Luxury MPV

**rafmac** · January 29th, 2013 11:00 AM

I'm in the market for a luxury MPV and it will be used primarily during the weekends and out of town trips to Calatagan and Baguio. I've narrowed down my choices to the Alphard, Odyssey and Town & Country.

I just need feedback on these 3 vehicles. No suggestions on the Starex Limo ( i just don't like the build quality of its interior) or any other Diesel van as my main consideration is luxury and comfort and don't mind the fc of a v6 vehicle. SUV's are out of the question since we already have a couple and I need a true 7 seater.

What I like about the Alphard is its very plush inside, very comfy especially the ottoman middle seats. The looks tend to be polarizing.

The Odyssey is also nice and a feels larger inside compared to the Alphard. Nice engine and seems to be a better looker. Just cant shake the image of the soccer mom hahaha...

The Town and Country is a wild card though. I like the stow and go feature but looks really boxy. I heard horror stories of Chrysler reliability here, but no 1st hand experience, but have no issue with CATS customer service with our benzes.

Just need feedback on the 3.

**dct** · January 29th, 2013 11:14 AM

for me i'll get the alphard. mas malaki sa odyssey. ang of course, ottoman seats. sa tingin pa lang siguradong comfortable na e. hehe. mas maganda rin IMO. mas executive din ang dating compared sa iba. i dont like the exterior of odyssey. mas marami rin atang features ang alphard

**ohhhace** · January 29th, 2013 11:52 AM

Alphard seems to be more luxurious and comfy than the odyssey, esp with the captain seats and higher roof. Specs say it has a 6AT which is great, vs the odyssey's 5AT. The odyssey has less leg room, which could get irritating on long trips. Very soccer mom too, unless it will indeed be primarily used by a mom

**GTi** · January 29th, 2013 03:07 PM

Originally Posted by rafmac

I'm in the market for a luxury MPV and it will be used primarily during the weekends and out of town trips to Calatagan and Baguio. I've narrowed down my choices to the Alphard, Odyssey and Town & Country.

I just need feedback on these 3 vehicles. No suggestions on the Starex Limo ( i just don't like the build quality of its interior) or any other Diesel van as my main consideration is luxury and comfort and don't mind the fc of a v6 vehicle. SUV's are out of the question since we already have a couple and I need a true 7 seater.

What I like about the Alphard is its very plush inside, very comfy especially the ottoman middle seats. The looks tend to be polarizing.

The Odyssey is also nice and a feels larger inside compared to the Alphard. Nice engine and seems to be a better looker. Just cant shake the image of the soccer mom hahaha...

The Town and Country is a wild card though. I like the stow and go feature but looks really boxy. I heard horror stories of Chrysler reliability here, but no 1st hand experience, but have no issue with CATS customer service with our benzes.

Just need feedback on the 3.

I'd go with the Odyssey. Very nice car indeed. Say what you will about soccer moms, but since we're talking vans, all of them would scream soccer mom at some point.

But being the Honda that it is, its the sort of van you wouldn't mind driving yourself from time to time. Since you're mostly running highway, you'd appreciate the cylinder deactivation. You get the nice V6 with the highway consumption of a compact sedan!

**niky** · January 29th, 2013 03:17 PM

Having driven all three and having had both the Ody and Alphard for a week:

The T&C has a much nicer interior than before, and materials are first rate. The seats are comfy, too. Feels tighter than either of the Japanese, though, and slightly old-school.

The Odyssey is sweet to drive and rides slightly better than the Alphard (better body control), and handles very well despite its bulk. Unfortunately, despite the nice width, the rear seats aren't as classy as the captain's chairs in the other two, and the stupid recline mechanism is a killer on the back if you're trying to sleep on the road. Great engine, great to drive, but just not luxurious enough for back seat riders.

The Alphard is, hands down, the best van you can get for the money. Even without cylinder deactivation it matches the Odyssey's economy, and the interior is fantastic, with fully functional captain's chairs all throughout. Even the front passenger gets a moveable footrest. The huge sunroof with recessed mood lights is a big plus, too. There's a reason the van sells very well despite its price tag, and word is the pearl white variant is hard to come by. About the only niggle you can level at it is that the ride is a tiny bit floaty in the third row, but everything else is perfect.

**rafmac** · January 29th, 2013 05:29 PM

Thanks for the feedback. I am actually leaning towards the Alphard having riden it several times when in business in HK and it is really comfortable as an urban cruiser. I just wanted to solicit feedback and look at other options out in the market. I'll take a look at the Honda and the Chrysler over the weekend and decide from there

**kompressor** · January 29th, 2013 05:37 PM

If only the Sienna was available and supported here....

**crazy_boy** · January 29th, 2013 05:48 PM

Originally Posted by kompressor

If only the Sienna was available and supported here....

nakasakay na ako both the alphard and the sienna( i think base model cause it didnt have leather seats). i liked the ride feel of the alphard more. mas high end feel nung alphard for me.

**kompressor** · January 29th, 2013 05:56 PM

Originally Posted by crazy_boy

nakasakay na ako both the alphard and the sienna( i think base model cause it didnt have leather seats). i liked the ride feel of the alphard more. mas high end feel nung alphard for me.

If I were a rear passenger then the alphard gets my vote. However, I've driven both and the Sienna gets the driver's vote.

**niky** · January 29th, 2013 10:51 PM

Originally Posted by kompressor

If only the Sienna was available and supported here....

Available, yes. Gray market nga lang, so not really any support.

To note: The Alphard and its mechanical twin, the Veilfire, are both in the top 20 in sales in Japan for 2012. If you combine their sales (the Veilfire is, after all, simply a trim model with different bumpers and lights), they are the 7th best-selling car in Japan.

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An additional thing I like about the Alphard: It's made for Japanese roads. So it's not stupid wide like many made-for-America models, and easy to drive around our crowded streets.