irishcar.com - Honda Stream

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, they say. And to these eyes, the Honda Stream is not beautiful. Indeed, it might even be odd-looking, though not anything like the same extent as is the Fiat Multipla, for instance.

But they both DO fully share one attribute: they are exceptionally good at what they're produced to do, that is, carry six people with absolute aplomb, and provide the driver amongst them with an excellent motoring experience.

In addition, it is officially the safest of the compact MPV vehicles on the market, having gained four stars in the Euro NCAP impact safety tests, and a best-in-class three stars for pedestrian safety.

That last is no doubt due to the very smooth front end, which has a slightly bug-eyed look because of the size and shape of the headlight covers. Looked at straight on, and straight on to the rear, the Stream is undeniably handsome. For me, the side aspect is compromised by the shape of the rearmost side windows, and what the makers call the 'dynamic motion' of the roof over them, but then there's no accounting for taste and how it will be viewed.

The rear lights are tall on the sides and are linked by a full-width top reflector incorporating the high stop light. It looks very distinctive.

The vehicle is based on the current Civic, which has arguably led the recent industry-wide trend for more efficient people packaging in its 5-door guises, so it is no surprise that the Stream holds its complement of occupants with a degree of innovation.

It starts with the dashboard, which incorporates the gearshifter and thus leaves a space between the seats for Mum to get back to deal with the children without leaving the vehicle. Useful when stopped in pouring rain.

The rearmost pair of seats fold completely flat, leaving plenty of storage space for the stuff needed by four or less occupants on a leisure trek.

And all the main seats are exceptionally comfortable. Honda suggests that three people can sit in comfort across the second row, but the middle one would really have to be a small child. Of more use to most of is the alternative of folding down the 'centre' backrest to form a table top with cupholders.

The front and second row seatbacks are all fully reclinable, and with the rear seats stowed, the equivalent of a double bed can be achieved, which can be useful on a long holiday trip when one misses the B&B booking!

The driver's perspective is pretty good, with a nice high driving position, and a coherent instruments cluster with metallic themes that are reflected elsewhere on the centre stack holding the aircon and audio controls.

I found the size and positioning of the left foot rest really good, reminding me of how too often designers don't consider people with wide feet. On the other hand, there's a peculiar short foot space for a long-legged front passenger, whose toecaps will end up against a bulkhead.

I'd personally prefer a slightly thicker steering wheel rim, but that's again a matter of individual taste. The angle and positioning flexibility is very good.

Getting the hang of parallel parking takes a little time, as there's no view of the steeply-sloped bonnet, but the fairly short overhang ahead of the front wheels does mean you can get closer than you might think.

And the supreme ease of use of the relevant controls, and the very controllable engine makes the Stream a car that does exactly what you ask of it in tight as well as full speed travel conditions.

That dashboard positioning of the gearshift gets to feel very comfortable quite quickly. It has a nice short throw, and being Japanese it is entirely fault-free in use.

On the road, the suspension characteristics combine with a low centre of gravity for a vehicle in this segment to provide true 'car-like' drive. Like most Japanese built cars, the ride can be slightly fussy on the more indifferent roads we have in this country.

The engine is uncannily quiet at idle, to the point that several times I wondered if it had stalled. And as speed increases, it doesn't intrude at all. But there's considerable wind noise evident once we get to the legal national limit, becoming quite loud at motorway speeds.

Remembering that the Stream being a Civic derivative, the fact that it is only available here with a 2-litre engine is a little disappointing for those who have insurance and road tax concerns. That it makes for a quite splendid performance isn't everything. A 1.7-litre is coming available in some markets, but I understand that the price difference isn't significant enough for the Irish importers to consider it at the moment.

Anyway, the all-aluminium 2-litre is brand new and outputs a fairly spectacular 156bhp. It uses a more advanced variable valve timing than the established VTEC system pioneered by Honda, so they call it i-VTEC ... the 'intelligent' one.

Given the definitely sporty performance potential reflected by a 9.4sec 0-62mph, the 33mpg official fuel consumption is not bad, but I suspect most owners will do considerably better than that.

At around 32,000 euros, the Stream is more expensive than the top-range Opel Zafira, and compared to the Renault Scenic it matches the RX4 version, the only 2-litre Scenic, which also has 4WD.

But Honda owners have traditionally been prepared to pay a premium for their cars, believing that there is an intrinsic premium in the brand and its technologies.