FR-V 05

HONDA FR-V: CLEVER VERSATILITY WITH QUALITY AND STYLE

OVERVIEW AND MARKET

•  Clever versality with quality & style

•  Compact MPV with 3 + 3 seating configuration

•  Carries up to six people and their luggage

•  Sliding centre seats enhance comfort, allow easy interaction

•  Kids can travel in the front centre seat with parents

•  Seat flexibility offers numerous passenger/loading combinations

•  Simple dive-down rear seat mechanism opens up load area in seconds

•  Choice of three engines: 1.7 SOHC VTEC, 2.0 DOHC i-VTEC petrol and 2.2 i-CTDi diesel

•  Chassis delivers flat, stable ride and excellent comfort

•  Class-leading manoeuvrability and small turning circle

Honda is introducing a new contender in the compact MPV class that concentrates on interior flexibility. By matching a 3 + 3 seating configuration with intelligent packaging and innovative seat conversion mechanisms, the FR-V has the ability to carry up to 6 people while simultaneously offering good load volume.

In addition to the packaging benefits, in opting for a 3 + 3 configuration, Honda also recognised that family communication, and in particular parent-child communication, is important and this layout lends itself to easy passenger interaction. And what child hasn't wanted to sit up front with the grown-ups? The FR-V allows just such a possibility, at the same time enabling parents to keep a watchful eye.

The FR-V also breaks with the typically utilitarian look of the C-MPV segment, to offer sporty, dynamic styling. Combined with a choice of three engines including Honda's acclaimed 2.2 litre diesel, a wide track chassis engineered to minimise body roll, excellent ride comfort and class-leading manoeuvrability with a small turning circle , Honda's newest range is set to bring a new level of expectation to C-MPV customers. For the UK there will be three model grades: SE (all engines), Sport and Executive (2.0 and 2.2 litre engines only).

Multifunctional front seat converts into table, acts as storage

The multifunctional front centre seat can convert into a table or large armrest. Further versatility comes from a split seat squab, which reveals further storage areas.

Dive-down rear seats can be collapsed with minimal effort

The Jazz and Accord Tourer models in particular have amply illustrated Honda's viewpoint that converting a car from passenger to load carrying capability should be neither time consuming nor hard work.

The FR-V continues in a similar vein, and unlike its competitors, opening up the total luggage area requires only 3 steps in total: No tricky double folding of seats is required, and neither do they need to be removed from the car and somewhere found to store them. What's more, the seats just disappear into the floor to give a completely flat load floor.

Supreme flexibility

The FR-V offers a remarkably convenient and flexible interior concept based on six independent seats with a multitude of seating and loading possibilities: parents in front, grandparents in the rear and two children in the centre seats with front centre slid back ; or driver and partner alone with front centre seat in table mode; or three passengers in front and their bikes (with front wheels removed) standing in the rear – the combinations are endless. And many couples will welcome the fact that they can sit alongside their child, enabling them to more readily share experiences. And no doubt children will welcome the opportunity to ride in front with mum and dad.

Safety of paramount importance

Honda has carefully considered passenger safety and across the range, the FR-V features dual stage front airbags; side airbags for front seat occupants; full length curtain airbags; and three point seatbelts on all six seats, with pre-tensioners and load limiters in the front. To ensure occupants in both the front outer and front centre seats are equally well protected, the extra large passenger airbag opens to a width of 860 mm.

Acknowledging that children will be sitting in both front and rear, ISOFIX fittings are included on the front centre seat as well as the two rear outer seats for the safe securing of child seats. Each also has a tether anchor point in the base of the seat backs. Where small children are placed in the front centre seat, Honda recommends that it is moved to its rearmost position.

Supple ride, minimal body roll

In establishing the FR-V's ride and handling characteristics, Honda's chassis engineers set out to overcome the inherent high roll characteristics of C-MPV, while simultaneously ensuring good ride comfort, allied to surefooted handling and good steering response. The result is a relaxing drive with a supple, but flat ride, high stability during cornering and high speed cruising, and top of class ride comfort thanks to low rate springs.

The market background

Although in relative terms the compact MPV market is a recent phenomenon, the sector has shown exceptional growth with annual sales currently around 1.1 million and predicted to rise to 1.2 million by 2006. MPVs generally are on their way to becoming the standard for family cars.

By far the largest market in Europe is France with sales of around 300,000, followed by Germany (235,000), the UK (192,000), Spain (156,000) and Italy (153,000). Around half of sales in the UK , and slightly less in Germany , are diesel powered. However, in France (83 per cent), Spain (79 per cent) and Italy (70 per cent), diesel is dominant, a trend that is likely to be reflected elsewhere as diesel power becomes increasingly popular.

For customers, the C-MPV market is expanding in size and choice. It has meant the leading players in the sector losing market share as new models have shown substantial growth, a reflection of customers' willingness to consider new products.

C-MPV customers are 75 per cent male, however, more than three quarters of their partners drive the car almost as often. Customer average age is around 46, but the two main groupings are 30 to 40 year olds and 60 year olds. They fall predominantly into the category of mature family (i.e. over 35 with children), although there is an important element of empty nesters. Their main concerns are the practical features of the car and since it tends to be the main car, and forms an indispensable part of their lifestyle, it needs to be multi-purpose.

Autumn sales

The FR-V will first be unveiled to the public at this year's Paris Salon, and sales of petrol engined models will commence in November. The launch of the diesel FR-V is set for 2005.