Any FR-V owners?

[gchild]

Thinking of getting a 2.0 FR-V - what are they like for real world fuel economy?

Also, have you had any issues with yours? anything to look out for when viewing?

Cheers

 

[crockers]

Wife has a CR-V - no problems in 7 years 75k miles... economy around 28 mpg - 32 mpg on a run.....

 

[TonyVianoAmbiente]

I really like the FR-V shape. If it had a three pointed star on it, it would make a very convincing Mercedes, at least from the outside.

It has lots of styling cues that could easily have come from the A and B Class, but it is a better looking (more balanced) design than both of those.

 

[gchild]

i checked out both the A and B class today to make a comparison. The B class is huge for a merc, better feel etc, but reckon the FR-V takes it on the 6th making it more useable and future proof for me.
Plus the B class seems to have pretty poor real world user reviews, and hardly seen a word said against an FR-V

 

[crockers]

Honda dealers (well ours is) are very good...



But then so is our Merc dealer....

 

[Rory]

I borrowed an FRV diesel for the weekend, when I need to transport 6 of us to a distant restaurant. It did the job.

My abiding memory though is that, at least in the 6 speed manual diesel that I had, it was a real faff to drive, particualrly because of the position of the gearlever; sticking out of the dash - it makes gear changing something of an activity that seemed to dominate the cabin, as though driving a truck.

I think it's a car that badly needs an autobox.

 

[gchild]

most reviews that i've seen, seem to rave about the position of the gearleaver, citing the position and use of the handbrake being odd

my preference would be for an auto

 

[Rory]

most reviews that i've seen, seem to rave about the position of the gearleaver,

Hard to put into words really. The gear lever is handy, bearing in mind it needs to be out of the way of the middle seat, but the act of changing gear (made more frequent by 6speed box & short rev range diesel) seem to create a lot of disturbance - as if the driver is working hard at driving. So it's not a relaxed environment to be in.

 

[gchild]

thanks Rory - do you have one? if so, what are your thoughts on the handbrake operation? doubts are creeping in on whether i should hold out for an auto

 

[Smatt]

i checked out both the A and B class today to make a comparison. The B class is huge for a merc, better feel etc, but reckon the FR-V takes it on the 6th making it more useable and future proof for me.
Plus the B class seems to have pretty poor real world user reviews, and hardly seen a word said against an FR-V

We looked at the FRV when considering our B class- did not like the plasticyness of the interior & the boxy shape. It did not have the high quality feedback that the B has.
We would highly recommend a B to anyone!
Also the FRV can not be specced up so much in terms of the optional extras, so will never be as luxurious inside. We went for the B turbo(sadly no longer available) and there was nothing that came close in terms of performance.
Yes, the FRV does have 1 extra seat, but how often will that extra seat be used? Which is more important; an extra seat used occasionally or the extra quality & comfort which will be appreciated on every drive? Remember that because of the extra seat in the front, it means that the driver & partner will sit even further apart(this may be a good or a bad thing; depending on your partner- single passenger is likely to sit next to the door) and there will be less arm/leg space on the door side for driver & passenger. Plus, there will be less garage clearance as it is a slightly wider car
Re: user reviews- Honda drivers may be less critical as they may be used to less... Also, there are not many 6 seaters around- most are either 5 or 7, so someone buying an FRV is likely to be doing so specifically for 6 seats & hence is less likely to complain as there is no alternative....
If you are thinking of the FRV, you could also consider Fiat multipla(depending on age required), Citroen Picasso, MB Vito & I think one of the new Toyotas/Nissans has 7 seats?

 

[Anil]

I've also been looking at the FR-V as a replacement for the wife's A Class (W168).
I liked the 6 seater aspect, as it means that grandparents can join the children on long journeys.
The gear lever from the dash does look a bit odd, but where else can it be positioned? I think the Civic (previous shape) had the same arrangement.

I'd really like to go for the auto option, but I believe these didn't come out until 2006, and prices are still high.

An alternative I have been recently looking at is the Toyota Corolla Verso or Verso as it then became. Mostly seen 5 seaters advertised, but I believe there was a 7 seater option. I've not seen one in the flesh yet, but just seen this one in Autotrader:

2004 54 Reg TOYOTA Corolla Verso 1.8 VVT-i T Spirit MMT £4995 (although is does have 99k on the clock)

This one even has factory fitted DVD screens in the headrests.

 

[gchild]

I looked at the verso, but it didn't have enough space leg room wise behind the wheel for me (6'4"). Also, the 6 &7th seat is in the boot, meaning no space if they are up. No such issue with the FR-V. The verso does come with a lot of toys if you get the right spec - spirit i think.

I agree that the B class feels more special, and was very impressed with the space. But as Anil says, grandparents will be a factor for us, so the 6th seat of the FR-V is likely to be used.

 

[Rory]

thanks Rory - do you have one? if so, what are your thoughts on the handbrake operation? doubts are creeping in on whether i should hold out for an auto

No - as I mentioned, I borrowed one for a weekend. I used to to transport 6 of us from one side of Cheshire to the other and back again using A & B roads, so there was lots of gearchanging. It was just all a bit truck-like.
I don't recall the handbrake at all - so it can't have been an issue!

 

[gchild]

its a pull out jobby from just under the gear leaver

 

[Rory]

its a pull out jobby from just under the gear leaver

I tend never to use handbrakes anyway!

I don't get the people who are promoting A & B class - you either want to have 6 seats or you don't. If you do then A & B Class are no good and if you don't then you wouldn't buy an FR-V.


How about a short wheel base R Class - they should be pretty cheap now.

 

[gchild]

R class to expensive for me! plus don't particulary like the shape - looks like a hearse!

Got the lowdown on the the arnold clarke thing - Basically, they owned the car for 1 month from the date of manufacture was then sold to the next owner who had it since. This leads me to believe it must have been a pre reg car that they had sold with delivery mileage rather than an ex-hire or lease car. Thoughts???