2000 Honda Odyssey EX review from North America

The only problems I've experienced with the Odyssey thus far are with the power sliding doors. They tend to get a mind of their own from time to time, whether using the remote keyless entry, the door handle, or the button on the dashboard. Occasionally, either one of the doors will stick ajar about an inch when shutting it and cause the dome light to stay on. I've also had the driver's side door not want to open at all, and then I've had that same door want to close on its own, twice with a family member standing right in the door opening.

Overall, I am very pleased with the Odyssey. The engine is very quiet, powerful, and reliable. It gets fair gas mileage (about 20 mpg in my experience with a combination of city and highway driving), and it neither leaks nor uses any oil between regular service intervals. I have had no problems with the transmission so far, but I understand that transmission failures have been reported, particularly in 2001 and 2002 models. I have received literature from Honda indicating that the warranty has now been extended on the transmission up to 100,000 miles, and that reimbursement is available for repairs or replacements done prior to the warranty extension.

The interior has plenty of amenities and the seats are very comfortable. The rear fold-down back seat is a plus and works very well.

We took the van on a family trip from the Midwest to California in October 2004, and it performed flawlessly. We put over 4,500 miles on the van and never had one single problem. We drove through several tough mountain ranges with a full load of people and luggage on board, and the van never missed a heartbeat. Overall, a very reliable people mover well worth the money.