TEST-DRIVE : NEW 2nd GENERATION HONDA STREAM

Honda's new 2nd generation Honda Stream delivers a great package of power, fuel economy and utility. It's 1.8l R18A i-VTEC engine features a unique 'economy' mode for highway cruising. Normal engines control the amount of air going into the engine by varying the size of the 'throttle body'. During cruising, relatively little power is needed. In this situation, little air is needed sothe throttle body size is closed till very small. Unfortunately while this lets us limits the amount of air, it also forces the engine to do extra work. To relate this to real-life situations, think of drinking through a straw. We pinch the straw to limit the amount we drink but then we have to suck harder. This extra work by the engine means extra power loss and adversely affects its fuel consumption. It is ironic because it occurs just when we need are able to get best fuel economy.

The R18A i-VTEC 'economy mode' exploits this situation by reducing this power loss. Instead of closing, the throttle body is fully opened. Air is allowed to flow freely into the engine. By using a very long valve opening duration, the R18A then expels the excess air back out until just the amount needed is left. Again the everyday analogy is instead of pinching the drinking straw, we suck in extra fluid and then let the excess drain out until we are left with exactly what we need. By using this technique, Honda's R&D engineers were able to reduce power loss by as much as 30% during optimal cruising conditions. This innovation allows the R18A to deliver the power of a 1.8l engine during normal driving and the fuel economy of a 1.5l engine when cruising.

On the road, the new Honda Stream performs very well. The driver's seating position feels just like in a car and the Stream also drives like a car. With 5 on-board, the R18A engine had to work a little bit hard but delivers quite sufficient power to keep the Stream moving quickly and even to overtake when needed. On the other hand, fuel economy was exemplary. Even after being stuck in a slow crawl, and then a period of spirited driving to try to make up some time, the fuel tank indicator hardly moved ! The suspension feels comfortable even over less than pristine trunk roads.

Interior-wise, space was more than adequate. On the return journey, I occupied the last row of seats. With just some adjustments to the seats in front, I was easily able to fit my six-foot frame into the rearmost seat. Headroom was a bit low however and there were a few occasions where I hit the roof when we went through some bumps. This new Stream comes with a single-blower air-conditioner, with only front air-con vents. But this did not gave us any cooling issues at all. The key is the two air-con vents located in the middle of the dashboard. Angled upwards and in conjunction with the carefully streamlined roof, air from these vents are directed to flow evenly to all parts of the vehicle. From both the 2nd row as well as the last row, there is a constant draft of cool air from the vents. even with the fan speed set to low.

The new Honda Stream is a CBU direct from Japan and really do deliver everything Honda promised it will. At the moment, bookings have exceeded 200 units only half a month after its launch.

Wong KN
October 2005
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