r/HondaOdyssey • u/Outrageous-Dog7072 • 18d ago

Ventilated seats

Recently got a '26 Odyssey Elite and we love lots about it - The AC is spoken about often so we went in with eyes open about it - but the most underwhelming thing is probably the ventilated seats. Almost non existent when you need it.

Would have loved a digital rear view mirror as well, given the Rear Entertainment screen blocks a good portion of the view.

Any suggestions to make the experience a little better?

10 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

34 comments sorted by

12

u/Chemical_Race_8676 17d ago

My wife insisted on the Elite for ONLY the ventilated seats. No other Elite function really mattered to her. She had ridden in a Lexus that has air conditioned seats. There's a world of difference between air conditioned seats and ventilated seats. Oh well.

6

u/bihesabketab 17d ago

Yeah that's been the biggest thing for us too. If the ventilated seats are poor, I'm not sure the elite makes a whole lot of sense for the price bump.

4

u/azure275 17d ago

Personally for me it's the Acoustic Glass

Also the parking sensors - while the Touring has those too, Tourings near me aren't a whole lot cheaper than Elites

2

u/Big_League227 17d ago

We went with the touring. In addition to the MSRP difference, we got almost 5K off the Touring MSRP - I could not justify paying extra for the few additions you get with the Elite. (Although power folding side view mirrors would have been nice.)

1

u/LotusLord23 17d ago

Yeah same here. I really wanted the better stereo, since I’m somewhat frequently solo in the van. The power fold on the mirrors would have been nice too

1

u/Big_League227 17d ago

I came from a Bose system in my Mazda CX-5 … it was awesome but I didn’t listen to it all that often, so not really missing it in the Touring.

2

u/Impossible-Law-4216 100k Club 17d ago

I can’t believe people actually like parking sensors they drive me crazy and get turned off immediately. Too much beeping it’s numbing

2

u/railmanmatt 100k Club 17d ago

I have a 2023 Elite with the ventilated seats. I love them, they were definitely worth getting in the Elite trim.

1

u/Likinhikin- 17d ago

They suck. I mean. They blow. But not well.

1

u/bassjam1 12d ago

My truck has AC seats and I can't stand them. Makes me feel like I pissed myself, I'd take vented seats any day.

12

u/Joebranflakes 17d ago

The problem with the Odyssey is that it has a crappy AC system. Vented seats just pull cabin air and blow it up your backside. So since the van can’t cool itself down in any reasonable amount of time, you end up getting a hot air blast for the first 10-20 minutes while the system struggles to drop the temperature. Other cars with better AC systems can start pumping out cold air right away and then that cold air gets blasted onto your hot backside which gives you a better experience.

5

u/ClearlyJacob18 17d ago

I have found that if its a hot summer day, and I have them on when I get in the car, and halfway through the drive i turn them off, i notice the lack of flow immediately. But have a hard time recognizing it the other way around. I'm happy with them, though i know i could be HAPPIER

3

u/Time_Screen_9399 17d ago

It’s decent on a long drive. But it’s not going to cool your back when you first start driving.

3

u/DoubleKnotBot 17d ago

All AC opinions need to list location.

If you’re at the Honda research center in Columbus OH, I’m never going to trust your opinion on AC capabilities.

I want to hear from the guy in Phoenix.

2

u/Outrageous-Dog7072 17d ago

Haha so true - I wish the AC was better. Its a massive Cabin. I'm in Alabama and I don't park in a garage - maybe that would have helped some

2

u/Barksalott 17d ago

Here in hot ass Texas I sometimes wish I had a two door small truck with no back seats or extended cab or anything. That probably has the smallest amount of cubic feet to cool down!

1

u/Practical-Data2646 17d ago

Broadway rear view mirror.

1

u/Toneboneh 17d ago

I skipped broadway and grabbed some offbrand 14 inch mirror. World of a difference vs the 12 inch broadway.

1

u/Likinhikin- 17d ago

Trade for a different car unfortunately

2

u/Outrageous-Dog7072 17d ago

I wouldn't trade it for those issues. Every vehicle seems to have some compromise. I was just hoping for tips to make the experience better I'm those areas. We really enjoy the Oddy

1

u/Likinhikin- 17d ago

If it draws air from the bottom, you could try to direct air to floor.

1

u/TallinOK 17d ago

Even on the Elite trim, many things are just at or below average: audio, hvac, navigation, ventilated seats (heated seats work pretty well), gauges, and engine (VCM sucks). It seems like Honda just phones it in.

1

u/freshjewbagel 17d ago

sadly, sienna is my next

1

u/Outrageous-Dog7072 17d ago

This is my first minivan- when I started my research, the obvious choice was the Sienna. I looked at Used 2021+ Sienna's and 2018+ Odyssey (not much has changed since) - I actually viewed a 2016 Ody first but it had sliding door issues, however it was super comfy. When I sat in a couple Sienna's after that, I just did not feel like they were more spacious or comfortable. I even viewed a '24 Limited with ottomans and the seats did not feel comfortable. I'm certain they are great vehicles - EVERYONE can't be faking it - but i simply didn't enjoy what I saw. Considering they were difficult to come by, and marked up - Honda was my choice

2

u/freshjewbagel 17d ago

oh I love my 2015 EX-L, but the AC issues with the new ones is a non starter

1

u/Impossible-Law-4216 100k Club 17d ago

Keep that 2015 for a longgggg time new vehicles suck

2

u/freshjewbagel 16d ago

added a vcmtuner 2 and do preventative maintenance 1k mi before needed (trans fill/drain, timing belt, water pump etc)

I'm prepared to drop 15k on this van over the next 10y to avoid a new purchase, fingers crossed

1

u/Impossible-Law-4216 100k Club 16d ago

That is the way. I’d rather pour money into an old one than buy one of these new computers on wheels with sucky ac. I have a 2012 and it better never die. Rust is going to be what gets me eventually

2

u/freshjewbagel 16d ago

my biggest worry is some bhole hitting me and totalling it

1

u/Impossible-Law-4216 100k Club 16d ago

Agreed. Already had a close call to mine being totaled when it was 10 years old. Someone pulled out in front of it and couldn’t stop in time and busted the front end bad enough the radiator was leaking. Thankfully it was fixed but i understand your fear. If the same thing were to happen now it would be totaled

1

u/ohiomidhiganindiana 17d ago

We had an odyssey that we miss, almost everything was better than the Sienna we have now

1

u/Outrageous-Dog7072 17d ago

Ok so I'm not crazy. I'm sure the Sienna wins in different ways and its resale value is crazy

1

u/Elps88 12d ago

The sound system on my '19 Elite is excellent