Honda Malaysia has launched the Freed “premium compact MPV”. The Freed’s price of RM112,980 (OTR with insurance) backs up the positioning – it’s costlier than the Nissan Grand Livina 1.8 and the much larger Toyota Innova, for instance. The Freed sits on the Jazz/City platform, although its 2,740 mm wheelbase is quite a bit longer than the City’s 2,550 mm. The wheelbase is actually 140 mm longer than the Grand Livina’s although the Nissan is longer overall. The drivetrain is similar to the what we’re familiar with in the City – a 1.5-litre single-cam i-VTEC paired to five-speed automatic. For this application, the gear ratios are shorter and the 116 bhp/146 Nm engine makes 2 bhp less and 1 Nm more than the City. The steering is EPS, suspension consists of MacPherson struts up front and torsion beam at the rear, while the brakes are front discs and rear drums.
Within a footprint of 6.72 sq metres (almost identical to the Toyota Avanza), the Freed accommodates up to 7 persons in a 2-2-3 seating arrangement. The middle row has separate seats which, in Indonesia, are called 'King and Queen’ seats. They are separated because the interior designers wanted to provide a 'walk-through’ approach to the third row. The idea may work for a larger MPV and it’s nice for children but might be a bit cramped for some adults who also have to lower their heads even though the ceiling is high (thanks to the low floor which is 410 mm above the road). The only way to get to the third row is between the two middle seats as the access from the door sides is not convenient because the seats do not slide or tilt forward. It could have something to do with the sliding door not opening wide enough.
The third row has 50:50 split seats which can be separately folded up against the sides when not needed. It’s a good idea and the seats are tightly secured by straps so they do not make noise when driving over bumpy roads. There’s no additional blower or vent to carry cool air all the way to the back but the air-conditioning system is said to be designed to provide comfort for everyone. The airflow distribution has been 'tuned’ to ensure that people in the last row stay cool and the gap between the seats in the middle helps.
With both rear seats folded, there’s 672 litres of space available. This is plenty for most people and can take 3 large suitcases or 4 golfbags or even a small bicycle – or a dog, as the publicity picture show. The rear door opens high up while the floor is just 500 mm from the road surface. Like other small MPVs, the spare wheel is hung below the rear end.
The sliding door offers the advantage of a wider opening (600 mm) for easier entry/exit and in tight parking spaces, it’s also useful as you don’t need a lot of space on either side to open the doors. We thought that the time taken to fully open the door would be long but it took just 5 seconds both ways, which is reasonable and won’t have someone getting drenched in the rain waiting to get in! The doors can be opened by remote control or by pressing a button on the dashboard (separate buttons for each door).
The dashboard has a double-layer design with a sort of 'shelf’ protruding towards the front occupants. In the middle of this shelf is panel for the air-conditioner controls and adjacent to it is the shift lever. The 2DIN audio system is further up while the instrument panel is set ahead of the driver. It is dominated by the arc of the speedometer with a small LCD showing the driving data including real-time fuel consumption. The tachometer is a graphic display on the upper left and the fuel gauge (also shown graphically) is on the upper right. Like the City and Jazz, there’s no coolant temperature gauge nowadays as it’s been deemed unnecessary. A blue light will come on when the engine is cold to remind the driver not to rev the engine hard and a red light will appear if there is a trend towards overheating. To maximize available space, the parking brake is operated by a foot pedal.
