of your kids’ car seats, and it was recently named to the "10 Most Affordable 3-Row Vehicles" List by Kelley Blue Book's KBB.com. It also has tons of advanced safety features such as forward collision mitigation and lane departure warning system. But don't just take my word for it, visit *broken link removed* all the info you'll need.

Welcome to Car-Seat.Org!

I removed the link you provided, as it was broken. Here is a link to our review of the new Outlander:

http://carseatblog.com/27445/safe-t...ubishi-outlander-review-kids-carseats-safety/
 

DawgDad

New member
I know you’ve sort of narrowed it down to the Odyssey and the Sienna, but have you considered checking out the Mitsubishi Outlander? It’s definitely big enough for your whole family, including all of your kids’ car seats, and it was recently named to the "10 Most Affordable 3-Row Vehicles" List by Kelley Blue Book's KBB.com. It also has tons of advanced safety features such as forward collision mitigation and lane departure warning system. But don't just take my word for it, visit *broken link removed* all the info you'll need.

No offense, but 5 car seats in that car? 3rd row easily accessible? Where is the storage when the 3rd row is up? I was impressed with the safety scores...kudos to Mitsu for that, but to me this is a 2-3 kid max car (like zero leg room in the 3rd row...).

Oh and solid review Darren. :)
 

SavsMom

New member
They don't include this thing called "destination fee" in the MSRP. It's usually like around $850 and on every new vehicle (this isn't a Honda exclusive...every manufacturer does this). It's literally an additional fee the dealership charges to get the vehicle from where it was manufactured to the dealership along with administrative fees lumped in at times as well.

Also, sometimes certain dealers do special add-ons on all their vehicles. Some like to do pinstriping on their cars, others like to make sure every van has a cargo tray, mudflaps, wheel locks, all-weather mats, and/or roof racks. It just depends...but that can sometimes either be added into the sticker cost OR they eat it as a "dealership differentiator".

The destination fee is added to the msrp by the manufacturer NOT the dealer. Dealers have no control over the destination charge.
 

DawgDad

New member
The destination fee is added to the msrp by the manufacturer NOT the dealer. Dealers have no control over the destination charge.

That's not entirely true...as a former sales person of cars, they do have control. Also, MOST manufacturers do not include the destination charge in the MSRP. A few did a few years ago, but as of about 2010 most have removed it and it's a separate line item on the worksheet.
 

SavsMom

New member
That's not entirely true...as a former sales person of cars, they do have control. Also, MOST manufacturers do not include the destination charge in the MSRP. A few did a few years ago, but as of about 2010 most have removed it and it's a separate line item on the worksheet.

Show me a window sticker that proves this.
I worked as an internet sales manager for Toyota for 7 years and grew up in a dealership (my father is a retired franchise dealer). Destination fees are charged by the manufacturer - if a dealer adds an additional fee it is NOT a true destination charge. There is a BIG difference.
 

SavsMom

New member
Show me stickers that proves this.
I worked for Toyota for 7 years and grew up in a dealership (my father is a retired franchise dealer). Destination fees are charged by the manufacturer - if a dealer adds an additional fee it is NOT a true destination charge. There is a BIG difference.



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