blackstripe77
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And it is absolutely brilliant.
Ordered in Jan, manufactured Feb/Mar, arrived last month before going through inspection and registration. It looks great, though I'll let the pictures speak for themselves on that one.
A couple key observations after the first week:
Having rolled in the big-bodied Japanese VIP family for a couple years, the sharpness of the Odyssey was a familiar feeling I had been looking forward to enjoying.
Being a Honda (with a MUGEN sports suspension), its a rides a little stiffer than we've been used to, with every detail on the road surface being communicated to the driver - with a bit more practice, I'll be able to tell you what the patterns on a manwhole cover look like by driving over it. Thankfully though, it never bounces or crashes over the poorest of road surfaces. Copes fine even with passengers and luggage.
The MUGEN sports exhaust is occasionally boomy at low RPMs and when parked against a wall, but mostly quiet at normal driving speeds. Almost disappointed at the lack of signature MUGEN-style exhaust tips or laser engraved branding, but does sound good.
As it will be a while before I start pushing the car harder, further reports on the suspension and exhaust will have to wait. As I'm driving normally for now, Econ mode is engaged, and I'm pleased to report that the little strips of light that fade from green to blue does have an effect on the position of my foot - although fuel economy is only approx 11-12km/l on the highway, and possible around half that in town. I am still on my first tank of gas (which happens to have a lot of highway miles on it), so subsequent tanks should be more representative of our average consumption. I am tracking expenses on Spritmonitor so will have some data to share as the miles roll on.
Lastly, Honda Internavi is nice, although it is all in Japanese and I don't know anywhere near enough to fully operate it yet. Also, since we are outside of Japan, many functions are not operational. However, since the two things I've mainly used are the 360deg camera and iPod connection, and I've figured out how those work, it isn't much of an issue. Only problem is I have yet to figure out how to set the time, which is currently an hour advanced - would be very glad if someone could walk me through that! My only minor annoyance is that all the text on-screen (e.g. song name, artist, playlist etc) disappears when the car is in motion, so even the passenger can't operate/make changes to the music selection.
Interior materials are nice (seats are cloth with leather bolsters), and real humans fit in all 7 seats (I'm 5'10"). Seats are comfortable and supportive, although the lumbar support is quite large. Only wish was that the center section of the steering wheel was smaller (more space between wheel rim and center section) and that the horn was closer to the wheel rim (more convenient access). The steering wheel audio controls could also be a little more intuitive, although I'm sure I'll get used to that. Controls on the dash are intuitive, split into three distinct sections for audio, climate control, and Navi.
Enough of the boring stuff, onto some pictures:
If someone could provide a bit of assistance with setting the clock it would be greatly appreciated, thanks!
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MalcolmR
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Very nice, blackstripe77.
Malcolm
:)
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Powered by Honda
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gorgeous! Grats!
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deandorsey
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OMG
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cforez
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That's a cool car. I wish Honda sold a version in the USA, I would get one to match my USDM Odyssey. :)
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JIRZLEE
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Beautiful, congrats!
How would one of these price out it available in the USA? We really need something between the Fit and the CRV in terms of price in the hatch/wagon segment.
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Jovian8
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...and we get the fat-ass Odyssey and the Crosstour.
thats a sweet ride blackstripe.. in the best color.
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THX17201
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Beautiful ride! Can you post some interior pics?
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Chocs
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JIRZLEE wrote:
Beautiful, congrats!
How would one of these price out it available in the USA? We really need something between the Fit and the CRV in terms of price in the hatch/wagon segment.
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We bought ours second hand for ~24k AUD (if I recall correctly) and it was a 2004 asian model. Luxury trim though... not sure what that would equate to there.
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Potenza
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blackstripe77 wrote:
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So wait, did you buy this out of the dealer with these Mugen parts, or you mean you already purchased some aftermarket stuff and had them installed? Just wondering if it comes like that from Honda, or dealer-installed, or what.
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mobis21
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Potenza wrote:
blackstripe77 wrote:
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So wait, did you buy this out of the dealer with these Mugen parts, or you mean you already purchased some aftermarket stuff and had them installed? Just wondering if it comes like that from Honda, or dealer-installed, or what.
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Now this I might like over the Crosstour, but no to a true wagon.
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JIRZLEE
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Chocs wrote:
JIRZLEE wrote:
Beautiful, congrats!
How would one of these price out it available in the USA? We really need something between the Fit and the CRV in terms of price in the hatch/wagon segment.
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We bought ours second hand for ~24k AUD (if I recall correctly) and it was a 2004 asian model. Luxury trim though... not sure what that would equate to there.
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In that case it should take the place of the Crosstour, it actually looks better trimmed and more expensive than most Acuras.
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blackstripe77
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Thanks guys!
Since I hadn't mentioned before, this is the Absolute model, basically wagon-speak for Type-S, so it is powered by a higher compression version of the K24 and produces 206PS in stock form.
These base model (with steel wheels and hubcaps) starts at the price of a base TSX, with the Absolute model starting above the price of a base TL (at current JPY-USD conversions). With options and tax, this car cost closer to two Acura RLs, and the RL costing double that again (1 RL here = 4 RLs in the US). We looked at a Legend first, but since used models were impossible to come by (few were sold and all their owners love them) and a new one is way out of budget, we turned to the Odyssey and Accord Tourer. (We've looked at the Odyssey since 2001 but decided we didn't need a car this large). However, since we could use the extra two seats anyways, we went with the Odyssey, which is essentially a taller Tourer with two more seats. If they ever sent this to the US, expect it to be priced on par with the TSX Tourer. (mobis - curious to hear your definition of a true wagon - and how this isn't)
The Mugen parts were installed at the dealership in Japan before shipment - the original parts are being shipped back now.
Some update on the driving - feels super planted with thrown into a corner. Not as fun to "throw around" as the Honda Stream (which feels light in the rear, almost as if it would rotate if pushed harder), but very stable, even at higher speeds. Also, throttle response is fantastically sharp without Econ mode engaged, though Econ mode doesn't exactly kill all the fun, either. Pure city driving is showing an average of 6km/l on the trip computer - not bad for the kind of traffic we deal with daily, but would hope for better economy as the engine runs in. Exhaust is loudest at a certain RPM near 1300, quiet under or over that, though I haven't pushed into the higher RPM ranges yet and have no plans to do that soon. Thinking about removing the emblems for a cleaner look.
Interior pics soon.
You guys bash the Crosstour, but it reminds me a bit of the 5GT, which has grown on me, especially now I've seen how ridiculously massive it is inside. Good idea but wasn't well executed. And although your Odyssey's (our Lagreat's) are much more van than wagon, this looks nice, too:
Also I've just noted a notice on the JDM Odyssey webpage stating that some colors may not be available - usually a sign that a model is being phased out and a new model is coming, although the RB3 was only recently facelifted. I wonder if they will just be introducing new paint colors (phasing out Premium White Pearl for Orchid White) or introducing new tech as well..
Also any help on adjusting the clock will still be greatly appreciated!
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FiSH-Chan
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Great pics & great car! This is the one with the CVT I am right?
6km/L seems high for me, I get twice that in city driving.. but then this is an MPV with a bigger engine, so understable.
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Midi_Amp
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Are you sure inner city drive only got 6Km/L? That's ridiculous. How is the traffic jam? My sister's CR-V 2.4 even got 7+ in total traffic jam everyday (20-30 KpH average).
But anyway, congrats on the purchase, I would love to own the car someday as the family cruiser, sadly no Absolute version in my country. One thing though, I know the size is basically the same with the RB2, but somehow the car looks bigger, perhaps it's the bigger glass area all around but I prefer the RB2 "low visibility" glass. I'm fairly positive that the bigger glass area means more sunshine and the accompanying sense of roominess, but I still prefer the death star look of the old RB1-2.
And that chromed front bumper is just... ugh... I hope next gen Odyssey has its bumper toned down.
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DrWhiner
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In JDM, the Odyssey Absolute (comes w/ 5AT & 18" wheels) is rated at 11.0 km/L (All in JC-08)
The regular Odyssey (w/ 173 PS engine, CVT, narrower tires & 16" wheels) is rated 12.4 km/L. (+13%)
Prev. gen. CR-V [FMC late 2011 in Japan] w/ 170PS 2.4 l engine was rated:
11.0 km/L (4WD) ] in 18" wheels
11.6 km/L (2WD) ]
& 11.4 km/L (4WD) in 17" wheels
Variant for your local market may be rated differently.
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FiSH-Chan
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DrWhiner wrote:
In JDM, the Odyssey Absolute (comes w/ 5AT & 18" wheels) is rated at 11.0 km/L (All in JC-08)
The regular Odyssey (w/ 173 PS engine, CVT, narrower tires & 16" wheels) is rated 12.4 km/L. (+13%)
Prev. gen. CR-V [FMC late 2011 in Japan] w/ 170PS 2.4 l engine was rated:
11.0 km/L (4WD) ] in 18" wheels
11.6 km/L (2WD) ]
& 11.4 km/L (4WD) in 17" wheels
Variant for your local market may be rated differently.
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My car was rated about 6l/100km about 16.6km/l if I recall correctly. I never got that.. (11-12km/l avg), because of city driving.
So getting 6km/l city with original rated 11km/l sounds about right..
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blackstripe77
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From what I recall, the Japanese ratings are quite optimistic in general, so being able to beat the ratings on a highway drive is quite nice. We probably average between 10kmh-20kmh on our daily commutes, which consists of steep hills and stop and go traffic. Including non-commute drives over the long run we should be seeing better average figures.
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DrWhiner
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Yeah, I know the Japanese rating is quite difficult to attain around town in heavy traffic/lots of stop and go [plus a brand new car -- I guess your mileage will improve after 5,000 - 6,000 miles (8,000-10,000 km)]. Just trying to give a rough idea how the Odyssey Absolute compares with the CR-V.
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DCR
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I rarely venture into this section, but I am glad I did.
Would this thing not sell like crazy in the US? It demolishes the Crosstour visually for one, and by itself, it looks damn good even without the Crosstour trashing the place.
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WongKN
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Great car, congratulations. Do you still have a problem with setting the clock ? Perhaps you need to post a picture of the clock here or else it is too generic for anyone to attempt to help.
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6SPDTL
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Cool mini minivan. I wish the "original size" ody was still sold in the states. I also wish we could get performance parts for our odysseys :(
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MSZ
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Well, any Honda with a high-output K24 isn't going to get good gas mileage in the HK traffic. Unless you live in a very remote area(Tuen Mun, Fan Ling, for example) with lots of highway miles.
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xBeastx
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DrWhiner
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MSZ wrote:
Well, any Honda with a high-output K24 isn't going to get good gas mileage in the HK traffic. Unless you live in a very remote area(Tuen Mun, Fan Ling, for example) with lots of highway miles.
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And to consider that OP seems to have to climb hills.
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blackstripe77
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WongKN wrote:
Great car, congratulations. Do you still have a problem with setting the clock ? Perhaps you need to post a picture of the clock here or else it is too generic for anyone to attempt to help.
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After scouring the manual, turns out the clock is self-adjusting via satellite... meaning it is the most accurate clock I own (after my MBP and iPhone) but is permanently 1-hour ahead...
DrWhiner wrote:
MSZ wrote:
Well, any Honda with a high-output K24 isn't going to get good gas mileage in the HK traffic. Unless you live in a very remote area(Tuen Mun, Fan Ling, for example) with lots of highway miles.
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And to consider that OP seems to have to climb hills.
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True. Hills and traffic are part of my daily route. With my worst tank being 6.3km/l and being able to achieve between 11km/l and 12km/l highway, I seem to be stacking up reasonably well to the 11km/l JC08 rating.
The higher output engine and 5AT don't help economy, but a completely different animal to the R20+CVT I tested over the weekend. CVT was ok but the R20 kinda killed the fun.
Styling:
Parked this next to a lowered RB1 Absolute - makes the old car look dated. The RB1 has simpler lines but the RB3 looks more muscular and more purposeful, and its face more emotional. The chrome grew on me.
On the US of A:
The RB3 in the US seems a little bit hard to justify despite its apparent popularity on this Honda enthusiast forum.
1. It would cost around the same as a TSX Sport Wagon. That’s more than the CrossTour or Odyssey which both have V6 engines.
2. It would have no more power than the TSX Sport Wagon despite having to carry more passengers.
3. It would be smaller than the CrossTour and Odyssey
If the 201hp 2.4l is barely enough for the TSX, it won’t be enough for the RB3. In which case you wouldn’t use it for 7. So you should buy a TSX. And since almost everyone has a car in the US, I can’t think of a situation where you would only occasionally use the rear seats.
I've seen one white Crosstour in China and have to say that the overall shape looks alright, I just wished that the car appeared more purposeful. At the moment, it looks like it isn't sure what it really wants to be. Perhaps Honda would have been more successful with a Crosstour-shaped sports sedan (4-door Accord Coupe) with a sleek front-end, plus a proper lifted wagon with butch bolt-on overfenders (original Crosstour mule ala Audi Allroad), both with V6s and starting under $30,000.
Or perhaps I’m wrong, and an RB3 in the US would change all perception of vans and wagons. Seems a little optimistic though.
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