Former race car driver discovers joys of minivan

[tl01]

I'm having a hard time picturing something being LESS nimble than my (07) Oddy. I miss my Armada every time I have to do uturn.

I found my GL to be quite nimble for its size. The QX56 I had which came after the Armada... I found to be not very nimble at all (the one based off the Patrol). The current gen ody and GL are quite different IMHO... One is more like an SUV... Which does make for a big ride difference. The old GL was so much easier to control than my QX... But given the minivan is much lower... It doesn't suffer from much bobble etc.

 

[SafeDad]

I'm having a hard time picturing something being LESS nimble than my (07) Oddy. I miss my Armada every time I have to do uturn.

Turning radius is only one aspect. Routine and emergency handling are the ones where I notice big vehicles just don't have "car like handling". From the Chevy Traverse I just drove, to the Infiniti JX35, Mercedes GL450 and others, they all handle like big vehicles, not even matching some minivans. There's just no way to completely compensate for an extra 1000 or 2000 pounds, a few inches higher center of gravity and in the case of truck-based models, the rigid frames and often the lack of independent suspensions. I find my Highlander to be a little worse than average for a midsize crossover, but I do appreciate that it has a very quiet and comfortable ride in exchange for numb handling that wasn't even as good as the 2006 Odyssey it replaced. Models like the Acura MDX, Kia Sorento and Mazda5 are among those few that have struck me as actually being somewhat "car like" in terms of handling. Well, the Mazda5 is actually pretty much a car, so no surprise there!

The GL450 was really impressive for a vehicle its size. Given the choice, I'd take the GL350 BlueTec over an Odyssey overall, any day, but I think I'd take the Odyssey for handling. Of course, I didn't drive them side-by-side, so maybe it's just fond memories;-)

 

[tl01]

Turning radius is only one aspect. Routine and emergency handling are the ones where I notice big vehicles just don't have "car like handling". From the Chevy Traverse I just drove, to the Infiniti JX35, Mercedes GL450 and others, they all handle like big vehicles, not even matching some minivans. There's just no way to completely compensate for an extra 1000 or 2000 pounds, a few inches higher center of gravity and in the case of truck-based models, the rigid frames and often the lack of independent suspensions. I find my Highlander to be a little worse than average for a midsize crossover, but I do appreciate that it has a very quiet and comfortable ride in exchange for numb handling that wasn't even as good as the 2006 Odyssey it replaced. Models like the Acura MDX, Kia Sorento and Mazda5 are among those few that have struck me as actually being somewhat "car like" in terms of handling. Well, the Mazda5 is actually pretty much a car, so no surprise there!

The GL450 was really impressive for a vehicle its size. Given the choice, I'd take the GL350 BlueTec over an Odyssey overall, any day, but I think I'd take the Odyssey for handling. Of course, I didn't drive them side-by-side, so maybe it's just fond memories;-)

Don't tempt me Darren!! I know the GL doesn't make sense for me... but I still want one. I'd love BlueTec but the special pricing deals rarely seem to make it to the BlueTec models. BlueTec would be my first choice as well. My mom has E350 BlueTec and she marvels at the gas mileage she gets with it. After a zillion years of paying for premium gas and getting subpar gas mileage... she's in heaven.

 

[safeinthecar]

Turning radius is only one aspect.

Oh, I agree. My Oddy has a constant wheel vibration on the straightaway (known problem due to the run flats it wears) feels tippy and lumbering on tight corners, emergency maneuvers have that "on the edge" back end feel, and sudden acceleration always comes with a slight delay.

 

[P1ally]

Oh, I agree. My Oddy has a constant wheel vibration on the straightaway (known problem due to the run flats it wears) feels tippy and lumbering on tight corners, emergency maneuvers have that "on the edge" back end feel, and sudden acceleration always comes with a slight delay.

Weird, my 06 has lots of problems, but none of those. I've had to do some major major emergency maneuvering recently (couch in my lane, tow truck spinning out in front of me doing 70, *heart attack*) and the ody handled it gracefully. Reminded me of my old Audi. *shrug* But I'm replacing it with a Prius ASAP, gas is killing me!