EX-L, RES/NAV good car, can only get better

We were pretty much decided on an Odyssey for our family of four. We were looking for a good travel car with a navigation system and kid-friendly. It was a toss-up between the EX-L and the Touring model. Price really wasn't an issue, it was more a concern of features and the non-PAX tires did it for me.

Tires:
We got the car in spring 2005, and there were no PAX snow tires in sight, which we didn't want to be caught in upstate NY without. I'm still not sure it would be easy to get a PAX Odyssey tire in the middle of nowhere, so I'm happy with the choice to get the non-PAX version and carry my AAA card with me. We would have liked some of the features of the Touring model like power tailgate, driver seat memory, rear zone climate control, daytime running lights, etc. However we have been very happy with our EX-L.

Mileage:
We have about 8,000 miles on the car now. Love it for trips. The kids love the DVD player and the navigation system lets them see how far along the journey we are. We get about 15 mpg in town, and 25 mpg on the highway (about 23 with the a/c on). This is about the same as our Volvo station wagon, so we're happy. The variable cylinder management (VCM) system is supposed to save gas by only running 3 cylinders when necessary, but I don't think it saves that much, if any gas. If even heard some people complain about cabin noise with the VCM on, and I occasionally have heard this at 55mph. It's sort of a low rumbling, but since the car has cabin noise cancellation, sort of like a big Bose headphone, so it could be some feedback due to this, or the engine lugging a little with the 3 cylinders.

Seats:
We leave the 8th seat removed unless we're filling the car up with people. My wife tried with the dealer to stow the seat in the lazy susan, and it's not quite possible. Maybe it's possible, but I don't think you'd be able to get it back out again! We love the way the third row seats flip and stow if we have large items to move.
The ergonomics for the driver aren't the greatest. The seat doesn't go low enough for my wife. I'm 5'7" and I leave it on the lowest setting, and I still can't see under the steering wheel. I have to scrunch to see the top of the speedo and I can't see some warning lights. A telescoping steering wheel might be nice as would bucket seats and a motorized seat for the passenger.
I've gotten to sit in the third row once or twice and it's very comfortable. Comfortable enough to fall asleep while watching a movie.

Kids:
Our kids love the sliding doors on both sides. The middle seats can slide forward and back a little few inches and also tilt so they can be comfortable in their carseats. The seats aren't so far back that they can't reach the seat pockets in front of them which is where we keep the wireless headphones. That fact also helps them keep their feet off the back of the driver/passenger seats since they don't want to break the headphones. My 7-year old can also reach the remote control for the DVD player, but someone in the front seat usually needs to flip the DVD screen down.
And of course they also like to climb in through the back of the car when one of the 3rd row seats is down.

Handling:
Car has a lot of power and handles great on dry or snow. There's a VSA system which is supposed to help with sliding in turns, but I don't think it's ever kicked in. For the winter I got Blizzak WS-50 snows tires on steel rims at the dealer for around $900 so I'd have a set to swap. Couldn't believe it took them over a day to get these on the car. Yet another reason not to go to the dealer, and glad to not have PAX tires.

Other:
I've heard the complaint about no coin holder, but you can get a Bell coin holder from Target or Walmart that's in the shape of a cup to fit in one of your 15 cup holders. The coin holder even has a little removable bottom to store extra coins since most coin holders don't carry that many. This little tip and others can be found at a site (http://www.odyclub.com/forums/) that's full of people coming up with repair tips and aftermarket solutions.

Two tripmeters, temperature, and oil-life display is nice, however we hardly ever use the second tripmeter. A warning light appears when tires lose traction when accelerating.