I just found out that I am pregnant with my third child and we have come to terms with the fact that we will have to get a minivan. My concern is that the Honda Odyssey is not all wheel drive and we have a pretty steep driveway. I have a CR-V now that does a great job of getting up my driveway. Lately, our winters here in Pittsburgh have been unpredictable, last year we hardly got any snow, but this winter might be a different story. I was just wondering how your minivan performs in the snow? Thanks for your help!
I have a CRV and I see no difference between how it handles and how my minivans handled. Like everything it is knowing how the specific vehicle you are driving is going to react in the snow.
I live in CO... My Odyssey is great - except in the snow. The "SLED" as I've come to call it performed better w/ new tires.... but overall not good in the snow -ESPECIALLY on hills. If you want a minvan and all wheel drive, I would try the Sienna by Toyota. Having said all of that, I'm keeping my Odyssey...I do love it and it's paid for!.... and opt for our Jeep Grand Cherokee when I absolutely need to (appx 3-5 days per year). Good luck
toyota sienna
love it
has a center console that an odyssey owner below was missing.
live in colorado - when I had cruddy tires, it was awful. got new tires two years ago that are MUCH better - haven't had an issue since. we ski, snowshoe, etc so we see mountains and snow with ours.
we do not have awd.
my BIL has one also - we met them in the mountains - the house we rented had a 45-degree driveway - or at least it looked like it. ours with the cruddy tires - a no go. his with good tires (FWD), not an issue even after a 10-inch snow.
you do have to know how to drive a FWD in snow and ice - I find that a lot of people DON'T know how to do this - it is very different from AWD or rear-wheel drive.
once you go to the minivan, you'll never look back!
I unfortunately have to say that they are not great. I have an Odyessy and have had trouble before in the snow with all of the hills that we have here. However this was only about 3 times in the past 5 years. Our winters really have been pretty good and I try to stay in if it snows. My husband has a much easier time of it than me because he is a better snow driver and not as chicken.
However if you have a steep drive you might have to consider an SUV.
I have 3 kids and we have a Nissan Armada. It's not a mini-van, but it's plenty of room for a family of 8 - though we only use 3 seats. The only drawback is the kids can't reach the door handles because they are high, but that's the only thing that made it difficult when they were smaller, and it wasn't bad because I was always right there. It drives AMAZING in the snow as well.
You need to also consider ground clearance, not just performance.
Here in WA its not unheard of to get 12" at a time. My Pathfinder (a mid-size SUV with a 3rd row) has 8-9" inch ground clearance where a 2011 Honda Odyssey has approximately 4.5". I would never get up my driveway if I didn't have decent ground clearance.
I haven't owned my Odyssey through a snow storm. However, we own a CR-V and it handles it like a rock star. I had a Dodge Grand Caravan that handled a Nor'Easter like it was a 4 wheel drive!!! LOL!!
The thing about driving in the snow is knowing what to do and how to handle the car....no quick stops, pumping the brakes vs. slamming on them.
A minivan isn't a bad thing!! promise!!! I never thought I would own one either. But I can't tell you how much easier life is with one!!! Especially when they were in car carriers!!! My girlfriend has twins and owns a Yukon - we're trying to convince her husband it's OKAY to be a minivan owner!!! :)
On a side note:
before you buy your Odyssey - check the storage compartments. I have a Touring edition. I have something like 18 cup holders in my van. The thing I miss about my Grand Caravan is the center console I had between the two front seats - it held my cell phone, maps, and so much more...my Odyssey does NOT have that. I had to purchase a windshield attachment for my cell phone. Oh well!! At least I have a dependable car!!!
Minivans are built on car platforms so they drive like a normal car. Unless you buy one that has 4WD or AWD, it won't make any difference from a car. If you put snow tires on it, that helps a lot, even if you don't have 4WD or AWD. When we lived in the Midwest, we did that with our 2WD SUV and it made a huge difference. A Cr-V is great--I had one and took it up to Tahoe in the winter all the time. The Toyota Sienna makes an AWD model. It doesn't get as good gas mileage as a 2WD, but if you live in Pittsburgh, you're better off getting the 4WD/AWD. Good luck!
I love my Odyssey, but I'm happy we also have an Accord. The Odyssey is not very good in the snow. If I had a steep driveway and lived where it got really snowy a lot, I would seriously consider exchanging my Odyssey for an all wheel drive minivan like the Sienna. But for now, on those snowy days, the Accord does just fine. Is there any way you could get the Odyssey but also keep the CR-V for those snowy days?
I have an Odyssey and it does not preform well in the snow. You can improve its driving ability a L. with all-weather/snow tires. I love it otherwise, but if I were ever to get another mini-van I would get one with all-wheel drive. I don't know why Honda doesn't make them with all-wheel drive?
