KEEPING ABREAST OF THINGS

Honda's revised FR-V offers a neat solution to the lateral-thinking MPV buyer. Andy Enright reports

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As would be expected from a contemporary Honda, the FR-V doesn't skimp on standard safety features. All six seats have three-point belts and the centre front seat and both outer rear seats feature ISOFIX child seat fixings. Full length curtain airbags provide overall cabin protection and there are also twin front and side bags fitted. The seating system also aids safety with the central front seat sliding 270mm further back than the outer pair, Honda recommending that the seat is put in this position if being used to seat a child.

As far as accommodation goes, the FR-V is a tight squeeze if you attempt to fit six blokes in it but it can cope at a pinch, so as to speak. Where it comes into its own is in offering the typical family of four or five room to spread out a little. Unlike many people carriers, the FR-V manages to rustle up some useful luggage space. The three rear seats all fold individually and also fold flat into the floor with one swift action which makes the FR-V a boon for those that want to pursue a few kid-free lifestyle activities at the weekends. This also means that you don't need to risk a herniated disc lugging the things into your garage. The centre front seat also folds flat to make room for long items, forming a table in the process. There's even a seat cushion extension with a storage drawer hidden beneath. Honda also claims that the front seats can be folded to form a bed although this seems a bit of a stretch.

Only one petrol engine (a highly-efficient 140PS 1.8-litre i-VTEC unit)is now offered and your dealer will also recommend a 2.2-litre i-CTDi diesel as an alternative. Handling is fairly adept but not as sharp as the old Stream. It's not what you'd call sporting but then neither is it the usual roly-poly mess that most mini-MPVs call handling. The ride quality is reasonably good and the seats hold you in position effectively. The i-VTEC engine is virtually silent at idle but rev it hard and it gets a good deal more vocal. It's pretty frugal though - the diesel will regularly return around 45mpg. Honda's Easy Care Option makes servicing and insuring the petrol engined FRVs extremely affordable.

This latest model can be distinguished by a dark chrome finish to the grille, while the headlights, door handles, rear combination light and lower licence plate trim have also been tweaked. Inside (thank goodness), the wood fitted to original models has gone - the fascia panel now sporting a much-improved metal, carbon-like finish. Perhaps the EU could instigate some sort of ban on wooden finishes on cars costing less than £50,000. It would make more sense than some of their recent decrees, but I digress. The seats and doors, meanwhile, have a 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 and there's even an auxiliary jack into the stereo system so that you can plug you iPod or external hard disc in.

In many ways the FR-V is the un-MPV. It drives better than almost any other rival, it looks quite unlike the usual long, narrow and high mini-MPV template and is a good deal more appealing to those who don't want to be pigeonholed with the rest of the school run. Free thinkers form an orderly queue. Three abreast please.