Since 1999, we have identified the Honda Odyssey as a well-over-two-ton rival to the equally cumbersome not-so-minivans made by its many rivals. For the 1995 by way of 1998 mannequin years, nevertheless, the Odyssey was a nimble 3,400-pounder with out sliding doorways, designed with one eye on North America but in addition with Honda’s house market in thoughts. Not many 1995-1998 Odysseys had been offered in the US, however I discovered this well-traveled instance in a Northern California automobile graveyard just lately.
This car had extra in widespread with earlier Japanese wagon-ish van fashions (e.g., the Mitsubishi Expo LRV and siblings, the Nissan Stanza Wagon and Honda Civic Wagovan) than with the Detroit minivans of the Nineteen Nineties. Notice the sedan-style four-door setup.
The area inside was used very effectively, with three rows of seats offering comfy spots for seven adults. Along with gaining practically 1,000 kilos of weight, the 1999 Odyssey was 14 inches longer and 5 inches wider than its predecessor… and match the identical variety of occupants.
The 1995-1998 Odyssey was primarily based on the Accord’s platform and drove very like its barely lighter relative.
The engine on this one is a 2.2-liter F22 DOHC straight-four, rated at 140 horsepower and 145 pound-feet. No V6 was obtainable on this technology of Odyssey. Automated transmissions had been necessary.
This van served its proprietor or house owners nicely, touring 313,635 miles throughout its profession. That is nowhere close to the very best odometer studying I’ve ever present in a discarded Honda (that may be a 1988 Accord with 626k miles, adopted by one other 1988 Accord that reached 513k miles), however nonetheless very respectable.
Isuzu offered a badge-engineered model of this van, known as the Oasis, for the 1996 by way of 1999 mannequin years. In the meantime, Honda offered Isuzu Troopers with Acura SLX badges and Isuzu Rodeos as Honda Passports right here.
Mazda took a shot at promoting a JDM-scale minivan in the US, the Mazda5, for the 2006 by way of 2015 mannequin years. Regardless of it being obtainable with a guide transmission, not many People felt compelled to purchase one. Personally, I want even smaller Japanese vans.
No painful sliding doorways, no heavy detachable seats.
The Japanese-market Odyssey had promoting tie-ins with the then-recently-released Addams Household Values movie. Anjelica Huston even realized to talk a little bit of Japanese for the event.