2005 Honda Elysion Concept

A minivan with room for up to 8 people, the Honda Elysion was a Japanese vehicle sold only in Japan as a competitor to the Toyota Alphard and the Nissan Elgrand. Though not the same vehicle, the Elysion is related to the USA-spec Honda Odyssey. The name 'Elysion' was inspired by Honda from the classical Greek word Elysium, or ‘heaven'.

The rear doors of the Odyssey were exchanged for sliding doors typically used on minivans, while the JDM Odyssey used conventional sliding doors like ones found on MPVs. Known as the Honda LaGreat in Japan, the USA-spec Honda Odyssey was too large for Japan, so the Elysion took various styling cues from the LaGreat and used them on a smaller car. Not available through the Singapore's Honda authorized dealer, Elysion was recently crowned as the King of MPV by a Japanese motoring magazine that gets the highest marks on owner's satisfaction, resale value and cost of maintenance. Elysion is premium MPV and thanks to the pararel car-importers, buyers can purchase this vehicle in Singapore.

In October of 2003 the Elysion was debuted at the Tokyo Motor Show as the 'ASM' and was finally available for sale on May 13, 2004 with only a few cosmetic adjustments to its headlight, interior and front grill to make it more commercially friendly. The Elysion was officially launched in mid/late 2004 for Japan domestic market which marks an important history for Honda to show off their finest technical know-how, safety, ecology and human comfort.

A 5-door minivan, the Elysion was a 5-speed automatic with 114.2 inch wheelbase, with an overall length of 193.7 inches with a width of 72.6 inches and a height of 71.3 inches. Though the Elysion appears large, the actual dimensions are actually very similar to modern cars. The Elysions length was identical to the 3.0L 2nd generation Odyssey RA6. The Elysion utilizes clever space management which made 70% of total space available as cabin, plus an extra 19 cm of height when compared to the RA6. This additional height places the Elysion seating position high and about the level of Harrier SUV.

Equipped with speed sensitive power door locks that engaged at speeds above 15 km/h the Elysion's doors would unlock when the transmission was placed in 'Park'. The gearshift lever was integrated for convenience into the bottom center of the instrument panel. The Honda Elysion is used for commercial taxi service.

In September of 2005 a very slight body restyle was introduced along with an 'Aero' and 'VG Premium' trim level. In January of 2006 the Elysion received the 'G Aero HDD Navi' and 'VG HDD Navi Aero' edition. In December of 2006 the Elysion underwent another styling change which included an interior update.

Receiving the highest 6 stars rated by Nasva and becoming one of the safest Japanese passenger car production ever, the Elysion achieved this with the combination of a new 30% stronger high rigidity steel, the Honda G-Con technology and the unique double platform with low central gravity floor. The Elysion's comfort was enhanced by the high rigidity body which handled any rough road with poise.

The VZ model; the top of the line, was equipped with an IHCC (intelligent highway cruise control) and CMS (collision mitigation sensor) which works with radio-wave radar installed to the front grill to let the driver know if they got to close to the car ahead. It even automatically tightened the seatbelt and brake ready, which was similar to the pre-crash system in the S-class. The radar can double as night vision and it gives picture in a form of graphic objects displayed on its built-in 8 inch navigation system at the dash. The Elysion also featured other safety equipments that include ABS, VSA, TCS, sideslip and AFS (adaptive front lighting).

The Honda Elysion came with two choices of engines, the 2.4L i-VTEC K24A is the same engine used in the current Odyssey and produces around 160 hp and 22.2kg-m of torque. This engine had virtually the same specs and gear ratios which drives and behaves very similar to the current Odyssey. The other engine choice is the all new 3.0L V6 i-VTEC J30A which incorporates the finest engine technology not yet seen in other brands yet. The unique variable cylinder management behaves much like a hybrid able to shut off 3 cylinders on the V6 bank when the engine senses there is little need of power during cruising and downturn.

By Jessica Donaldson