I am looking at purchasing a brand new either 3rd row SUV or minivan for my family and these are the front runners:
- 25’ Honda Odyssey
- 25’ Toyota Sienna
- 25’ Hyundai Palisade
- Thought about a Grand Highlander but hated the way it drove.
My wife and I like the Odyssey a lot, it’s our frontrunner - but I have heard negative chatter towards the transmissions in the odyssey in the past. Has this been updated? I like that it is still a naturally aspirated v6 rather than a 4cyl turbo. Honda seems to be fairly reliable, but I know Scotty and others have been critics of the Odyssey in the past. Is this still the case?
As far as the Sienna goes, we love Toyota but we both hate how high up the passenger seat sits in the new Sienna. Both my wife and I could not stand it and it does not seem like the passenger seat can be adjusted to be lowered. Given it’s a family vehicle, we’d be in it a lot and the passenger seat really pushes us towards the Odyssey.
Regarding the Palisade, it looks great and many people I know have loved them - but it is still a Hyundai at the end of the day and while it seems like they have improved in quality over the years, Hyundai’s history concerns me.
Gladly take any and all input. Thanks!
100% Sienna
Get the sienna
Sir,
I have owned both A Sienna and Odyssey they were both older versions a 2005 and a 2007 but at the end of the day the Toyota had fewer repairs but the odyssey had more power and drove better and quieter than the Toyota. Both required sliding door repairs the honda died at 220,000 miles with blown head gasket the toyota had 237,000 miles and the transmission was slipping so I junked it.. But today I still drive an odyssey for the grandkids I just feel its slightly more refined than the Sienna. However Scotty is right I believe at the end of the day you will work on a toyota less than an odyssey..
If the van is on any kind of an incline the transmission makes a thud noise shifting out of park. This must be a engineering issue, I have seen this in several Odysseys
That's to be expected. You're supposed to be pulling the parking brake up or activating the electronic parking brake before shifting into Park when parking on inclines. You're putting undo strain on that parking pawl, which is not very big. The only thing keeping your car from rolling away is the shearing strength of that steel pin. Pulling it out while on an incline necessitates more force to be applied to said pin. More force=the thud you're hearing.
If you park on a steep enough incline without setting the parking brake first and just shift straight into Park, the transmission may not come back out of park.
We have a 24 Odyssey EX bought in August of 2023 with 11,400 miles on it. I would buy it again if given the choice. It is not perfect. The quality of the plastics are worse then my sons 2012 Civic. The transmission seems like its always looking for a gear under 40 mph. If the van is on any kind of an incline the transmission makes a thud noise shifting out of park. This must be a engineering issue, I have seen this in several Odysseys. On the other hand, the power sliding doors are fantastic for us. Esp in school lines. The van handles like a big car, rather then a suv. Above 40 mph the transmission is very smooth. The motor is powerful and quiet.
