Honda Odyssey RB1 (2004-2009)

Very Good – Bought this 2008 model in 2021, it had done 133,000 klms. In the first week it needed a new starter motor (under dealer's warranty fortunately). Paid $900 to fix kangaroo hopping issue a year later, and had a whining noise another year later fixed by adding oil (no charge, tx!). They have been the only problems. I get it serviced every year at… Read more

local mechanics, wherever I am. Currently at 160,000 klms and going strong. Pros : smooth drive, back (3rd) row of seats fold completely flat giving extra storage room. Does about 450 klms on a tank. Can take 300kgs in the back easy. Air con is great. Big windscreen with a big view. Cons : Biggest problem is that it's too low, often hits the back end in driveways, even unloaded. Can't tow more than a trailer, certainly not a caravan. The middle console is a joke, about one inch deep, it's only good for the cup holders - at least it has one, though. The hub caps are looking very tatty. I'll be trading this in for a van, for the extra storage room, but reluctantly, since this Odyssey has been so reliable.

So comfy and spacious car. Perferct for family – I love my honda odyssey 2005 rb1 but i have a few problem with : 1) interior light at the middle and back cabin, all of those cant work now, only on front cabin that does work. I’ve tried to replace the bulb but still doesnt work. 2) screen start error by showing weird letter and clock disorientated and keep blinking. There is the clock button on… Read more

the left parallel to the tunning scroll but it doesnt work either. 3) remote control work only to lock not to unlock. I tried looking all of those problem thru internet and youtube but they keep showing the different model of honda odyssey that doesnt look the same at all with my one.

Japanese luxury and reliability – Have owned this car just on 10 years now and just hit 330000, had 69000 when I bought it and it hasn't missed a beat, I'm a cleaner and travel all around Brisbane every week, this car works hard, apart from regular servicing brake pads and tyres nothing has ever gone wrong, and I just love the creamy leather interior and wood grain, if I was ever to replace this car it would be with another Odyssey, you really can't beat Japanese reliability. Show details

Great package, highly reliable – We purchased our car 2nd hand but with a full service history. The car is. 11 years old with nearly 400,000km (yes that's a lot). Let me tell you everything that has ever gone wrong. One engine mount replaced, one oil sensor replaced the light in one of the seat heater buttons doesn't come on. The seat heater still works but. This car is… Read more

extremely well thought out apart from the top tether straps for kids seats passing over the heads of the 3rd row. Nonetheless we don't actually use the 3rd row anyway and we easily fit 3 full size kids seats in the middle row. You can also have isofix seats in the two outside middle row spots. Not sure on middle spot. We usually have a decent amount of weight in the car and our fuel economy hovers around the 9.5 Lt/100km mark using e10 fuel.

The aircon is great, especially with the seperate rear fan and multiple rear air outlets. The car is fine for long trips, quite comfy (we have leather seats). With the 3rd row seats folded there's tons of room in the back. I'd be happy to recommend this car to anyone that wants a cheap family hauler and isn't concerned about having an SUV. We basically treat the car as a station wagon. Have used the 3rd row seats maybe once. Btw they fold up or stow away electrically at the push of a button, very nifty.

Another handy feature is being able to use the remote key lock to wind down all the windows after you unlock the car, great for a hot day. It's not exactly a hot rod but has plenty of power for overtaking and getting up to speed on highway merging etc. The cruise control is super responsive so you can set it on the highway and just adjust your speed up and down at the press of a button, easy. I'm 6'3" and big (120kg) and I have no problem fitting in the front seats.

The service interval is 10,000km/6 months but as it's got so many kms I do it every 5,000km with 5W-30 full synthetic oil VTEC requires clean high quality oil.

It requires a top up of around ½ litre of oil during this time. For an engine with closer to half a million kms that's pretty damn good. Also as the auto gearbox isn't serviceable I do a drain and refill of the transmission fluid every 20,000 kms. This replaces about ⅓ of the fluid. You must use Honda genuine fluid. The Odessey is the last of the Honda's still built in Japan and you can tell, their is clearly pride taken in building a solid well made extremely reliable vehicle.

Average – I drive a Honda Odyssey every day and have been for the past few years, inheriting the car from my parent's. I get the car service 3-4 times a year. It drives well and is super spacious, amazing for families or people needing to move many items regularly. I play drums across Australia so this car is ideal for my situation. However, the… Read more

battery in this car is very poor, I feel as if I change it more than most people would change their battery. I do not leave the car running for long periods, barely have the air con on but I do listen to music of the stereo a lot. I am not sure if that would do anything to battery but is very odd that a flat battery occurs quite frequently.

Also, I feel as if the car is extremely fragile and poorly built in the sense of ergonomics and practicality. Be careful of practically any driveway as this car loves to scrape across almost every drive way and speed bump I go pass.

It's a good car but definitely needs heeappppsss of work to make it practical and safer to drive.

Interior fabric not durable!! – My Honda odyssey, 7 seater model is lovely to drive. However the interior design could have been better. All the seats covers are worn out like never before, I have tried to find a stitcher to repair them but after awhile everything came back to the earlier state. I'm trying to sell it now and can't wait to get rid off it  Show details

Excellent People Mover Option – Bought new in 2006 from Burswood Honda, and have been super impressed with both the car and the Dealer. After some tough negotiating, we got the Honda for little more than the (old model) Carnival was selling for, and it was chalk & Cheese. The build quality of the Honda has been impeccable, despite the flogging it has received at the hands of… Read more

my wife and kids.

Really cannot understand the comments from some about child restraints? Obviously if you fit fixed child seats to the 2nd row, you won’t be able to fold those seats down.

And as for people complaining it was “gutless” I can only assume they have never driven a people mover before.

Considering that the Odyssey is low-slung and drives better than a family sedan, it is surprisingly spacious. Capable (at a pinch) of transporting large teenagers in the 3rd row.

Boot-space IS limited with the seats up, but was still superior to all other comparable 7-seat wagons. If you need 7 seats, PLUS loads of luggage space, then you’re stuck with a bus like a Tarago, or Grand Carnival.

The only fault our car developed, was that at about 120kk the rear wheel bearings were shot, and unfortunately by that point the car was out of warranty. Price, Quality, Reliability, Versatility, Fuel Efficient

Nice to drive but some ergonomic issues – 06 Luxury bought 2nd hand in 11 with 90,000 km's on the clock. Handles beautifully. Drives just like a large hatchback really. Tight turning circle makes parking a cinch. Engine loves to rev, tiptronic auto means you can gear up and down like a virtual manual. Engine is spinning at about 2000rpm sitting at 100km/h so highway fuel economy is… Read more

great (down to 7L/100km) Around town expect 12.5-13L/100km.

3rd row is powered so with the press of a button it transforms from a 5 to a 7 seater and vice versa. Can seat up to 175cm tall passengers in the 3rd row comfortably. Air conditioning vents for all three row is important.

Has 6 airbags BUT lacks ESC and traction control. Lap only seat belt for middle seat in middle row. At least the side curtain airbag cover the third row.

Ergonomic issue warning. There are 5 child anchorage sites but they are ALL in the rear if the car. Three in the roof and two in lower boot lip for the third row. Need to remove a cover approximately the size of a 20 cent piece then screw in an aftermarket anchor. Using the top tether anchor point cuts deeply into the head room of the 3rd row making them virtually unusable! Using the lower tether anchor points cuts deeply into the precious little boot space as a 7 seater making it virtually unusable. To sum up, if you need anchor points. Don't buy this car! Drives and handles well. Good highway fuel economy, relatively inexpensive as a second hand option nowadays. Anchorage points are illogically placed. The lower front spoiler scrapes steeper driveways and even some speed humps far too easily

Very Disappointed – Purchased a 2008 Honda Odyssey brand new - $50,000 with trade in. I based a lot of my decision making on what the experts wrote about this car. After only about 10,000 km the brakes commenced to go off and by the 20,000 km it was quite noticeable that the brakes were not performing. Spoke to the dealer who said that 'if you had mentioned it… Read more

earlier we may have done something about it.' At our 30,000 km service again mentioned it as it was now getting quite dangerous. The brakes discs were machined and pads changed. I had to take it back a few days later - was told that they were checked and cleaned and should be okay. The service counter representative then said that the Odyssey and the Accord or Euro had bad brakes and it was just the way it was.' So I have put up with poor brakes for the next 40,000 km and i mean a vibration that was dangerous and poor stopping capabilities - but the brakes are fine. at 70,000km I returned to the dealer for a service and told him that the brakes are dangerous. He proceeds to tell me that sometimes the discs get water on them and this can warp the disc. Hang on - now your telling me that I can't drive my car in the rain. The car stereo system has not worked for 18 months and dispute telling them at every service. The fuel economy around town is pathetic - lacks any power and noticed that there is an intermittent vibration in the engine. We are now going onto our 3 set of tyres, third set of brake pads and third disc machining this week. I will and would not buy or recommend anyone to purchase a Honda ever again. I have always been led to believe that Honda were an exceptional quality car but this is not the case in my experience. I have found this car to be poor

Poor brakes, Poor fuel economy, poor stereo system, poor tyre and brake wear. Poor everything.

Great car to drive – Bought this car when my daughter was born - was looking for a 7 seater people mover that could also convert to a station wagon. This car is exactly that. Fantastic boot space that converts easily to a station wagon - ideal for families with dogs and lots of children. No problems mechanically with the engine - although at 100k we ran into a… Read more

"known" problem with the transmission. To fix this issue we are told will cost $2000. Our mechanic also said that most people were not bothering. The issue is around the transmission changing gears smoothly and an audible noise coming from the car. No one else can hear this noise however - I tend to think you had to hear how the car was before to identify it.

Overall - super comfortable car with an excellent safety rating. Cruise Control. Cheap to run - great boot space and versatility for families. Field of view left and right are hindered by thick pilons. Takes a bit to get used to.

Odyssey 2004 - December build – It's was between Toyota CVX 2004 and Odyssey luxury 2004 - and with the price of fuel and with the comfort and Safety (8 airbags) and ABS with EBD the Odyssey was the choice for us. It's has been excellent, bought with 120.000 kms with full service history (Kloster Honda) ex-company car, it's is a beauty and has been looked after superbly. … Read more

For $19000.00 you try to find a car with :

Climate Control with separate controls for the front and rear

7 leather seats-

Central Locking

Remote/Keyless entry

sequential shift function

sunroof-

16 inch alloys

curtain/side/ dual front airbags -

six-stack CD player-

auto headlight

iPhone aux out

seat belt pretensioners and seat belt Reminders -

trip computer

Multi-function Steering Wheel-

EBD (Electronic Brake Force Distribution)-

Alarm-Sports Instruments-

Cruise Control-

Electric Seat Drivers side

with a combined Fuel Economy

(Combined) 9.4L / 100km -

it was a no brainer - go odyssey ( if you have to buy 7 seater it is fantastic value - if you don't have any dependents buy a Nissan GTR :-) Reliable, safe, sexycool, and love the electric rear seat and modest petrol consumption. Needs ESP and traction control, available from 2009 Model & The only real issue with their design is the placement of the child restraint anchorage points for the second row at the top of the rear roof rail,

Good – Nice car , dont buy one with over 75,00 km as they dont last long like all Hondas . Ever wondered how they build such nice cars for a reasonable price ?? Try trading it in at a Honda dealer with 120,000km on it ,,, they are dead to us. Good presentation , nice features , Spare parts $$$ smash repair parts availability resale after 100 kms Show reply

Excellent – Best car i have ever owned (Number 37) Great Honda quality, After almost 150,000K's, Tyers and regular servicing are the only things i have had to have done, plus two factory safety recalls. Kids are rough on the interior, but it holds up well. we have a luggage roof pod (solves space problem.)Beautiful car, Highly recommended car for any family… Read more

in need of more than 5 seats. Fantastic car, comfortable ride, excillent reliability. low service costs, seats 7 in comfort (for a car like people mover) Low on power(good enough for the speed limit though)

OK – last week i went for a drive in my friend's honda odyssey 2005 and i have to say that it felt quite comfortable to drive and it seemed to hug the road nicely, it was quite easy to use the various electronic devices and so on this car looks great and it also handles well especially for its good size as seems to be the case with so many hondas that… Read more

i have either owned or driven in with friends there is not too much storage space - i am sure that the designers could have done a better job here

Good – My partner owns this car, whilst im not allowed to drive it very often! i have to say its a really smooth quiet car. When purchasing the car, the honda team are very welcoming and nice to deal with. as it should be. Smooth comfy ride, fantastic service, fantastic price and good mileage. little storage

Excellent – this car really has excelled itself it looks great it has pleanty of features and heaps of room ihave had the opportunity to travel in one these lovely cars and it was an extremely comfortable ride it handled on the road with the greatest of ease it glided along with no effort at all. we had three adults in the back seat two of us were big frames… Read more

and it was more than comfortable, we all had pleanty of leg room as well as height space, very wasy to get in and out of. Very nice looking car real style and sleekness a little low to the ground though i thought

Good – We did our homework on all people movers and found the Honda Odyssey far outweighed the rest. Holds it value well so is also great for resale. Comfortable to drive. Very roomy interior even when all 7 seats are in use. I love the height as it doesn't feel as though you are driving a small truck. Perfect for getting in and out. I love the way… Read more

the seats are positioned with 3 seats behind the driver and room for 2 at the very back, that way when you have 3 passengers behind you can fold the boot completely down. The boot space is huge with the seats down. The four doors are a big plus. The whole car has airconditioning points, not just the front half like alot of other brands. The blind spot on the driver's side is a bit tricky.

Good – the Odyssey looks great, is a smooth ride that can be very fuel effiecent if not driven on short trips with many drive thru stops, I have had fuel economy of 6.7 Litres Per 100km mainly highway Ks and worst of 14.1L/100Km dreaded city driving. Not close to the sticker fuel economy. Overall one of the better choices for price in the people mover… Read more

range. 2005 Luxury model, safety features outstanding, smooth ride, One colour of leather interior, beige not practical for family of young children, floor easily stained,I Had installed custom made sheep skin seat covers to protect interior and then wasn't able to fold rear seat, therefore no method of protecting this seat from stains, from spilt drinks, sweat or soiled clothing after the kids been to footy etc. Bad blind spots due to length of bonnet, Pillar is right in your view when turning right. Dont expect to fill the seats and expect to go shopping for groceries cause isn't enought cargo space.

Good – Overall, very happy with our Odyssey. I wanted a Subaru Outback, the missus wanted the Odyssey and won, but I don't feel short-changed with the result. On the Aussie speed-camera infested roads you can live with the performance constraints and generally it's an enjoyably smooth, quiet drive, even after having a 325 Sport previously. It's… Read more

responsive enough to chuck around if you're in a hurry. A few niggles, but very few cars are perfect and Honda should be congratulated for managing to get so much practicality and style into the same vehicle without too many compromises. Sleek looks and space-age dashboard, at last you can drive a people-mover without the shame (same goes for Mitsu Grandis). Feels huge inside, very practical use of space in all 3 rows, loads of cubbies etc, and with 3rd row and/or 2nd row seats down there's masses of space for transporting big stuff. Drives great with smooth ride, quick accurate steering and also less body roll than my previous 2002 BMW 325i! Air-con front and back is fantastic - our son has never complained about being too hot in the back, which is a first for him. Value for money is excellent considering the built quality and solidity, space and equipment. Engine torque is lacking, needs a V6 for more punch, especially when climbing hills and the need for more flexibility makes it feel like it has less than the actual 5-speeds in the auto-box. The auto gear-shifter is tricky to use, especially when doing a 3-point turn and quickly need to get out of drive, into reverse and then drive again. Boot space with all seats up is small, and why is there no option for a cargo cover to conceal boot contents? We keep the 3rd row of seats up solely to restrict the view of what's in the boot. Child-seat tethers for the second row are in the ceiling above the 3rd row occupants heads. 3rd row tethers cross the restricted boot space. Visibility issues as per other reviews.

Excellent – Excellent buy, when I moved to Australia it was sad to see my Honda Odyssey go. I've been trying to find one in Perth, and instead stumbled across a useless KIA CARNAVAL which died on us after just 8 months leaving me and 4 kids carless! A very reliable car, never had any major problems and I owned one for 4 years. The tires were the only things that I had to change. Hard to park.

Good – Very roomy for people sitting in it. Full size cumfy back seats that fold down - and not some material covered with metal feel like the Mitz.outlander has (even the newer models)Great dash at night - lights up a beautiful blue -and looks very impressive to people who just happen to get a lift home. I owned a 2004 Luxury Ody - great car, good… Read more

looking, easy to drive and enough space for everyone. didnt offer the things that a lot of other car people movers do -such as rear DVD player for the kids. If you have kids with car seats -then you really need to put one in the 3rd row because you need to climb into the back by moving and tilting the second seat row forward -which can be a pain. when all 3 rows are up - you dont have too much space left in the back -so you would need to invest in a "pod" for the top to carry excess luggage if you were to go on a trip -otherwise pack light! AS I have said before in another review Ive done on Honda -the two automatics Ive had have both had a slight "flat"spot seconds after take off -and it has caught me out going around round abouts.

Bad – We are about to trade ours in after only having it for 6 months. Bad visibility and impossible anchor point positions. Sleek styling - leather seats, good console etc. Very badly designed for anchor points for car seats, very poor boot space when all 7 seats up (can't fit slimline pram), dangerous blind spot front both sides.

Good – The Honda Odyssey is a reliable family car, fairly fuel efficient despite its size. But if you come to a choice between buying the older model and the newer, go older. The original Odyssey had enough headspace to allow anyone to sit in any seat, but this is not the case for the new model. An adult of average height can sit in the front, but… Read more

will have their head brushing the ceiling in the middle, and will be unable to sit in the back.

Storage space has also been reduced. The original had its spare tire beside the back two seats, whereas it is now underneath them, which is largely responsible for the smaller storage space behind them. When the seats were folded away in the old model, the storage space was flat, and could be used to store bulky items. Not so, the new Odyssey, in which the seats remain well above floor level, even when folded away.

While it may seem like the old position for the spare tire reduced the width of the back seat, the width of the car means this is not a problem.

A small problem this may seem, unless you've done bulk moving with the old model, and then try doing similar tasks with the new. A good family car. Not as good as the earlier model.

Good – Great solid car that is very safe. Still has a few refinements to be done. But would recommend and certainly buy another This car has a great safe feel to it. It feels like a normal sedan when driving. All the controls are easily accessible i.e. radio, air con. At the moment we are using the car as a wagon (seats folded down at rear) and it is… Read more

great for fitting the pram and a heap of groceries. Everything is adjustable in this car i.e. steering, driver seat height, 2nd row seats (move back and forward). This adds to making the drive comfortable for driver and passengers. Lap middle belt will eventually be a problem for us as we have 3 small kids that will one day be in a seat belt only. No get up and go. Can be very thirsty around the city. WE average 14lt a tank for city driving and 10-11 for long drives. Dont like how the anchor point for the car seats are at the rear above the 3rd row seats.

Good – My work place just got a new Honda Odyssey and I have had the pleasure of driving it. It is a comfortable car that has lots of flexibility in its features. AIr conditioning in the back is very popular but also having the control to turn it off when alone is great. There has always been plenty of space for the passangers and is quite impressive in… Read more

its appearance. The colour range was slightly limited and it can be tricky to hear the people sitting in the very rear but apart from that it is a great car. The Honda Odyssey is a very pleasant car to drive (I drive it for work - transporting children). It is overall a comfortable and attractive car. The storage space when carrying 7 people is limited and it does have some blind spots that you have to keep an eye out for.