Honda Australia considers baby seven-seater

Families with the most mouths to feed can least afford a new car with seven seats, but Honda may soon have an alternative.

The Japanese car maker is evaluating the Honda Freed, a small-ish seven seater made in Indonesia.

It is based on the stretched underpinnings of the Honda Jazz hatch and City sedan -- and powered by the same 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine used in those vehicles.

If it comes to Australia, this means the Freed will have the smallest engine of any seven-seater on sale locally. Other compact people movers are powered by either 2.0-litre petrol engines or 1.9-litre turbo diesel engines, or even bigger powerplants.  

So the Freed may not pack much power but it should be economical.

With an anticipated price between $25,000 and $30,000 the Honda Freed is designed to compete with the Kia Rondo 7 (also in this price range) and the dearer Citroen C4 Picasso (priced closer to $40,000).

"We are evaluating it for Australia," said the managing director and CEO of Honda Australia, Satoshi Matsuzawa.
"It depends on price, the exchange rate and customer feedback."

Matsuzawa-san was speaking during a media tour of Honda facilities in Thailand this week. The small group of Australian journalists also got to take the Freed for a brief test drive. The Carsales Network will publish brief drive impressions soon.

If the Freed comes to Australia, it may not have its international name. Other badges being considered are Jazz Plus, City Maxx or Odyssey Junior.

Other alternatives include using the name FRV, borrowed from a six-seater sold in Europe and Japan, or Stream, the name of a seven-seater sold in Japan and other Asian countries.

"The name is the least of our concerns at this stage," says Honda Australia public affairs manager Mark Higgins. "We want to make sure the concept of the car is right and that it makes a good business case for Australia. If it gets approved, then we'll worry about what to call it."

The Freed is made in Japan and Indonesia but if it comes to Australia it will likely be sourced from Indonesia. The car shown in Thailand had a two-two-three seat-row arrangement.

The third row seat had a lap-only belt but Honda says Australian cars would have lap-sash belts for all seven seats, as well as curtain airbags and stability control.

A rear camera is not listed as an option on the Thailand version but the Freed does have a digital screen in the radio that could show a rear view camera image.

A rear camera, or at the very least rear sensors, would be an advantage.

When the third row seats are not in use, they are stowed upright, blocking the rear three-quarter view when parking. A full-size spare wheel was mounted under the rear floor to free-up the limited load space.

When all seats are used you can barely fit a pair of briefcases in the load space. When the third row is stowed and the second row folded, however, the Freed has van-like cargo room.

The rear side doors electronically slide open and closed, and have pressure sensors to prevent injuries. Honda Australia will decide in the next six months if it will take this model or wait for the next generation.

The Freed has been on sale in Japan for almost three years and in Thailand since late last year.

For more information, read the Carsales Network's first drive of the Honda Freed.

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