Honda FR-V my review
Bit of HISTORY
Honda FR-V lunched in 2004 in Japan under the name of Honda Edix. It shares similar undercarriage platform as Honda Civic, but with a compact MPV body style with a very smart 3+3 seat arrangement /currently find only in the ugly Multipla/ making this Honda unique. In spite of this it didn't ripped the sales numbers and in 2009 was quit with no successor. Price range when new roughly from 25 000 to 39 000€. Here mentioned model the FR-V Executive with cream leather interior, bi-xenon headlights and a sunroof was 35 000€. /approximate prices/
SIZE and dimensions
It's just about right, not too bulky like 7 seaters, but big enough to accommodate a mid-size family with a dog /or a pair of agamas as in case of my son/ and some load. Good for holiday trips or camping while still smart for daily mama-taxi rutine or crowded parking. Roomy and comfortable get-in or out.
HEART of the FRV
The first generation had two petrol engines D17 and K20, in Japan there were also K24 and AWD versions, coupled usually with rather an archaic type of automatic transmission or a manual M6 for the EU/UK market. The second gen. dated from 2007 with only a microscopic facelift to the body, cancels the D17, K20 engines to bring one petrol unit - the R18 and a newly developed diesel - N22 . The diesel went only with M6, the petrol with bout A5 or M6 transmission. The diesel had 2 versions with and without DPF.
Honda FRV PERFORMANCE
I have drove all 4 of them. No doubt the diesel 2.2 turbo engine suits to it best /that doubles for a similar Honda CRV my dad used to have/. The diesel FR-V has plenty of power, pulls very well and is fairly economical. With 5-6 on the board it sits like an iron while still having more than enough torque to pull whatever is on the hook and swallow miles of motorways.
The D17 engine is a direct opozitum, but somehow does the job. Although it's hard to imagine it, with its original A4 gearbox or AWD... Fortunately the official EU/UK imports were almost entirely with manual 5.
So skipping that and coming to the much new and modern R18 petrol engine. This is another league and delivers well enough power for a steady, gentle moving round. But I find it sort of a bland. To drive more vivid one needs to press the shit out of it. The combo with A5 is second-rare on both performance and economy. But what it might lose on the performance it gains on reliability. Never heard of the R18 breakdown. From the long term of ownership, it probably comes even cheaper than the diesel, with much higher resale value and no worries about the tightening emission regulations /as per 2023-24/. A big shame FR-V didn't get the R20 like Honda CRV did.
Here comes the K20 engine. While it offers only a few more horses than the R18, the torque definition is hell of a deferent story. From roughly as soon as 2500 to 5500 revs it gives 95% of its almost 200 Nm torque and outputs between 100-135 bhp. The torque peaks at 4000 rpm and maximal output of 150 bhp at 5500 rpm. To drive this engine is really a joy although the K20A9 Honda FR-V version is only a "half" Vtec / for an economy reason, at the end FRV is a family bus /. Up to now I have made over 100K Km with my FRV K20 and there were only few moments when I desired for more power. Yes, a 25 years old atmospheric non turbo technology wants its revs and juice to get moving, and 200Nm for todays traffic is rather poor, but it gives back lot of woohoo especially when tuned up. No wonder the Honda K20/K24 series still has one of the biggest fun club in the world.
Honda FRV REVIEW
MY likes and don'ts
This is purely my subjective review,
so the best approach is to drive it, to try the 6 seats arrangement, get familiar with the engine, with the car's size, weight, undercarriage, brakes, pros and cons, the running costs and so on. The cockpit ergonomic is as it is because of the 3x2 seat arrangement so nothing to complain about, used materials are not bad. The gearstick position is briliant, easy to operate although on Bowden's cables. Leather steering wheel and shift knob does wear off. Our FRV has almost 300K Km and the leather seats looks still very good, the wear off is minimal and noticeable only on the driver's seat. I have no problem with the shape and the size of it, but what I don't like is the vertical adjusting leaver that I keep nocking and dropping myself down. An easy fix with a zip-tie. The used leather material feels artificial but not cheap. Stitching is nice and solid. The glove box locking, electric windows control, folding cup holder, or 6-CD changer are prone to break down if treated roughly. In my case apart of the CD changer all works, but Honda forums are flooded with freaking complains.
The front middle seat
is good for putting varies things on, that would normally occupy the passenger's seat and got to be constantly moving. Works also as an office or kitchen-table, an arm rest and obviously as a seat for the 3rd front passenger. The back of the car is wide and high enough for 3 adults. /or 3 children's car seats made by Honda or 2 ordinally ones + a booster/ Middle seat slides forward and back for about 30 cm to gain shoulder room /same as the front middle/ and all 3 can be folded flat. Actually all 6 of them can be folded flat making a double-bed slipping. The floor don't have the typical tunel, is flat as a pancake plus plenty of room under the rear seats, I carry there umbrellas, blankets and so. Interior dome or boot lights are useless if you have an executive trim with tinted glass, solution is a swap for stronger and more economical LEDs. Boot is of a compact SUV-ish size'n shape with a comfortable access without the silly bumper step, precisely of 440l. It has internal floor camber for the make-do spare wheel that I got rid of and two little side cambers good only for smuggling. Tailgate lifts high enough, no more head nocking like on our B-car T Corolla. What I do hate is the soundproofing, the engine itself is fine, almost noiseless /I have happened to try starting running engine several times already, is it so quiet or I am getting deft/ but you can hear everything from the wheels and road. Another don't like goes for the way the body parts are joint together, though probably it is not, it does look of a low standard, but this is rather a cosmetic.
One of the worst Honda FR-V
drawbacks is the poor factory rust protection. Up to certain level this can be fixed by undercarriage, cavity and body coating. The sooner is this done the better. Once it all turns orange its too late and will require expensive welding and paintwork. Mad flaps and a regular body care does help too. Another snag is the rear axle. On almost every bigger-ish Hondas shared the Civic platform /FRV, CRV, Accord estate/ from that age, soon or later develops a bad negative camber. The solution is fortunately not that difficult - an adjustable top arms.
