'08 Sienna or Odyssey?

I am a car nut! J. and I have a Toyota Sienna 2004 and I have never, repeat NEVER, been more unhappy with a vehicle in my life. I am 65 yrs old. The seats are too short and can not be adjusted for my comfort, 6'2" tall, and everything seems geared to small people. The controls are hard to see at night, the brakes get replaced every 20,000 miles and the fuel mileage averages about 13 mpg in town and 22 mpg on the road. I have 97,000 miles on it and can't wait for 100k to trade it off. The Honda would have been so much better and Totota service is awful. I have had both Honda and Toyota before and wish I had chosen more wisely insted of listening to a friend of mine.

After the safety checks, etc. here is my checklist.

I have the 06 Dodge Grand Caravan. BUT, when we were looking we found some things we never thought about.

Air controls per person in the front seat? I can be warm and my husband cooler so we can each adjust as needed.

Sit in the back seats. Do the set backs go up high enough if you are rear ended to support your back as much as possible? Head support on all seats? Seat belts adjust low enough to not choke shorter folks and high enough not to strangle tall ones???

When sitting in the back seats, are your legs ON the seats to the knees-or close??? Do they recline and stay confortable?

In the far back seats, do you have knee room sitting straight forward? Slouching? Same about the seat back heights. Air vents adjustable per person to the back seats?

sliding doors- automatic? If so, can you shut them manually without getting a hernea??

IF all the sliders and rear are automatic-do they also have a child safety catch? If they hit you, will they automatically reverse or will they crush you??? Think along a child's size when you check this part.

We found issues with these things in several vans we checked out. My older son is 6'3" (and still growing) and there were 2 that failed miserably on the seats and seat backs.

One Van felt like our knees were around our ears and the seats didn't sit high enough at the knees so we weren't "sitting", we were on our rear but thighs & knees were on air.

Another Van's doors were incredibly hard to close. I have back issues and couldn't close the doors without some pain, strain and sweat!!

LOVE the auto reverse on the sliders!!! I check it out pretty frequently to be sure it's always working correctly, even though my boys are older and it's not as important as if they were toddlers.

Also, look for extra plug ins for rechargers, games etc. My kids love that feature!! I have one in the middle seat level and one in the far back seat...2 in the front Keeps them very occupied on long trips.

Hope some of this helps you!

My husband and I looked at each one. We drove both and looked carefully at both, twice...at two different dealerships. We both agreed that the Toyota Sienna was a bit larger and drove more smoothly. We have two little ones...a 2-year-old and a 4-year-old. The van is perfect for a family of four or five! It's comfortable, easy to operate, and attractive. We bought ours at the end of July from World Toyota...the XLE w/navigation system and rear entertainment. With children, I suggest you invest in leather seats to make messes easier to clean up. I love the automatic sliding side doors. I never thought in a million years I'd be driving a minivan(I thought I wanted a "cool" SUV). I truly love my van! The Odyssey is nice, too. You can't go wrong with either...it's a personal preference. Good luck on the decision! You should be able to get a great deal on one now.

Odyssey all the way!!!!!! You have to get the touring!!!!! I have to make people get out of my car once they've taken a ride in it. It's awesome.:-)

C.,

I'm no expert on the '08 Sienna, but I do have an '06 Sienna and love it! I drove SUVs since 1990, but became a mom and got a minivan in '06. The SUVs I previously drove were all Toyotas, so I know the product is reliable. I really don't have anything bad to say about the '06 Sienna. Like another mom wrote, the turning radius is amazing. I did have to get used to the short front end though (feels like you're sitting on the front bumper...LOL!). The DVD player was an add-on and not factory installed, so the sound comes through the radio...a little weird and not the best sound quality, but fine for my daughter (came with headphones so I don't ahve to hear it!). The '08 may offer a factory DVD player, you should check this. The heated front seats rock, the second row seats can be moved apart, and the thrid row seats fold down flat. My sister-in-law has the '07 Odyssey and we recently rode in it while visiting...it had things that I liked and disliked about it compared with mine. Nothing major, just different. Hope you find the right van for your family! D. H.

I've had an '07 Odyssey for a year, now. LOVE it. If you're looking for negatives, though, I would say it has a lot of blind spots. This may be because I'm really short, or maybe ALL minivans have this issue. Still very happy with it.

Sienna! We have the '05 8 passenger. it is a must. all three of my boys fit across the middle row - in car seats, so i keep the third row folded down for cargo space. and that space will hold my bike (with kid seat) and two child sized bikes all at once. my husband and i both drive it and have only one complaint - but it's a safety thing so it won't change. when the window in the sliding door is down, it won't open all the way. . .so on a hill, the door doesn't stay open. but this is so minor! we've filled it to the brim for cross country road trips - it even held a reel mower (we were delivering it to my dad in Tx) and all our luggage for a weeks vacation! awesome vehicle.

C.,
We have the '08 Honda Odyssey Touring Model and absolutely love it! We have never owned a mini van before, so I cannot compare it to anything else. However, we just love the size. It is great for traveling with children. We have had one regular service and that went really well. I hope this helps.

i drove the sienna for a while. it drove like the smoothest car ever. it turned on a dime. i now drive an acura cause after 12 yrs i don't need the van but the acura doesn't turn like that van and my sienna had more features that i miss. i think either one is rated just as high as the other. u won't be disappointed.

You just can't go wrong with a Honda or Toyota. They are both rated the best...don't know which is rated better though Honda or Toyota. I just recently got rid of a minivan and purchased a Honda Pilot and I love it. I just got sick of being in a "mom mobile". I had a Chrysler Town and Country and had nothing but issue after issue. I will never ever ever put my money into a Chrysler or Dodge for that matter since Chrysler/Dodge same thing. In my opinion I would stick with the Honda just because they are awesome! My father-in-law has a Honda accord with 100,000 miles plus and it is still a great dependable car. My husband and I bought a Honda Civic last year and it's been a great car thus far. I think the major key though is to be sure to keep up the maint. on the vehicle but as I stated before i don't think I will ever put my money into ANYTHING else except for either Honda or Toyota from now on. I couldn't even begin to tell you of all the issues that poor minivan had and of course after I bought the thing every person that had knowledge on cars told me that Town and Country's were the worst for transmission issues, AC, etc. I kept wondering where these darn people were when I decided to purchase the thing!

I have an '08 Honday Odyssey Touring and I love it. So much so that my neighbor went out a few weeks later and bought the same one! I have a friend who has a Sienna and she has had all kinds of trouble with the DVD system which made me a bit concerned b/c the electrical systems are hard to fix. I would imagine that they are so similar in everything we just liked the look of the Odyssey inside and out better and also thought the Odyssey had a more comfortable ride. All personal preference. Get out there and drive them both and see what you think. We bought ours last year on Dec 31st and got a great deal! Good luck!

The Sienna is great, but honestly I don't think you could go wrong with either. I would go with the one you can get the better deal on.

My husband has worked at both Toyota and Honda as a master technician and he recommends the Honda over the Toyota.

R.

I have the '08 sienna XLE. I got it in August and I LOVE IT!!

I also had the same dilema last year. I was deciding b/t the 07 Sienna & Odyssey. I got the Odyssey Touring. We've had some issues with the electronic stuff, i.e the backup sensors & one tire going flat (they are the run flats so I was able to drive to the dealership on a flat, how cool). Other than that no problems. The dealership repaired each issue & I haven't had any problems since. I also have almost 35,000 miles on my van in the last year & a half. I am not a mivivan person, but with kids it was a must and I do love my Honda over anything else that I test drove. By the way if you decide to buy a Honda there is a dealership in Lagrange, GA & I got an awesome deal there. I drove two hours to get my van but saved almost $5,000. If you need more info on the dealership just message me.

Hi C.,

Go with the Honda! I've had mine for almost 4 years now and love it!!!
Good luck,
K.

My friend bought the Sienna and I bought the Oddysey. I bought bottom of the line (cloth, not terrific seats), no DVD, year 2000. I love mine - even if I wish I had a sunroof and leather seats. My friend kept hers one year. She is short and it felt ok when she was shopping, but over time, it killed her back to drive it or ride in it. She loved it I think other than that, but it was a big problem.
The automatic doors will become the most awesome thing and you will wonder how anyone lived without them. Just a sidenote - I think both have them.

Check into the exact square dimensions of both when the seats are down. it will matter and I thought I remember something about the Sienna having a more narrow cargo.

Just a note on mine, I have had very, very little maintenance issues (actually, none until this year - 145,000 miles). I do have a problem that I understand several vans in my service area are experiencing. The check engine light will not clear because it thinks the catalytic converter is failing. I spent 800 getting it replaced last year and the computer will still not clear it. Make sure if you buy a Honda, they know the problem and ensure you that it will not happen on your year model. Mine is old, so maybe the problem will be corrected because they made so many computer changes 2001.
Enjoy whichever you get! J.