Used 2011 Honda Odyssey EX for sale 

Five different trim levels are offered for the 2011 Honda Odyssey. These are names LX, EX, EX-L, Touring, and Touring Elite. The top two trim levels are loaded up on technology features. Sure all the trim levels have what you’ve come to expect on a new car such as light controls mounted on the steering wheel, HomeLink, heated seats, etc. But that doesn’t really start until you get to the upper trim levels. 

Buying Advice

We’d recommend you look at the EX-L trim. You’ll lose the in-dash navigation and in-car theater system but at $34,400, the price is a lot easier to take especially when you consider that most of us already have gadgets that will play a DVD or a GPS-enabled. 

Let’s face it. You’re probably not buying the Honda Odyssey for its engine prowess but it’s got enough guts to get you on the highway and rolling in the fast lane with its 3.5-liter V6 engine producing 248 horsepower and 250 pound-feet of torque. That will take you from zero to sixty in a respectable 8.3 seconds. 

Driving the Odyssey will almost make you forget that you are driving a minivan. The independent suspension is going to give you a really smooth ride even on long city streets. The steering is pretty responsive and makes you feel that driving the Odyssey is not boring. 

The Odyssey rests in third place but the top spot on the table is filled by the Chrysler Town & Country. The Nissan Quest gets a tough challenge from the Odyssey in both performance tests. With 8 seconds and 16.1 seconds on the clock for the acceleration and drag tests, the Kia Sedona comes in second place, behind Chrysler. 

What’s remarkable about the Odyssey is its fuel economy. You get 19 miles in the city and 28 miles on the highway, Most of that is due to the variable cylinder management system which means that the engine will use three, four, or six cylinders depending on what kind of power is needed. 

There’s no doubt that the Odyssey is an economical minivan but it’s the Nissan Quest that takes the honors as the most fuel-efficient minivan in the segment. Below them is the Chrysler Town & Country with a combined 20 mpg while the Kia Sedona’s fuel estimates are similar to that of Odyssey. 

You can’t really talk about a minivan unless you talk about its interior and what an awesome interior the Honda Odyssey carries. The center console of the Odyssey is removable allowing you better access to the rear of the van. It’s also loaded with a lot of really great details like a hook below the center console for your bag, multiple power outlets, 15 cup holders, and a cool box that will keep your six-pack of soda or four-pack of water bottles cool. The third-row seats offer plenty of room for three-sized adults to sit and they recline too. 

The second-row seats have got a few tricks up their sleeves as well. It’s got a function called wide mode which allows the exterior seats to move out a little bit to better accommodate the wide butts of three full-sized adults. For the kids, the Odyssey is the only minivan that will allow for three child seats in the second row and two child seats in the third row. That’s like a starting lineup for a basketball team. Also, the middle seat in the second row slides forward five and a half inches. The side doors and the tailgate can be opened automatically with a key fob. 

The Chrysler Town & Country offers similar levels of passenger space in the first and second row like the Odyssey but it lacks to offer enough legroom in the third row. The Nissan Quest offers the best-in-class headroom in all three rows. The Odyssey is the most practical car and that can be proved with its class-leading cargo capacity of 38.4 cubic feet. Some of the other features include:

• Leather door trim
• Leather shift knob and steering wheel
• Side-window sunshade
• Third-row center armrest
• 10 & 15 cup holders
• Universal garage door opener
• Heated front seats

How intuitive is the Honda Odyssey’s infotainment system?

Your passengers will most likely fall in love with the car theater system which features a 16.2-inch screen with split-screen capabilities and an HDMI port. The screen quality is pretty good and it comes with two sets of wireless headphones.

The HDMI port allows you to connect to any kind of gaming console. You also get two audio ports so that when you’re using the split-screen functionality, you can hear what’s going on on either side. Some of the other features include:

• 5, 6, 7 & 12-speaker audio system
• 2 & 15 GB hard drive
• Wireless headphones
• SiriusXM
• AM/FM radio
• Separate rear audio
• Speed-sensitive volume control

Immediately obvious is the styling changes for 2011. Gone is the conservative old van. Honda has really upped the ante minivan styling. Last year’s model was a bit of a snooze fest but the newly redesigned exterior for 2011 features a wider stance, a fairly aggressive front-end, and a lightning bolt style line. 

Not only will that distinguish it from other cars in the parking lot but it also gives third-row passengers a bit of a bigger window. Honda has also made a bold design choice by deciding to keep the rails for the sliding door. The curving roofline tries to make the van look sleeker

Just like the Odyssey’s wheelbase, even the Chrysler Town & Country and the Kia Sedona have their wheelbases in the same league. The 6.6-inch high ground clearance of the Sedona is really helpful for the bulky minivan though it’s not an off-roader. Meanwhile, the Odyssey is the lightest minivan in its segment. Some of the other exterior features include:

• Chrome door handles
• Chrome grille
• Rear spoiler
• Chrome window trim
• HID DRLs
• HID headlamps
• Fog lamps
• Power liftgate

Another reason for the top ratings of the new Honda Odyssey is its top safety ratings. It has earned the designation of “Top Safety Pick’ award from IIHS for its extraordinary performance in the crash tests. It also earned a perfect five-star rating from NHTSA as well. To keep your friends and family safe from any kind of crash, the van is stuffed with six airbags. Some other safety features include:

• Tire Pressure Monitoring System
• Electronic Brakeforce Distribution
• Brake Assist
• Stability and Traction Control
• Anti-Lock Brakes

The Honda Odyssey is not quite the hippest ride on the block but it’s a lot better than your mom drove you to the junior prom in. Honda’s practice of building only a limited number of trim configurations means you often have to buy a higher trim level to get the options you want. With options like Bluetooth or a backup camera or a power tailgate, well, you have to buy a $35,000 EX-L with leather. Toyota doesn’t force you to do that with their Sienna. Despite this, the Odyssey is the top-rated minivan.