Honda FR-V 2.2 CDT-i

I have done 40K in 3 years in a diesel Honda FRV EX. First Honda and impressed with the dealers and the quality of the car. Design is unusual but is very practical with 3 kids in car seats (all ISOFIX'd in). A special benefit for me is being able to get into the back and fix children in and out, and being able to slide across the front and out the passenger door easily (I park with the driver's door against the wall sometimes). Used for 5, and with a child in the front, the luggage space can increase significantly by using the middle rear seat.

Leather seats are good with kids, as are the other extras on the top model. Could wish for a sunroof.

Engine is powerful, more so than I need even when towing 500kg. Economy is OK, but a light foot is needed to get towards 50 mpg outside of towns. Not bad I suppose for this size and power. Front tires replaced after 38K.

Would I buy another - yes, especially if a more environmental engine was available.

The most appalling build quality and service I have seen since the Moskvich Aleko 5-speed. In fact the worst build quality I have seen in a car built in a developed country.

The engine was leaking oil like a sieve. It went in for repairs three times 7+ days each and each time I was told to go get lost when asking for a courtesy car. The technicians had to reseal all gaskets on one of the engine sides as they were not factory sealed properly. Something that should have never left the assembly line.

At 2.5 years the alternator failed - 10 more days in the garage and once again being told to go get lost as far as having a courtesy car.

Stay away from this vehicle. In addition to extremely bad quality, bad service from Honda the time-to-fix is appalling. Every part has to be ordered and every time you have to wait 3-10 days for the fix.

After ploughing through the web for the top 5 choice of nearly new card in the 12K region after part exchange my list was as follows:

Mazda 5

Vauxhall Zafira

Ford Galaxy

Honda FR-V

Ford S-Max

As a family of 2 adults and 2 kids we often travelled with one set of grandparents therefore requiring 6 or 7 seats. The wife an I were no particularly keen a big 7 seater and when 7 seats re up, often, all of the boot space disappears so we came across the Honda F-RV. It offers 6 independently moving and folding seats that move abouth very easily. Two rows of 3 seats each keeps the boot clear and the person travelling in the middle has ample space as the front middle and rear middle seats both slide back go give more legroom. The 2.0 petrol is responsive considering the car being mid sized, parking in fine too. Not the prettiest of cars, especially as I moved over from and Alfa but more than makes up in practicality. Would recommend tints in rear window and leather seats if possible. I Would definitely recommend the FR-V but get in there quick as they stopped making them late last year and are selling only the remaining stock.

Don't know where those poor reviews of the FR-V have come from - I certainly don't agree with them!!!

We bought brand new Honda FRV, 1799cc, petrol, Automatic. We have four children and we thought this is ideal. It has been a brilliant car so far. The only issue is after about six months from buying it, the engine oil warning light came on while we were driving long distance on the motorway. I had to put one litre of oil in it. When I took it to the dealer the next day they tested it and then told me this is normal and i am expected to check oil level every 1000 mile. This is the first car that I ever had that needs oil top ups. I was surprised as they did not tell us that on the day we bought it.

Honda FR-V 2.2 CDT-i is a beautifull beast - I have owned many cars over the last 30 years and this is my favourite. If you dont mind the poor fuel consumption when your being a naughty boy with the accelerator. I have always driven this 2.2 litre sport turbo hard and it responds accordingly. Its tight and performs really well given its one and a half tonne kerbweight. We have 4 kids ranging from 13 to 20 yrs and have not had one complaint about room and are quite happy to sit for 300 miles when touring europe. Have seen some excessive tyre wear on the rear tyres particularly on the inside - on my third set at 45K. This car has not let me down in any respect. Get one with all the bells and whistles and you'll love it. I love it, the kids love it and i think.... it loves me

I purchased the Honda FR-V 2.2 CDTi after needing to replace my ford focus due to the growing family, after looking around at other manufactures I liked the internal design of the FRV, the 6 seats with the cleaver layout and boot size all helped with the decision, having a 2 year old and an 8 month old we still have pushchairs to take with us and other manufactures loose boot space when they have the seating capability of the FRV.

Since owning the car with have had very clunky steering, it has been back twice with no issues found, I have again dropped the car off today (5/08/09) as we have very abnormal tyre were (the outer edge of the tyre is bald but the rest is perfect - the wheel camber is incorrect, linked to the steering issue maybe?) and the steering clunkyness is still an issue.

I have just had a call from the Honda garage to say the steering rack is a known issue and the part is on order (but why was this not found on the previous two visits) will have the car back in 3 days.

After reading the below reply I will also question the tyre replacement, I'm not happy about paying for new tyres when the issue is now a known fault and if rectified on the first visit about 1 year and a half ago then the tyres would not need to be replaced.

I have owned 15 Honda motorcycles and there quality has always been excellent, I'm really disappointed in the FRV and to be honest I would never buy another Honda car again.

bought honda fr-v 2.2 demo model in dec 06.ex- wife was driving it in march 07 when the engine seized with no warning - i.e THERE IS NO OIL LEVEL INDICATOR ON THIS VEHICLE. we were quoted £10,000 TO FIX IT!Don't touch them!!!!

My view;

cheap light weight Coke-a-Cola tin body structure comes to mind specially the doors, torque steers under acceleration & bland interior, would I buy another Honda quite frankly "NO", having owned two Alfa Romeos my last being the GT I ' d have an Alfa any day, this was my wife ' s choice & only because of the children.

Build quality is excellent. Great visibility especially when middle front seat is down. Easy to get in and out of. Light and easy clutch and gearchange.

Overall a great car, easy to drive and comfortable. Feels like a car, not an MPV. Much better for a family of 6 than a Verso or Zafira where no one wants to sit in the 'very back'.

After 12,000 miles, I am averaging 45.5 mpg. This includes a variety of road conditions and types including the usual commuting holdups. I have two girls and my eldest does not travel well - the FR-V is the first car she has not been sick in - fantastic! The kids love sitting in the front with me. I love the low down grunt of the 2.2 diesel which has plenty of power after my previous MPV, a 2.0 diesel Zafira. The FR-V is also very quiet and I like the turbo whine you sometimes get when accelerating. We have had 6 people on occasions and there always seems to be plenty of room while there is still space in the boot for some luggage. You get used the the hall of mirrors effect through the rear window. With the rearmost seats down there is plenty of space, and I recently carried some 5-foot pieces of wood by folding down the middle front seat (which is down when there are no kids as a very useful large armrest). All-in-all it is a fantastic car, the dealers are great and I would recommend it.