Honda FR-V 2.0-LITRE
Hondas 2.0-Litre FR-V Isnt Shy Of Ideas, But Are All Of Them Good? Andy Enright Reports
It was perhaps illuminating that mention of the M-word didnt arise at all in the press presentation of Hondas FR-V
mini-MPV. With three seats abreast front and rear, surely
Honda had to give a nodding acquaintance to Fiats Multipla, but no. The
Volkswagen Touran was identified as the key competitor and this shows where Hondas ambitions lie. Dont think of the FR-V as a car defined by its six seats.
Instead, consider that its quality and residual values knock the Touran into touch. Most customers will choose the 2.0-litre versions thanks to financing that will cost them only an additional £20 or so a month to upgrade from the 1.7-litre car to the equivalent 2.
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0-litre.
Honda also offer a package called the Easy Car Option (ECO) with the FR-V and its a very good one aimed at the sort of private buyers who will form the bulk of the cars clientele. ECO consists of two parts. The first is a five-year servicing deal thats covered by a one-off £330 payment. In this regard, its not unlike the revolutionary deal offered by
MINI.
The clever part of this is that Honda realise that many owners will keep the car for three years and can then sell the car on with two years servicing thrown in, nicely plumping up the residual value of the car. The second aspect to ECO is a very attractively priced comprehensive insurance arrangement that offers three years cover for £1,300. Obviously there are a few conditions in order to get the insurance but its a very reasonably priced deal, especially when one considers that no matter how many times you make a claim in the intervening three years, the one-off payment keeps you covered. Quite how you go about getting insurance thereafter is quite a different matter! Together, the servicing and insurance deal will save the average owner around £1,000.
Eventually this deal may well be rolled out across the whole Honda range, but for the time being its an exclusive reserved solely for FR-V customers.
"The FR-V is easy to buy and extremely easy to live with"
Not that FR-V customers will need a whole lot of additional incentivising, especially if they opt for the punchy 2.0-litre version. Fitted with an i-VTEC engine good for 148bhp, the FR-V feels lively, getting to 60mph in 10.5 seconds.
It offers reasonable low down torque, but like all such engines, its really happier being revved hard. Then it becomes quite tuneful, although if driven in this sort of fashion, its doubtful youll get anywhere near Hondas quoted fuel economy figure of nearly 32mpg. The CO2 emissions of 212g/km may not endear it to too many company car drivers but private buyers probably wont mind. With three seats abreast, youre always mindful of the fact that this is a wide car when threading it down city streets but break out the tape measure and a different story emerges.
Despite its seating layout, the FR-V is in fact a tad narrower than cars like the
Ford Focus C-MAX and is exactly the same width of as a
Renault Scenic, itself hardly a bloater. Honda make great play of the fact that with a short overall length, the car is easy to park and indeed it is, the wheel at each corner design giving it a beautifully tight turning circle. Handling doesnt feel quite as composed as some of the better cars in this class, the stiff chassis and short wheelbase having a tough time resolving high-frequency bumps and jolts from the road surface. The brakes and six-speed manual gearchange are up to the usual Honda standard (read excellent).
Unfortunately so is the steering, which feels overly artificial in the way it weights up as speed increases. A pair of 2.0-litre petrol versions is offered. The most popular is probably set to be the 2.
0-litre SE, retailing at £15,830 which includes front, side and curtain airbags, climate controlled air conditioning, antilock brakes with brakeforce distribution and brake assist, vehicle stability assist and a CD stereo with wheel-mounted controls. Throw in three ISOFIX child
seat fixings, a trip computer, electrically adjustable and heated door mirrors and a category 1 alarm and immobiliser and it starts to stack up very well against the direct competition. There is a range-topping Sport model offered as well, and the fitment of alloy wheels, cruise control, front foglamps and a leather trimmed steering wheel and shifter looks decent value for £16,530. As far as accommodation goes, the FR-V is a tight squeeze if you attempt to fit six blokes in it but it can cope at a pinch, so as to speak.
The three rear seats all fold individually and also fold flat into the floor with one swift action per seat which makes the FR-V a boon for those that want to pursue a few kid-free lifestyle activities at the weekends. If you do want four plus baggage, youll need to sit three abreast at the front. To do this youll need to slide the middle seat back a little to clear shoulder room and to ensure the centre passengers knees dont foul the gear lever. With the centre front seat slid back, its impossible to fold the centre rear seat flat, so this becomes the seat that has to be used.
Unfortunately this also means that if the car is full of baggage youll have to either remove bags to access/exit the car or clamber over them. Hardly the most elegant design solution. As clever as the FR-V undoubtedly is, its not always easy to see who the target customer is. It wont be bought by those looking for provocative styling or the last word in driving enjoyment from their mini-MPVs, nor will it appeal to those looking to buy at either the top or bottom ends of the pricing structure.
Its a notch above the mainstream in terms of quality and engineering and the six seat layout may well appeal to those customers who appreciated it but could never get past the ungainly styling of Fiats Multipla. Working against such a large number of compromises can result in spectacular failure but the Honda FR-V is one of the most refreshing entrants into an overstuffed market sector. It may not shout the loudest, but as an ownership proposition, Honda have equipped it with enough tools to succeed. Â FACTS AT A GLANCE CAR: Honda FR-V 2.0 range PRICES: £15,830-£16,530 - on the road INSURANCE GROUPS: 11-12 CO2 EMISSIONS: 212g/km PERFORMANCE: Max Speed 115mph / 0-60mph 10.5s FUEL CONSUMPTION: (combined) 31.8mpg STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front, side and curtain airbags / ABS with EBD / ISOFIX child seat fixings WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height, 4285/1810/1610mm WHO TO SEE: June 13th 2005
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