2008 Honda Odyssey

Honda Odyssey: Safety, comfort and lots of canine cargo space

Wed, May 7th 2008

John and his wife live in Portland and train and show two full-size dogs. When they finally came to the realization that their current mode of transportation -- an ancient Subaru -- was not large enough to carrying the pups and all their stuff -- John went searching for a real DogCar to handle the task.

As an automotive photojournalist, John sees all the makes and models on the market. So what vehicle did he and his wife choose to purchase: a Honda Odyssey.

“We like the space that the Odyssey has for cargo,” John said. “We remove the second row seats and secure the crates there, so the dogs are close to us, yet are still safe.”

Unlike some other minivans, the Odyssey’s second row seats don’t fold flat into the floor. Instead they can be completely removed and stored for future use. This leaves a wide open, flat surface that easily fits multiple large crates.

And there’s plenty of room for all the stuff that goes with show pups, such as a grooming table, practice toys and, of course, food. All of it is easily accessible through either of the power sliding cargo doors or power, flip-up tailgate. The Odyssey’s third row of seats are truly accommodating for DogCar purposes as they have Honda likes to call a “Magic Seat” that folds -- flat into a storage compartment in the floor.

Overall, the Odyssey’s cargo area is about 95 inches from behind the driver’s seat to the tailgate, 50 inches at its narrowest point between the wheel wells and 37 inches high. Those numbers add up to many possibilities for dogs and their dedicated owners.

From a driver’s perspective, the Odyssey is jam-packed with electronic do-dads everywhere. The steering wheel features more control buttons than I’ve ever seen in a vehicle. You’d think you were flying a commercial airliner rather than driving a minivan. Here’s buttons for the audio system, cruise control, hands-free phone and the information screen that displays things like average mileage and fuel range.

Speaking fuel mileage, the Odyssey we drove averaged 22 miles per gallon in mostly freeway driving. That’s a deal when compared to most large vehicles available.

Another cool feature of the Odyssey is the dual glove box that features an upstairs “loft” that is handy for storing cell phones, wallets and treats to soothe your savage passengers.

The Odyssey is a nice, comfortable minivan that serves many a DogCar owner proudly. And for two Portland pup owners, the Odyssey is obviously the pick of the litter.

-- Gina Spadafori

Carguy Comments: The Honda Odyssey, which was redesigned in 2008, comes in three models: the base LX that starts at $25,850, the LX ($28,960) and the luxurious Touring Edition ($40,610). All Odyssey models feature a 244 horsepower, V-6 engine and have been rated as the top safety pick in government crash tests for front and side impacts. Cargo capacity maxes out at 171.4 cubic feet behind the first row of seats.

-- Keith Turner, The Family Car

Barking Lot Banter: The gadget-filled Honda Odyssey is one of the safest and classiest minivans on the road today. However it falls just a small paw short of being a great DogCar because the seats don’t fold flat.