
Road Test: 1999 Honda Odyssey EX
'99 Honda Odyssey EX
By Jeff Bartlett
Photography by the author
Could the largest passenger vehicle Honda's ever produced live up to its Caravan-besting first impression after a year of arduous MT testing? Only one way to find out. We ordered the top-level Odyssey EX without adding a single dealer bolt-on trinket. The list of standard features packs the window sticker with so much microtype as to require sept-focal reading glasses to decipher. Suffice it to say, power everything, including sliding doors, is just the appetizer. Dual-zone air conditioning, four-wheel ABS, HomeLink, keyless entry, six-speaker AM/FM/CD audio system, aluminum wheels, and traction control give substance, while the 3.5-liter/210-horsepower SOHC V-6, independent suspension, and four-wheel ABS add meat to the impressive package. Mac DeMere has chased fowl up and down the western seaboard like a speed-addled Elmer Fudd, rapidly accumulating 5585 miles pursuing wascally cwitters. Interstate trips have proven the comfort of the well-sculpted buckets, convenience of the magic hideaway third seat, and overall versatility.
| Base price | $25,800 | | Fuel consumed, gal | 268.0 |
| Price as tested | $26,215 | | Fuel cost | $318.12 |
| Body style | 4-door, 7-pass. | | Average mpg | 20.8 |
| Engine size/type | 3.5-liter V-6 | | Additional oil/cost | None |
| Transmission | 4-speed auto. | | Routine maint. | None |
| Driveline configuration | Front engine, front drive | | Additional maint. | None |
| 0-60 mph, sec. | 9.5 | | Previous maint. | None |
| EPA mpg, city/hwy. | 18/26 | | Problem areas | None |
| Total mileage | 7080 | | Total operating cost | $318.12 |
| Test mileage | 5585 | | Operating cost/mile | 5.7c |