AFSCME 3357-HOF'S BLOG

Honda Elysion: More Spaceship than Minivan

Take a look at the dashboard of the new Japanese Market Honda Elysion minivan. It would look at home in a video arcade. (I happen to like such things.)


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Contrary to rumors to the contrary, the Elysion is NOT the 2005 North American Odyssey. In fact, Honda is replacing the made-in-Canada and reverse-imported Honda Odyssey with the Elysion.

Just because the Elysion isn't the new Odyssey doesn't mean that it's not an interesting vehicle in its own right.
Instead of focusing on hideable seats, Honda touts the Elysion's low floor. This is an 8 seat minivan. The second seat can pivot and face the rear seat (just like in some limousines).

The engines are interesting. They appear to be variants of the 2.4 liter and 3.0 VTEC engines found in the U.S. Market Accord. The 3.0 liter V-6 uses a cylinder deactivation system for improved fuel economy, switching from 6 to 3 cylinders based on the requirements of the time. I can recall reading a couple years ago in an article about General Motors' engine plans that the General was going to stick with 2-valve "stockblock" architecture for many of its upcoming lines, and one of the reasons for doing so was that it was impractical to apply cylinder deactivation to Overhead Cam engines. Well, guess what, Honda did it. The 3.0 liter engine in the Honda Accord already returns fuel economy at or near the head of the pack for 6 cylinder cars. If cylinder deactivation yields and other 2 or 3 MPG it will be ahead of most 4 cylinder cars.

Speaking of cylinder deactivation, you would expect that going down to 3 cylinders would cause a lot of noise and vibration problems. Here's what the Honda website says about this:


Models equipped with the 3.0-liter engine are outfitted with active control engine mounts1.
Designed to operate with the variable cylinder management system1, the active control engine mounts use fluctuations in the engine?s crankshaft speed to estimate and cancel out engine vibrations generated when cylinders are idled. Active noise control1 is used to generate sound opposite in phase with the engine drone produced when cylinders are idled to cancel this drone and ensure a quiet environment under all conditions.

Active Noise Reduction under the hood?

The Elysion has an 4WD (AWD?) system. This makes it likely that the new US Odyssey (and possibly even the Accord) will have an 4WD option as well.


The Elysion's Real Time 4WD system combines a quiet, fuel-efficient, dual-pump system with a one-way cam unit to significantly enhance sensing of front-wheel slippage?all in a lightweight, compact design. The system transfers power to the rear wheels promptly, and significantly improves stability during startup and cornering on snow-covered roads and other slippery surfaces.





2005 Honda Odyssey


The Department of Defense could learn something from Honda when it comes to keeping things secret. Even though the 2005 Honda Odyssey is due to be introduced in the States in just a few months. Virtually nothing reliable has leaked out about its features. Honda has gone as far as contacting message board operators and "asking" them to remove posts about the upcoming Odyssey.



TheHollywoodextra.com has posted these pictures of what is allegedly the 2005 Odyssey, although they look like a concept car to me.

http://www.thehollywoodextra.com/Honda/honda.html#Odyssey

The 2005 Odyssey is greatly anticipated. When the current version debuted in 1999, it shook up the industry. There were weighting lists and market prices over sticker for the majority of the production run. Expectations are high for the new model. It is expected to meet all the fancy-pants seating options of the Toyota Sienna and Dodge Grand Caravan. There are rumors of a hybrid and a variable displacement (via cylinder deactivation) engine. If Honda announces a hybrid Odyssey to be available in the near future, then all of Honda's high volume vehicles would have a hybrid option. (Honda has already announced a Hybrid Accord for 2006.) Honda's Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) figures will match figures that the Big-3 claim are impossible to meet.

The introduction of the Odyssey is important to those dependent upon the Big-3 automakers because GM, Ford and DC have either recently facelifted (DC and Ford) or will soon face lift (GM) their minivans to meet the challenges of the now 5-year-old Honda Odyssey. Chrysler's "Stow & Go" seats, new for 2005 are really nifty, but there's not much else new on their vans. Ford's Freestar is simply a Windstar with a facelift and an optional bored-out engine. GM opted not do do a ground up revision for 2005 and instead will dress up the old minivans in pseudo-SUV clothes. The Odyssey platform is the basis for the hot-selling and lucrative Honda Pilot and Acura MDX SUVs, so it will likely shape the next generation of Family SUVs as well. The 2005 Odyssey may or may not be on a new platform. The Alabama plant will supposedly work from July through August in a 50-50 mix of 2004 and 2005 models. This suggests that the platform is not completely different, though with Honda's flexible manufacturing, it's hard to say.

My predictions:

Size will stay within an inch of the current model in most dimensions. It might be a little lower. I'm betting that the new Odyssey will be one of the few cars that is actually lighter than its predecessor. A hybrid will be available in a couple years, but will not be available at introduction. I think it is 50-50 whether the Odyssey will have a fold-in-the-floor second row seat, but the third row will get a split-folding seat. If there is no folding 2nd row seat, four wheel drive will be available, if there is a folding second seat, then Honda may choose to leave off the 4wd. I suspect the Odyssey will come standard with cylinder deactivation. I think the odds are 50-50 that a low-end model might have a 3.0 liter rather than a 3.5 liter engine. The hybrid version will likely have a 3.0 liter engine, perhaps running the atkinson cycle. A hybrid will be available by fall 1997.