Honda FR-V 1.8 ES - Honda has been incredibly intuitive in recognising the fact that some families do not suit the traditional five or seven seat configuration for their family cars. Therefore they have come up with a very clever alternative in the FR-V that sees a six-seater variation by having three seats in the front and three seats in the rear.
Now these seats in the front are a great idea as the children can join me and keep me company whilst I know they are totally safe as all six seats have seatbelts with pretensioners, while the front seats go on to have load limiters and the extra large passenger airbag will protect them both should the worse case scenario happen.
The 1,8 litre petrol at the heart of the FR-V is not the most quickest off the mark taking 10.6 seconds to reach 62 mph but once there, holds the speed really well as we sped by petrol stations for the FR-V achieves a cost saving 37.7 mpg on a combined cy
However, there was one flaw. The arguments over who sat next to me, so remember to have a notepad to record who’s turn it is to sit in the middle!
The Honda FR-V is available in three trims the SE, ES and top of the range EX mated to either a 1.8 petrol engine in either manual gearbox (prices starting from £16,127) or automatic gearbox (from £17,227) to a 2.2 litre diesel (from £17, 617). My test car for the week was the 1.8 litres on the middle of the road trim ES that stood in at £17,602 and boy was I in for a treat.
Being a great looking car meant she turned many heads in admiration which is not surprising thanks to the large 16 inch alloy wheels, high level rear brake light keeping the bod behind at bay, body coloured bumper with integrated fog lights, body coloured side protection strips and electrically heated, adjustable and folding door mirrors which is a godsend in those ever decreasing parking bays. But the best bit was the privacy glass in the rear so following drivers was not distracted by the children’s in-car fighting antics.
With the raised entry points, clambering into the FR-V is easy and being higher up gives a far better command of the road ahead. Couple that with height adjustable leather steering wheel with remote audio controls and height adjustable drivers seat, every shape and size of driver will find their perfect driving position. . Optimising interior space was made by putting the gear lever on the dashboard just left to the driver and really made changing those six-speed gears child’s play. Keeping us all cool calm and collected is climate controlled air conditioning, my licence clean thanks to cruise control as we listened to my favourite music through either the CD/radio or plugging in my MP3 player into the auxiliary socket. Aiding and abetting me is rain sensing wipers, electric windows all round and excellent power steering that tightens up with speed yet loosens up at lower speeds meaning I did not have to find the most remote parking space for the FR-V, despite its dimensions, breezed in and out of these with utter ease.
The 1,8 litre petrol at the heart of the FR-V is not the most quickest off the mark taking 10.6 seconds to reach 62 mph but once there, holds the speed really well as we sped by petrol stations for the FR-V achieves a cost saving 37.7 mpg on a combined cycle and with CO2 emissions down at 177 falling into VED band E and insurance group 10E, further saving will be made.
Honda are renowned for their technology and all this has been ploughed into the FR-V resulting in a fabulous ride and handling where it feels the car will simply not leave the tarmac. Driving her is lovely and really comfortable with noise and vibrations into the cabin reduced so you can hear and join in with your children’s intelligent conversations - or not!
But in case it does go horribly wrong, the safety and security features fitted as standard are endless and no wonder the FR- V scored so highly in the NCAP ratings, with 4 stars for adult protection and three stars for both child and pedestrian safety. This is all very good news as we ferry our precious cargo around. No, not the shopping - the children!
The FR-V comes with front and rear dual curtain SRS - Supplemental Restraint System - airbags, dual front SRS airbags, dual side SRS airbags should they be needed which I doubt for the FR-V is equipped with ABS, Electronic Brakeforce Distribution, Emergency Brake Assist, Vehicle Stability Assist, side impact protection beams and 3 x ISOFIX child seat mountings. Any would be thieves jealous of your pride possession will be completely foxed trying to break into this one for they would have to battle with the remote keyless entry, central locking with deadlocks, scratch off the VIN number, work out the rolling code immobiliser then try to fathom out how to stop the Category 1 alarm from going off. Now that what I call a good deterrent.
What I really liked about this FR-V was the little touches that make our lives as parents with children so much easier. We need lots of storage space for the children’s bits and pieces so they don’t go flying around the cabin in the unlikely event of an accident and the FR- V is full of these such as the lockable glove box, numerous cup holders, the multifunctional front middle seat that can convert into a table or large armrest as well as housing a clever storage box and the rear centre armrest with more storage solutions. The 439 litres of luggage space will easily cope with the buggies and the weekly shop but for the shopoholics, increases to 1049 litres if the rear seats are folded which they do so refreshingly easily and fold flush to the floor. All the seats can be chopped around, folded flat, moved forwards or back so the versatility of this car in endless and in my books, along with copious safety features, are the key ingredients to a perfect family car.
FemaleFirst Jackie Violet