Test drive Honda Stream 2000 - 2003 Minivan

New Odyssey

The emergence of a new minivan, even a completely atypical and non -traditional product, today can be ranked to the category of ordinary phenomena: competition in the world of auto business is so high that simply compliance with all the requirements and canons of style today means lifelong vegetation in the middle peasants. Almost all models of recent years, especially for popular and fast -growing market sectors, are, if not a revolution, then at least a small coup in the world of traditional automobile values. Everything that previously seemed unshakable and was, as it were mandatory for one or another class, now it can easily be replaced by something else or completely absent. Have you seen Renault Ver Satis? Five years ago, buyers of business class models could not imagine that a prestigious and rather expensive car might look like this, and now this is a serial car. Popular and fashionable, not going from the pages of automobile magazines and newspapers.

Now you understand that even in such quite conservative and strict, classes reigns complete lawlessness, then talking about some traditions in other classes that are less burdened with image ballast is simply pointless, especially when we are talking about such quite non-traditional models as Micro and minivans. Here, really, that neither a model, so a superstar. From the very moment Renault made an incredibly dizzying career with his SCENIC, each car manufacturer who has serious potential hopes to release to the market only as a representative of a new, hitherto unknown subclass.

Such a model must have a bunch of advantages without fail, from the capacity of the full -sized Van and ending with controllability at the Golf GTI level. Some automakers manage to add the dynamism of the sports coupe and the cross -country ability of the parquet SUV to this piggy bank, while not forgetting to make their model extremely functional and accessible to the buyer.

This trend is very interesting, if only by the fact that, until the debut of the model, it is impossible to even assume what kind of fruit it will be. Behind the pleasant facade, both a multi -seater supercar and a utilitarian vehicle with dynamics at the level of domestic analogues can be hidden with the same probability. And sometimes it turns out that the most well -aimed definition that suits the novelty can only be: the devil knows that the bow is from the side. Although this happens very rarely. Properly designed and calculated by a huge number of marketing specialists, models really become hits. And they also become the personification of a certain class. If the model turned out to be truly successful, then it will definitely have followers, but everyone is destined to be only a model like ...

Today we do not have a test just one of those cars that, quite possibly, in the near future, will be equal to the still existing virtually on the monitors of the developers of the model. Meet Honda Stream - a new word in the class of single -together, this time said by the Japanese manufacturer. Not yet minivan, not a passenger car anymore - Honda Stream is balancing somewhere on the verge, offering customers the best features of both classes. And this time without any but. The car is really very spacious and very pleasant to drive. After all, even Renault Scenic, the legislator in the Mikrovenov class, after the appearance of more fresh competitors no longer amazes with its advantages: the model is only five -seater, and the handling is still not the same as that of cars. That is, getting into the ladies is now extremely difficult. If Scenic was not the first, but appeared only a couple of years after the boom in Mikrovenna, it is likely that he would have to weave somewhere in the tail of the Peleton. That is why all new models must have something without fail that allows them to at least ahead of the competitors for a while, offer something that they do not have.

And Honda found something to offer. She built Mikroven on the basis of a passenger model of a small middle class, and the emphasis was originally placed on appropriate running qualities and ease of placement of all passengers. And there may be as many as seven of them in Honda Stream! For a car, the length of which is 4550 mm, this is a lot. Some talents in such a space and four cannot really be seated. And if all cars of increased capacity are divided only by the number of passengers that they are able to take on board, as well as the stock of space that each of these passengers is provided, then Honda Stream with a clear conscience can be attributed to the category of minivans, such as VW Sharan. Seven passengers will easily be placed in it, and each of them will receive a space quite sufficient for a comfortable journey. The rear passengers who travel on the last row can only be glad that they were not put in some SUV, where these very rear seats often represent a bench liner covered with a thin layer of leatherette. Here, of course, it is also far from a sofa from the headset of General Popova, but for people of medium complexion, and even better - children there will be quite spacious and comfortable. It is only a pity that the possibilities of transformation are very limited. The third row of seats is formed, only completely, therefore, not only the trunk, but also passenger places will have to be used to transport seven passengers and volumetric baggage. But if the third row is folded, then this time the luggage compartment can be used to transport passengers - the exact volume in the catalog is not indicated, but it seems that it is calculated by cubic meters ...

The use of a passenger car platform, and the basis for Stream was the latest generation Civic, allows you to achieve amazing results - high smoothness, almost reference controllability. According to these parameters, Stream can only be compared with cars, and quite advanced in this regard. And what do you want from a car with independent pendants of all wheels, disc brake mechanisms, reptile stabilizers in front and back. This arsenal allows this Mikroven to come close to the usual Wagon. Yes, Honda Stream cannot be compared with the usual Scenic or Mazda Premasy, because In comparison with them, this Japanese may be too good. And not because someone there is smarter or more cunning - just all these models, despite their constructive similarity, are built according to completely different patterns.

The most likely opponent of this Mikroveng can only be considered to be the nearly expected by the Peugeot 307 SW. Both cars are almost identical from a technical point of view, except that the French chose to tie their Mikroven to a famous bestseller. Indeed, in fact, Honda Stream is nothing more than Civic with an enlarged base and length. In these models, even the width remained the same, although the enlarged passenger -capacity of Stream forced the designers to make it higher - the front seats raised a little and moved forward, and the difference in height was only 9 cm.

Thus, as you know, Honda Stream’s running qualities are better than competitors, precisely for the reason that this is primarily a passenger model of a small middle class, and only then Mikroven. And if it were not for the possible confusion with bodies and versions of the Civic model, which is already produced in sufficient modifications, it could have been so that this car would have entered the market called the Honda Civic Stream, as was released from the mid -eighties model Civic Shuttle. This car, by the way, still makes experts argue who was actually the ancestor of the Mikrovenov class: Renault with his Scenic or still Japanese with the aforementioned Civic Shuttle.

When you sit in the Honda Stream salon, you immediately notice that a lot of funds were spent on the development of the model - everything is done so correctly that you just wonder how many advantages can be in one car. Although it was possible to find one puncture of the ergonomics of the salon: the inner door handles would not have prevented the front doors under the natural grip. And parking problems are also possible, because The front edge of the hood, as expected in single -volume cars, is not visible, and therefore you need to park either a characteristic sound, or how much the driver’s skill and a developed sense of distance allows. Inside the cabin is incredibly spacious - you can only reach the ceiling, but you can’t rest your head at him. The rear passengers sitting on the second row also do not have to complain, because they, firstly, will have an individual chair with the possibility of adjusting in the longitudinal direction and the ability to change the angle of inclination of the back of the seat, and secondly, even with the most pushed away as possible They still have a lot of front seats. But only until two more passengers appear behind. If you put in the third row of two passengers, then the middle seats will have to be moved forward, and in this situation you can’t call the head of the head. Incidentally, the very procedure for folding-disadvantage of the third row belongs to the category of super-terribly, and one person can carry out it. It is enough just to open the trunk, pull the harness, thus raising the back of the seat, and exactly the same harness, only longer, turn the seat, in a marching position, which is the floor of the luggage compartment. In general, the whole procedure takes two minutes from the strength.

At this place, it should be smoothly moved to the story of the magnificent running qualities of Honda Stream, to sing the control of the car handling and, as always, the magnificent engines of the Honda brand, admire the driver’s spirit and simply envy those who can allow themselves to buy such a car, but Unfortunately, this will not happen.

No matter how magnificent the car is, I have no right to write about its running qualities without a normal drive. And he, in the sense of Drive, was not - all the acquaintance with the Honda Stream was reduced to photography and a small absenteeism for refueling and vice versa. Moreover, the representative of the company was all the time: they simply did not let us out, motivating this by the fact that we are driving (supposedly) extremely painfully, and we will not be able to pay for the car. I was asked: can you, if anything, buy this car for $ 20,000? Not? Well, then you yourself understand ... Just as at the initial stage of the development of domestic business: who are you, what do you need? So excuse me, dear readers, as well as potential buyers of the Honda Stream minivan, but the report and running tests of this car can be considered finished ...

In conclusion, I would like to say that the minivans are still an almost unknown and little popular among private buyers, but soon it can catch up. At such a pace of the appearance of new micro and minivans, as well as their very quick division into classes and subclasses, it may soon be that the basis for all classes of cars will be cars that have the same lumber in their silhouette.

It all started with Peugeot 307 and Renault Scenic RX4, and now almost every automaker seeks to find a new niche in the market, in which he, in his intentions, will become a leader. And such tactics bearing fruit. The volume of sales of the latest models designed taking into account these fashion chips is much higher than that of traditional sedans and hatchbacks. The same thing happens with minivans: to purchase minivan or not - such a dilemma before customers of models of this class is not worth it. If someone has become interested in minivan, UPV and such cars, then this means that he is primarily looking for a multi-seater car capable of transporting a much larger number of passengers with a normal level of comfort than a passenger model can do. And therefore, the question for this group of buyers is something like this: which model and what size should I take?

There are many eight -seater models on the market, each has certain advantages and necessarily has flaws - some are very reliable and unpretentious, but it is difficult to manage them, while others are exactly the opposite. And if with the size everyone is determined independently, then about the model we can advise Honda Stream! The car is damn beautiful, surprisingly mobile and dynamic, traditionally high -quality and at the same time quite spacious and functional. And what else is needed ...

(+) High level of comfort, dynamics at the level of a good passenger car, pleasant design, high quality manufacture, spacious interior.

(-) The minimum volume of the luggage compartment with the third row laid out, the absence of internal door handles for natural grip, the inability to fold the third row in parts in a ratio of 2/3 or 1/3, a small number of versions and modifications.

Text: Pavel Kozlovsky
 

Source: Auto -Gazeta / N 14 (360) dated 04/17/02