Odyssey to Pilot or vice versa

[simple_guy35m]

Hi,
Just curious about if anybody moved from Honda Odyssey to Pilot or vice versa. And what are the reasons for doing so.......
I have hard time deciding between Odyssey and Pilot, more so that a new Odyssey is coming up in fall 2004, and there is a tendency for minivans taking in more SUVish looks. I have a Honda CRV and for my functional purposes it makes lil difference whether a minivan or SUV. Just felt like sharing with you all.......
Have fun

[ssgman]

While I've never owned the Odyssey, we went to the Honda dealership with the intent of gettting either an Odyssey or the Pilot. After test driving each the wife and I both thought the Pilot was the hands down winner. What surprised me, though, was that our children (ages 4 & 8) both liked the Pilot better. I thought they would have liked the captains chairs in the Oydyssey.
The Odyssey does have more room in the 3rd row, but we don't use it that much anyway so that wasn't a factor.
One thing to keep in mind is the Pilot has AWD while the Odyssey is FWD. Maybe the new ones will have AWD but if you plan on traveling in the snow or doing any type of towing the Pilot is a better choice, IMO. And the fact it keeps winning awards doesn't hurt either!

[Art]

I have both an Odyssey and a Pilot. The Odyssey is easier to get in and out of than the Pilot, and has more cargo room without having to fold any seats, and with four kids, my Pilots 3rd seat is almost always up. The Pilot is more sure footed in bad weather, more fun to drive, and, I don't look as depressed as all the guys I see behind the wheel of a mini van . The Pilot does seat one more than the Odyssey, although the 3rd row is pretty much restricted to kids. And, the kids always want to go in "Dads" Pilot, even though I rarely do, gotta keep the slush outta the back seat area... Just my 2 cents and also...imho...

[Pairallel]

I traded in my 2002 Odyssey LX (also had a 99 Odyssey) for my 04 Pilot. My mother also has an Odyssey EX-L. Art pretty much hit it on the head with his summary. My observations are as follows:

1. Odyssey was not good in snow AT ALL - even with traction control; Pilot is a huge improvement.

2. My wife hated the "minivan Mom" image; she loves the driving position and feel of the Pilot.

3. Odyssey gas mileage is slightly better; however, it requires premium gas to get the full 240HP; Pilot uses regiular, which offsets the lower gas mileage

4. Odyssey seemed a little quicker; probably lower weight since horsepower is the same

5. Odyssey has door gasket problems on both sliding doors (scrunch problem); Pilot has it on some doors too

6. We do miss the extra room and easy passenger access in the Odyssey, but the driving pleasure of the Pilot more than makes up for it

If you are looking to buy an 04, the pilot would be the clear choice for me due to the above factors and much better resale value. That may change some when the new Odyssey design comes out for 05.

One more note: my second Pilot is now on order - replacing my Camry daily driver.

[phinzup]

Had an 00 Odyssey EX-Navi w/aftermarket leather. Traded it and the 01 TT Coupe for the 02 IS300. Wife hated it. Traded it for an 02 4Runner. Now we have an 04 Pilot.

While I miss the Ody sometimes, I did *not* like how close the dash is to the passenger seat. That was my main reason for not wanting another one. When riding in the pax seat it's hard to cross ones' legs. Though I don't do it often, it's nice to be able to when you want to. It was awesome for road trips, though, in that you could put enough crap for an entire race weekend in the van and still have room for four people.