Powering onto the highway, we found that the engine has no trouble getting the new Odyssey up to triple-digit speeds, if necessary, and when cruising the engine’s VCM system is impossible to detect as it cycles on and off, depending on power requirements. The ride quality is stiffer than before but not uncomfortable, the suspension deftly communicating details of the road surface while competently controlling both body and wheel motions. Though the new Odyssey is quieter than the outgoing model, there is still a healthy amount of road noise filtering into the cabin through the floor. Later, while driving a 2005 Honda Odyssey Touring along winding two-lane roads, we discovered that this high-end model is noticeably quieter inside, most likely due to its unique Michelin PAX run-flat tires. In the tighter twists and turns, it’s clear that the new Odyssey is a better handler, though it obviously still tends toward understeer if you try to drive it hard. A flat stance, neutral attitude, and progressive body roll make the 2005 Odyssey nearly as much fun to drive as the sporty Nissan Quest. Honda is confident that its redesigned minivan is best in class, enough so to provide reporters with an opportunity to drive it back-to-back on a race track with the two models that the company claims are most often cross-shopped against the Odyssey: the Nissan Quest and the Toyota Sienna. While putting the 2005 Honda Odyssey through its paces at Barber Motorsports Park near Birmingham, we determined that it possessed the most refined engine, the most responsive steering, the quietest interior, and the most comfortable front seats. However, the Sienna offered a softer ride quality, brakes that seemed to bite better, and a taller driving position in trade for the slowest acceleration and the least athletic handling. The Quest, with a muscular V6 that provides excellent mid-range punch, is the most fun to drive. We also like the Quest’s SkyView roof and the fact that the second-row seats fold into the floor, but despised the center stack of controls. The Quest is also quite loud inside, and comes equipped with rather flat, featureless seating.
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