Honda FR-V (2004 – 2009) Review
Honda FR-V (2004 – 2009) At A Glance
Not too long ago, a ‘family car' was a straightforward saloon, hatchback or estate seating two in the front and three in the back.
And, because the French tended to have bigger families, there were Citroen, Peugeot and Renault seven-seater estates. Then along came the Renault Espace and the Chrysler Voyager and seven-seater ‘Multi Purpose Vehicles' were born.
Since then, Renault did it again by inventing the five-seater MPV in the form of the Scenic. And, just to be different (very different) Fiat pulled its six-seater Multipla out of the brown paper bag.
So how does the new Honda FR-V fit in?
Honda FR-V (2004 – 2009) handling and engines
- Engines range from 1.7 to 2.2 i-CTDi
- Readers report Real MPG to be between 22–54 mpg
The well-proven chain cam 2.0 litre engine, with Honda's trademark triple-V of variable valve timing, variable ignition timing and variable intake trunking is a jewel. Reasonably powerful and incredibly refined for four cylinders, there are no faults there.
Shift quality of the 6-speed box isn't perfect, but it's not bad either. Ratios are fine. 6th is long legged. And cruising at up to 160kph is quiet.
Ride quality on the car's deliberately low-rate springs is very comfortable. Handling is good enough, though it's no sportscar and does not encourage you to treat it like one.
The revelation comes sitting as passenger in the centre front seat, set as far back as it goes. In the rolling hills between Arcos de la Frontera and Jerez it was like watching a Cinemascope movie. Completely different from the normal passenger seat. A very nice place to travel for kids of all ages.
In comparison to the 2.0, the 1.7SE is disappointing. This is a belt-cam engine, actually on the opposite side of the car like the smaller Civic engines are compared to the Type R. It has only five speeds to its box. And, though it's typically Honda smooth, it's quite low geared at around 20mph per 1,000rpm in top and a drone sets in cruising at 90kph. Honda does it to provide an entry-level model under £15,000 and to provide a smaller engine for buyers who, for whatever reason, think 2.0 litres is too big. Economy is theoretically 3mpg better. But probably not in the real world because the engine has to work so much harder. Far better to spend the extra £950 for the very much better 2.0 litre.
One point that needs to be made is it's Honda's policy not to fit cars with switchable airbags. The reasoning is that a driver may switch it off to carry a backward-facing baby seat, then forget to switch it back on again to carry an adult. Since the passenger bag in the FRV is a big one, covering both front seats, that means a backward-facing child seat cannot be used in the front. Instead, Honda recommends that the centre front seat be pushed back to give a good view and access and the ISOFIX equipped nearside rear seat be used for a rear-facing child seat.
Engine | MPG | 0-62 | CO2 |
---|---|---|---|
1.7 | 38 mpg | 12.3 s | 179 g/km |
1.8 i-VTEC | 35–38 mpg | 10.6–12.4 s | 177–190 g/km |
1.8 i-VTEC Automatic | 35 mpg | 12.4 s | 190 g/km |
2.0 | 34 mpg | 10.5 s | 199 g/km |
2.2 i-CTDi | 45 mpg | 10.1 s | 167 g/km |
Real MPG average for the Honda FR-V (2004 – 2009)
Real MPG was created following thousands of readers telling us that their cars could not match the official figures.
Real MPG gives real world data from drivers like you to show how much fuel a vehicle really uses.
Average performance
93%
Real MPG
22–54 mpg
MPGs submitted
156
Honda FR-V (2004 – 2009) interior
- Boot space is 439–1049 litres
Dimensions | |
---|---|
Length | 4285 mm |
Width | 1810–2113 mm |
Height | 1610–1625 mm |
Wheelbase | 2680 mm |
Honda already had its seven-seater (now six-seater) Stream MPV, which succeeded the excellent Shuttle. Then Honda's Masaaki Tsunoda took his two kids for a ride in an old Cadillac, which just happened to have a three-seater bench in the front, like a Tokyo taxi. The kids loved it, both of them sitting together in the front with dad instead of one relegated to the back. So Tsunoda got hold of a FIAT Multipla and started working out how Honda could improve on its 3 + 3 seating concept.
He already had an ideal ‘flat floor' platform, used in the Stream and the CR-V, and the 1.7 and 2.0 litre VTEC engines. The task was to fit two rows of three seats and make the whole thing more interesting than the Multipla and the new 7-seater Scenic, Touran and Corolla Verso.
So, like the Multipla, the centre front seat slides back further than the outer seats. Except in the FR-V it slides back a lot further. The backrest folds to form an armrest and table, or the squab unfolds to reveal useful cubbies. And there's an oddments drawer underneath.
Though rear-facing baby seats aren't advised, the centre front seat has ISOFIX fittings for a child seat, allowing small children to sit centrally in the safest part of the car and giving them a panoramic forward view through the windscreen. Ask any child as soon as they can speak and they'll tell you that makes all the difference to travelling in a car. Instead of everything in front of them blotted out by a front seat head restraint, they can actually see what's going on.
The Multipla does that too, but Honda also allows the centre rear seat to slide backwards and forwards, giving legroom behind the slid back centre front seat and plenty of leg and shoulder room for six beefy passengers. As well as that, each of the rear seats ‘magic folds' in one movement easily into the floor. With all three rear seats folded, there's a huge, flat rear load area. Happily, the FR-V's three-across seating doesn't come at the expense of excessive girth. At 1,810mm it's slimmer than the C-Max and Multipla and exactly the same width as the Scenic.
Door sills are low and the front doors open almost to the scuttle making it comparatively easy for the stiff, the infirm and the elderly to sit themselves comfortably. The flat floor and dash mounted gear and parking brake levers allow entry and egress either side, whatever side of the car you are sitting. There's even a neat row of three pop-down cupholders, one for each front seat passenger.
That's the ‘Flexibility, Recreation and Versatility' of the FR-V. What's it like to drive? And what's it like for an adult to sit ‘piggy in the middle' in the front.
Honda FR-V (2004 – 2009) models and specs
Dimensions | |
---|---|
Length | 4285 mm |
Width | 1810–2113 mm |
Height | 1610–1625 mm |
Wheelbase | 2680 mm |
Miscellaneous | |
---|---|
Kerb Weight | 1397–1584 kg |
Boot Space | 439–1049 L |
Warranty | 3 years |
Servicing | 12500 miles |
Costs | |
---|---|
List Price | £15,400–£22,072 |
Insurance Groups | 20–23 |
Road Tax Bands | H–J |
Official MPG | 33.6–44.8 mpg |
Euro NCAP Safety Ratings | |
---|---|
Adult | 4 |
Child | 3 |
Pedestrian | 3 |
Overall | - |
On sale until September 2018
Medium MPV | |||
---|---|---|---|
Version | List Price | MPG | 0-62 |
1.8i VTEC ES 5dr | £19,273 | 37.7 mpg | 10.6 s |
1.8i VTEC ES Auto 5dr | £20,776 | 34.9 mpg | 12.4 s |
1.8i VTEC EX 5dr | £20,544 | 37.7 mpg | 10.6 s |
1.8i VTEC EX Auto 5dr | £22,048 | 34.9 mpg | 12.4 s |
1.8i VTEC SE 5dr | £18,118 | 37.7 mpg | 10.6 s |
1.8i VTEC SE Auto 5dr | £19,621 | 34.9 mpg | 12.4 s |
2.2i CTDi ES 5dr | £20,782 | 44.8 mpg | 10.1 s |
2.2i CTDi EX 5dr | £22,072 | 44.8 mpg | 10.1 s |
2.2i CTDi SE 5dr | £19,628 | 44.8 mpg | 10.1 s |
On sale until July 2010
People Carrier | |||
---|---|---|---|
Version | List Price | MPG | 0-62 |
1.8i VTEC ES 5dr | £18,825 | 37.7 mpg | 10.6 s |
1.8i VTEC ES 5dr Auto | £18,825 | 34.9 mpg | 12.4 s |
1.8i VTEC EX 5dr | £20,070 | 37.7 mpg | 10.6 s |
1.8i VTEC EX 5dr Auto | £20,070 | 34.9 mpg | 12.4 s |
1.8i VTEC SE 5dr Auto | £18,939 | 34.9 mpg | 12.4 s |
2.2i CTDi ES 5dr | £20,231 | 44.8 mpg | 10.1 s |
2.2i CTDi EX 5dr | £21,570 | 44.8 mpg | 10.1 s |
On sale until June 2009
People Carrier | |||
---|---|---|---|
Version | List Price | MPG | 0-62 |
2.2i CTDi SE 5dr | £18,700 | 44.8 mpg | 10.1 s |
On sale until October 2006
People Carrier | |||
---|---|---|---|
Version | List Price | MPG | 0-62 |
1.7 SE 5dr | £15,400 | 37.7 mpg | 12.3 s |
2.0 SE 5dr | £16,450 | 33.6 mpg | 10.5 s |
2.0 Sport 5dr | £17,150 | 33.6 mpg | 10.5 s |
2.2i-CTDi SE 5dr | £17,600 | 44.8 mpg | 10.1 s |
2.2i-CTDi Sport 5dr | £18,300 | 44.8 mpg | 10.1 s |
Model History
November 2004
Original project name B2. 3+3 seat MPV in Jazz/Civic family; Toyota/Corolla Verso competitor. Size 4,285mm x 1,810mm x 1,610mm.
Priced £14,750 - £16,400. 'FR-V' = 'Family Recreational Vehicle'. Announced July 2004. On sale in UK November 2004.
Rear seats fold individually and flat, into the floor, and can be folded one-handed. Same 125PS 1.7 litre and 150PS 2.0 litre petrol engines as Stream. 2.2i CTDi followed in 2005. Insurance Groups 9 - 11. All six seats have three-point seat belt fixings, while the centre front seat and the two outer rear seats have ISOFIX child seat mounts. Front belts have pre-tensioners and load limiters. As an aid to child safety, the central front seat moves 270mm further back than the outer pair (when travelling with a child in the front, Honda recommends that the seat is moved to its rearmost position).
Full-length curtain airbags and twin dual-stage airbags in the facia and side airbags in the two outside front seats.Wide track promotes stability, agility and good steering response. Track geometry reduces the FR-V’s roll centre, enabling car to be fitted with softer springs than would be the case if the springs were also being used to limit body roll, thus ensuring comfort as well as entertainment.
125 PS (92 kW) 1.7 litre SOHC VTEC unit (mated to a 5-speed manual) and a 150 PS (110 kW) 2.0 litre DOHC i-VTEC unit (mated to a 6-speed manual). Joined by Honda’s 2.2 litre i-CTDi diesel engine mated to 6-speed manual transmission in 2005 (announced February 2005 Geneva Motor Show).
January 2007
For 2007 chain cam 140PS 1.8 i-VTEC engine from Civic replaced 1.7 and 2.0 litre petrol engines. Externally, 2007 models can be distinguished by a new dark chrome finish to the grille, while the headlights, door handles, rear combination light and lower licence plate trim have also been tweaked. Fascia panel now has a metal, carbon-like finish.
Seats and doors have a new greyish-blue soft touch fabric (grey leather seats together with beige soft touch fabric continue on EX grade models). An additional boot light provides added convenience. The front middle seat tray, revealed by flipping forward the front half of the seat squab, now features two compartments and cup holders with lids. And the front seat headrests and back seat armrests have both been enhanced.
The FR-V is now also provided with an auxiliary jack for an iPod. Auto available with 1.8 petrol. 5-speed torque converter auto (not i-shift) offered with 1.8 petrol engine. Only has manual overide to select 2nd or 1st, but works very well as a full automatic and the car is not under-powered.
What to watch out for
No low oil warning light on diesels which can use as much as a litre in 600 miles, so vital to check the oil regularly.
Several report of incurable steering vibration, at one time subject of a TSB.
On some 2.2 i-CDTi TSB replacement of EGR valve led to big increase in fuel consumed.
By August 2009 was starting to hear of turbo bearing failures on 2.2 i-CDTi.
Another report of strong steering vibration, this on a 1.8 i-VTEC.
21-01-2014:FR-V suffered loss of tyre pressure due to porous alloy wheel rim. Age of car not given.
27-05-2014:A/C compressor failed on 31k mile 2007/57 CR-V. Honda dealer diagnosed new compressor at a cost of £1,700, despite the known fault of the failing a/c compressor electromagmetic clutch that Honda acknowledged by extending the warranty on it.
21-08-2014:A/C pumps of Honda FR-V can get noisy, suffering the same problem as A/C pumps on CR-V.
14-12-2017:Reader with 2008 Honda FR-V 2.2iCDTI informed that the camber /angle of the rear wheels of this car causes wear on the inside of the tyres. Complains that the rear wiper is designed for LH drive and does not clear the bottom of the rear window to give good view of vehicles behind.