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Dean Slavnich test drives the all-new Honda FR-V and Nargess Shahmanesh-Banks reports on the CR-V diesel
The problem for carmakers competing in the MPV arena is that there are no real unique selling points left. Everybody who’s anybody is doing an MPV, with even the upmarket brands are becoming ‘family-savvy’ and tapping into the MPV phenomenon.

Another MPV on the market, this time in the shape and form of a Honda, but does it offer customers something new?

It’s a crowded, ‘hustle-bustle’ segment that boasts annual European sales of around 1.2 millions cars. Yet distinctive features from one MPV to another are few and far between. In that respect the FR-V is no different, though Honda’s marketing department would like us to think otherwise. Apparently, so the tale goes, in developing the new FR-V, Honda drew inspiration from 1950s America when it was common practice for carmakers like Cadillac to have a two-row three-by-three seating configuration.

It would have been much easer for the Japanese carmaker to flick back to the decade just gone and inspect the Fiat Multipla which, at the time, was the only European car to use the same 1950s American style two-bench seating set-up.

The moral of the story is that Honda’s spin on seats – and the marketing departments’ desperate search for a USP – threatens to drown out the FR-V, which, perhaps most ironically, is a very component car. The compact MPV ticks all the right boxes, ensuring Honda – at the very least – keeps up with the likes of Citroen (Picasso), Ford (Focus C-Max), Opel/Vauxhall (Zafira) and Renault (Scenic).

Honda’s newest model offering in Europe is versatile and practical, two ‘must-haves’ for any compact MPV. There’s an abundance of room for luggage and passengers and numerous holes, pockets and pouches that can be filled by family riff-raff. The six independent seats offer plentiful passenger and loading combinations while the multifunctional front centre seat can be converted into a table or large armrest.

Rolling off the same platform that gave the world the CR-V has allowed the FR-V to have a tried and tested suspension. In fact the compact MPV near blueprints the suspension set-up of its bigger brother, with the toe control link MacPherson strut design at the front in conjunction with a high-mounted steering rack and reactive link double wishbone at the rear. Copying the CR-V’s suspension layout is no bad thing for the FR-V. The drive is not demanding and the ride is flat, stable and comfortable, three key driving attributes for all vehicles competing in the MPV sector.

Later this year Honda will offer its highly acclaimed 2.2 i-CTDi diesel engine in the FR-V, but for the time being the marketplace will have to make do with a 1.7 litre SOHC VTEC engine that offers 125 ps (92 kW) at 6,300 rpm and 154 Nm (116 lb ft) of torque at 4,800 rpm and a more powerful 2.0 litre DOCH i-VTEC unit that offers 150 ps (110 kW) at 6,500 rpm and 192 Nm (142 lb ft) of torque at 4,000 rpm. Yet while the petrol engines are capable of ensuring a decent drive in the FR-V – especially the VTEC unit – it’s the diesel that most customers will be waiting for. The all-aluminium engine that also powers the new Accord will have 140 ps (103 kW) at 4,000 rpm and a torque curve that peaks with 340 Nm (251 lb ft) coming in at just 2,000 rpm.

Honda’s latest offering in the MPV sector is a good effort. The FR-V boasts all the ‘must haves’ for any self-respecting MPV, from versatility and practicality to a comfortable ride and economical engines. Yet despite what Honda’s marketing department might think, the FR-V does not offer customers a new USP in the MPV sector. What the marketing gurus need to learn is that there just aren’t any more unique selling points left in multi-purpose vehicles.

Honda’s seating set-up which first appeared in the Fiat Multipla

The Honda CR-V diesel

Honda has launched its second-generation CR-V (Compact Recreational Vehicle), this time adding a much-needed diesel option to the pack. Japan, it seems, has at last realised the necessity for a diesel option in the European SUV market.

The 2.2 i-CTDi diesel engine promises a maximum output of 140 ps (102 kW) at 4000 rpm and a broad spread of torque peaking at 340 Nm (251 lb ft) at just 2000 rpm. It achieves 42.2 mpg on the EU Combined test and is Euro IV compliant. Petrol options continue with the 2.0 litre DOHC i-VTEC engine mated to either a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission.

Honda research has showed that SUV buyers generally desire a ruggedly-styled vehicle which explains the more masculine exterior styling on the new CR-V. Inside, though, is 'friendlier' in design with similar graphics on the dash as seen on the more mainstream Accord. Again market research found that SUV customers wanted more car-like cabin refinements.

The car boasts Euro NCAP rating of 3 stars for pedestrian safety. It has an improved intelligent four-wheel-drive system that engages only when needed to improve fuel economy and performance. Along with the Civic, the CR-V is manufactured at Honda's Swindon factory in the UK.