Honda Freed Microvan Released in Japan
 

Honda has released in the Japanese market a compact minivan, the Freed. It does NOT use the Fit's platform (global small platform).

Honda Launches 8-seater Compact Minivan -- Tech-On!

In the US Mazda already release a mini van like that.

http://images.mazdausa.com/MusaWeb/i...y_MZ5_ext1.jpg
http://images.mazdausa.com/MusaWeb/i...y_MZ5_ext2.jpg
http://images.mazdausa.com/MusaWeb/i...y_MZ5_int1.jpg

A big difference between the Freed and Mazda5 (JDM Premacy) is that the former has a 1.5L engine, while the latter has 2.3 L (2.0 available in Japan). In fact, Mazda5 looks huge if you put the Freed next to it. Mazda5 is a minivan-, whereas the Freed is microvan+. They belong to classes that do not overlap, at least in markets like Japan or Europe.

maz5's can only do 6 passengers, no?

Yup, in North America, Mazda5 is 6 pax. In other markets, it's (theoretically) 7 pax because of a tiny hidden seat that pops up to bridge the second-row seats.

aha~. thanks for that info. at one time i was looking at the maz5 but
they didn't offer side airbags during their initial release which kinda forced
me to get the legacywgn i have now.

i know the current maz5's have side airbags. im waiting for the
honda stream next. :wavey:

While it feels good to drive the Stream, which handles better than Mazda5, the Stream feels much tighter inside. The Stream's third row is for all practical purposes unusable unless you are a Pygmy. If you are thinking about using the third row, I think Mazda5 is a better vehicle, even though it's kinda dull.

I have even read somewhere that Honda may not put the third row in the North America-bound Stream. Might as well - how many Pygmies need a car? :p

is that right... i just want that 3rd row when i have out of town visitors
on occasion, maybe a few times a year max. i dont want to buy a full
blown minivan (ie: odysse) so ive been looking around for something
with 3rd row when needed, but typically would be flat to use as
cargo space. :)

my other choices are like Rav4, but i really want to stay away from
SUV's because the higher ride height makes it nearly impossible for my
little kids to climb inside/out on their own.

oh dam.. vtech that ish bluhh.

it looks like a 2nd gen fit and an xb had babies.
not doin it for me.

ehhhh wtf???? what has Honda been doing to their cars lately they all look ugly ass hell :(

http://img73.imageshack.us/img73/9343/freed1ge9.jpg
Even Mugen is jumping on the bandwagon.

Wow. Ugly.
 

Yikes that's bad.

I am new here. Just been trolling a few days, and I did not think I'd be posting til I got my '09 fit, but I just wanna say I am all in favor of how this thing looks.

I'm 25, and in 10 yrs when I have kids I would totally let my wife rock one.. Too bad my gf now is fixated on owning a mercedes the rest of her life...

I thought this said that they released a new microwave in japan




Anyways..... I think if they upgrade the seats, especially the ones all the way in the back by just making them a little more formed and taller on the back for rear-crash safety then its ready for the USA

Yea except the freed is like 5 feet shorter :p

hmm, well i think this car is pretty tight.

She gold digging much?

Yea... I'd make her go get a job at starbucks or something..Put her in her place

at least the job is easy... wait.. you mean she doesn't work? and wants a mercedes?

I know plenty of `ladies` that have jobs at starbucks while their husbands work at a genetic lab at harvard (actually only one person that has this life) getting paid bank. She drives a mercedes AND a jaguar to work... it's funny but I give her respect for working ANY job while her husband is out all day working in a lab.