2012 Sienna/Ody Compare

[luckyclov]

Anecdotally, I know several "in real life" people who have had tranny issues in their Odys; MY 2006-2009. All but 1 are/were original owners.

I know 3 (1 friend, 2 clients) with new gen ('11) Odys who've had electrical issues (warranty, obviously).

Sort of off-topic, but maybe not so much - is Auto Beef/www.carcomplaints.com a "credible" collection?

 

[Guest]

It's hard to say. With any collection of complaints, particularly online, it may not be representative.

Every single car model will have some issues. Whether it's classified as a "problem", that's really a judgment call. Someone has to draw a line somewhere.

The Odyssey (among several Honda models) was known to have transmission problems. There were enough reports to worry people. I myself saw an Ody about a year old (prolly MY 2007 or 2008) in the shop for transmission repair. That's why I'm getting the extended warranty. However, for electrical, I haven't heard anything about that. Not that it's not a legit problem. But what's the scale? 3 people out of 100,000? 300? Until you know an approximate number of incidents and compare that to the total number of cars, it's hard to tell how big a problem is there.

The Camry (among other Toyotas, including the Sienna IIRC) is "known" to have a transmission with issues. Essentially, any new Toyota with the "new, lighter and improved" 6 speed auto could be a "problem" car. But, the numbers sold is so large that apparently the number of complaints is dwarfed so that it's not really in the public conscious.

 

[luckyclov]

I tend to take most of it (auto "complaints") with a grain of salt (as with most stuff on the interwebs), but I found DH on Auto Beef the other night and it pinged my curiosity radar a little.

Unfortunately, we tend to go through vehicles like toilet paper during a stomach virus, so the likelihood we'll live through nagging "issues" on ANY vehicle we own is pretty slim. But my definition of "issues" may differ from other peoples' definition(s). Vehicles aren't indestructible, no matter who manufactures it. You drive it, you'll likely have repairs. Sometimes even costly ones.

 

[elyrayday]

We went with the Ody. The Sienna seemed so cheap inside. We were pretty surprised at the difference really. We thought they would be pretty comparable. The 8th seat on the Ody is actually functional, which we liked. We were turned off by the Sienna's dash (disorganized and cheap hard plastics) as well as those tracks on the floor. Ody has the same result of being able to move the 2nd row forward and back, but it is built into the seats themselves. This is so much smarter than track in the floor that accumulate grime and get sticky over time. Hmm what else... the Ody just seemed like the better vehicle to us (driving especially too). We really wanted to like the Sienna better to save some money (it was cheaper at the level we were looking). We are really happy we went with the Ody.

 

[jeno]

Planning to drive the Ody on Friday sans kids and distractions and then I'll start narrowing it down a bit if we decide we want to go with a van at all.

 

[luckyclov]

I agree that the Ody's cabin materials are more appealing (though I prefer the set-up in the Sienna). However, the Sienna's plastics never made the "con" list for me, just as the Ody's exterior being ugly didn't factor in (negatively).

As far as the Sienna's 2nd row seat tracks - mine will be a year old (13,500 miles) in a few weeks and they're still flawless. And we spend a pathetic amount of time in the car. To me, that all just comes down to lifestyle and how you care for your vehicle. But I can see how some would view it as a PITA.

 

[elyrayday]

However, the Sienna's plastics never made the "con" list for me, just as the Ody's exterior being ugly didn't factor in (negatively).

We actually LOVE the way the 2012 Odyssey exterior looks. It looks less "mini-van," which is appealing to us. We never saw ourselves as the mini-van type and the Odyssey almost has an appearance of a crossover. The Sienna exterior looks nice too but has a much more typical mini-van style.

The Odyssey's "lightning-bolt" design (that some dislike) adds a lot of window to the third row that the Sienna is lacking. When shopping, take a seat in the third row of each. You will see what I mean. The view out of the Sienna's 3rd row window is really limited whereas the Odyssey's is generous.

 

[elyrayday]

Planning to drive the Ody on Friday sans kids and distractions and then I'll start narrowing it down a bit if we decide we want to go with a van at all.

Happy test driving

 

[luckyclov]

We actually LOVE the way the 2012 Odyssey exterior looks. It looks less "mini-van," which is appealing to us. We never saw ourselves as the mini-van type and the Odyssey almost has an appearance of a crossover. The Sienna exterior looks nice too but has a much more typical mini-van style.

The Odyssey's "lightning-bolt" design (that some dislike) adds a lot of window to the third row that the Sienna is lacking. When shopping, take a seat in the third row of each. You will see what I mean. The view out of the Sienna's 3rd row window is really limited whereas the Odyssey's is generous.

I did sit in the 3rd row of each. I rode in the 3rd row of each. I disliked the Ody's headrests (yes, they were adequately raised) and the lap belt (outboard - didn't try center) didn't fit me well. The seatbelt (outboard) was also an overall poor fit on my 9 year old, whereas he was fairly close to 5-stepping in the Sienna's 3rd row (he rides in a booster, but these were things I focused on because I have older kids whose exit from child seat days sooner rather than later).

At any rate, as my post stated, I didn't knock any points off the Ody because the exterior was unattractive. Aesthetics don't really factor into my decision-making. I'd drive a Gremlin if it was a good fit for my family and met all of the "needs" I deem priority.

 

[elyrayday]

I did sit in the 3rd row of each. I rode in the 3rd row of each. I disliked the Ody's headrests (yes, they were adequately raised) and the lap belt (outboard - didn't try center) didn't fit me well. The seatbelt (outboard) was also an overall poor fit on my 9 year old, whereas he was fairly close to 5-stepping in the Sienna's 3rd row (he rides in a booster, but these were things I focused on because I have older kids whose exit from child seat days sooner rather than later).

At any rate, as my post stated, I didn't knock any points off the Ody because the exterior was unattractive. Aesthetics don't really factor into my decision-making. I'd drive a Gremlin if it was a good fit for my family and met all of the "needs" I deem priority.

If you feel at all defensive about the Sienna - you shouldn't! The Sienna is a great van too! And sounds like the perfect fit for your family.

In the end every one's priorities are different, and every one has different comfort/aesthetic etc. Hopefully all these perspectives come in handy for the OP.

 

[Mags462]

Driven both - contemplated both - didn't buy either (we're going to wait a bit).... so i am still driving my 2005 Sienna..... but i personally could not get over the handling of the Odysey. This will be personal preference of course - so while i do really prefer the look of the Honda, i would buy the Toyota b/c i cannot stand the way the Honda drove.

And well we've driven Toyota's for years and never had issues - I'm loyal like that.... don't fix what's not broken

Realistically though, i strive to not buy a brand new model year of any car - they tend to work out major kinks/flaws in subsequent years..... we will probably buy a 2013 next year.

 

[Guest]

I did sit in the 3rd row of each. I rode in the 3rd row of each. I disliked the Ody's headrests (yes, they were adequately raised) and the lap belt (outboard - didn't try center) didn't fit me well. The seatbelt (outboard) was also an overall poor fit on my 9 year old, whereas he was fairly close to 5-stepping in the Sienna's 3rd row (he rides in a booster, but these were things I focused on because I have older kids whose exit from child seat days sooner rather than later).

At any rate, as my post stated, I didn't knock any points off the Ody because the exterior was unattractive. Aesthetics don't really factor into my decision-making. I'd drive a Gremlin if it was a good fit for my family and met all of the "needs" I deem priority.

That's a fine point you make about the Odyssey's 3rd row headrests. While you disliked them even when raised, I think it's an issue worth mentioning while down. When up and no one's sitting in them, it blocks a lot of rear visibility unnecessarily. So, you're gonna want to leave them down most of the time. However, if someone does go back there, it's extremely uncomfortable in the down position so whoever sits back there is going to have to adjust the headrest. It's not hard, but it's not super easy like "normal" headrests and I can see some kids possibly having an issue (or even some adults). I mean, most likely it'll either be kids/young teens back there are adults who don't sit back there all the time and will be unfamiliar with the headrests.

I don't think that's a deal breaker, but it's something that gets added to the pile when weighing the merits of one over the other.

And yeah, a lot of this stuff is highly subjective as to how important it is. My wife cares about exterior looks a lot. Interior holds less weight with her. I'm the opposite. I care a LOT about how an interior looks, feels, etc (cuz when you're in LA, you stuck in traffic so much you become intimately familiar with the interior of a car and never get a chance to look at the exterior of your car that much). Also, she thinks the Sienna looks better while I think the Odyssey looks better. We both think the Nissan got beat with the ugly stick.

 

[Mags462]

We both think the Nissan got beat with the ugly stick.

:ROTFLMAO::ROTFLMAO: Glad I'm not the only one!

 

[elyrayday]

The Nissan Quest looks almost like the Ford Flex to me.

 

[Admin]

We have reviews of all three at www.carseatblog.com !

 

[Guest]

We have reviews of all three at www.carseatblog.com !

ANd thank you for it. I think I speak on behalf of parents everywhere that it's wonderful to read a review of a vehicle from the mindset of a parent. Most minivan reviews are stupidly written by people who don't have children.

 

[bella_1818]

We're also test driving both. I really like the Odyssey better, mainly because of the functional 8th seat, but I couldn't get the RadianXT more upright than 53 degrees in the captains chairs I think that might be a deal-breaker on the Odyssey.

 

[Guest]

We're also test driving both. I really like the Odyssey better, mainly because of the functional 8th seat, but I couldn't get the RadianXT more upright than 53 degrees in the captains chairs I think that might be a deal-breaker on the Odyssey.

If forced to decide again, I'd go with the car over the seat. You can always replace the seat. I was forced to get rid of my car b/c of the seat. VERY expensive and it started us on a cycle of cars that aren't our first preference. From that experience, I've learned that I will just throw down $300 for a new seat if it means I get the car I really want (or generally fits my needs better). $300 is about the most you'd prolly pay for a seat (and possibly a lot less) and when you compare that to the price of a car, it's totally worth it to choose the car vs a seat that's a tiny % of the cost of the car.

 

[bella_1818]

If forced to decide again, I'd go with the car over the seat. You can always replace the seat. I was forced to get rid of my car b/c of the seat. VERY expensive and it started us on a cycle of cars that aren't our first preference. From that experience, I've learned that I will just throw down $300 for a new seat if it means I get the car I really want (or generally fits my needs better). $300 is about the most you'd prolly pay for a seat (and possibly a lot less) and when you compare that to the price of a car, it's totally worth it to choose the car vs a seat that's a tiny % of the cost of the car.

If DC2 is built the same or similarly to DS, our ERF options are the Radian or importing. I don't see myself climbing into the third row of the Odyssey every time we get in and out with DC2, so I'd end up importing to be able to put the child in a captains chair. I really like the Odyssey a lot better than the Sienna, but I don't know about choosing a vehicle knowing that it will result in importing a seat.

 

[Dorothy]

If DC2 is built the same or similarly to DS, our ERF options are the Radian or importing. I don't see myself climbing into the third row of the Odyssey every time we get in and out with DC2, so I'd end up importing to be able to put the child in a captains chair. I really like the Odyssey a lot better than the Sienna, but I don't know about choosing a vehicle knowing that it will result in importing a seat.

Will the AA solve your quandary? (My apologies if I missed the reason why that won't work.)

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