I do a lot of outdoors activity, and I like the fact that an E would accomodate my bikes standing up in the back. That's easier than a rooftop rack, and the bikes are less likely to be stolen or vandalized.
Also, at the trailhead I would be able to slide the front seats forward and the back seats back, then enter the back and have a huge area to suit up in on those cold mornings when out XC skiing or doing early or late-season hikes.
I want one, but I'm waiting for the 2009 redesign. Here are my reasons:
-- it's underpowered. It would probably do better with a small diesel.
-- no door bumper strips. I had a car without once, and the doors were a mess of dings. I know strips can be bought aftermarket, but for $30K I want a finished vehicle. (It's a small point, but I don't like getting my chain jerked by a car company that couldn't be bothered to dot I's and cross T's. I felt the same way about the seatbelt snafu.)
-- I suspect Honda will upgrade it drastically. Remember the first Odyssey? It only lasted some 18 months, and then was replaced by the current size. If that happens to the E no one will want the old one, and I don't want to be a bag-holder. Suppose, for instance, that Honda puts a sliding, van-type doors on both sides on the back, adds a fifth seat and puts in the right motor.
I don't need the fifth seat myself, but with the right motor and doors (and a bumper strip!) I'll buy one.
That still wouldn't make it perfect. I don't keep up, but as far as I know Honda intends to stick with an AWD system that's 100% FWD until the back wheels slip. Someone once called that approach "Too-Late-AWD", and I agree. There should be an option to lock it in, or some sort of front-back split. I can live with that even though I consider it a flaw, and feel like Honda should have admitted its mistake years ago and changed this.
All in all, I feel like the version we have now is half-baked and I won't fork out good money for one until Honda gets it right.
