Honda's 1999 Minivan To Set New Standards
8 April 1998
Honda's 1999 Minivan To Set New Standards
NEW YORK, April 8 -- Honda took the wraps off an all-new
minivan here today that will set new standards in the class when it goes on
sale this fall. The yet unnamed 1999 model was unveiled at a press conference
prior to the opening of the New York Auto Show.
"We believe the new Honda minivan will out-perform, provide more room,
more utility, more versatility, more safety features and be more
environmentally friendly than anything else currently on the market," said
Dick Colliver, Honda executive vice president. "It will also feature the
traits Honda has become known for, dependability, quality construction and
reliability."
With an overall length of more than 200 inches and height of more than
68 inches, the aggressively styled Honda minivan is as large as any competitor
and the largest Honda ever made. It will have the most powerful V6 engine in
the class and meet California's stringent low emission vehicle (LEV) standard
for light trucks.
The Honda minivan will ride on 16-inch tires with front and rear tracks
more than two inches wider than any competitor. Anti-lock brakes are standard.
A fully independent suspension completes the ride and handling package.
Both LX and EX trim versions of the new minivan will be available, both
with seating for seven.
The Honda minivan will feature dual sliding doors and the EX version will
have dual power sliding doors, a minivan first. The power doors can be opened
or closed individually or simultaneously, using a dashboard control, keyless
remote, or by pulling on the door handle. The doors also have a touch
sensitive safety rebound feature should they encounter resistance while
closing. Both doors also will operate manually.
The interior of the Honda minivan sets new standards for comfort, safety,
versatility and utility. Individual lighting and air conditioning controls are
included. A central control allows the driver to turn off the lights or adjust
the air conditioning of a napping passenger.
All seven seats have headrests and three-point seat belts, including the
center of the third-row bench seat, a minivan first. The "magic" third row
seat folds completely into the floor for convenient storage. In addition, the
unique second row seats can be used as separate captain chairs, or converted
into a bench seat.
"Our research indicates people prefer captain chairs in the middle row
except when they have a child safety seat on board," Colliver noted. "Then
they want a bench seat so the child's seat can be located between the two
front seats for easy access.
"Honda engineers solved this problem by developing the first convertible
second row seating. The seats can be positioned as captain chairs, or moved
together to form a bench seat."
The minivan also boasts outstanding utility, with room for 4x8 sheets of
plywood to lay flat on the floor or on top of the folded seats.
A long list of standard equipment includes a 4-speed electronically
controlled automatic transmission, dual front and rear air conditioning,
cruise control, power windows and power mirrors, power flip-out rear windows
and privacy glass.
The new Honda minivan will be built on a second assembly line currently
under construction at Honda of Canada Manufacturing in Alliston, Ontario,
which is near Toronto.
1999 HONDA MINIVAN HIGHLIGHTS*
-- First minivan to offer headrests at all seating positions
-- First minivan to offer three-point seat belts at all seating positions
-- First minivan to offer "convertible" second row seating
-- First minivan to offer dual power sliding doors
-- Most powerful V6 engine in the class
-- Meets low emission vehicle (LEV) standard for light trucks
-- Widest front and rear tracks in the class
-- Only minivan to feature fold away "magic seat"
* Compared to minivans currently on the market
1999 Honda Minivan Dimensions
Length (in.) 201.2
Width (in.) 75.6
Height (in.) 68.5
Wheelbase (in.) 118.1
Track, Front (in.) 66.1
Track, Rear (in.) 66.2
1999 1998 1998 1998 1998
Honda Dodge Ford Chevrolet Toyota
Minivan Grand Windstar Venture Sienna
COMPARISON (preliminary) Caravan LX
Length (in.) 201.2 199.6 201.2 200.9 193.5
Width (in.) 75.6 76.8 74.7 72.0 73.4
Height (in.) 68.5 68.5 65.6 68.1 67.3
Wheelbase (in.) 118.1 119.3 121.6 120.0 114.2
Track, Front (in.) 66.1 63.0 64.3 61.5 61.6
Track, Rear (in.) 66.2 64.0 63.0 63.3 63.4
Tires 215/ 215/ 215/ 215/ 205/
65R16 65R15 70R15 70R15 70R15
COMFORT & CONVENIENCE
-- 7-passenger capacity
-- Can accommodate 4' x 8' sheets of plywood
-- 9 cupholders
-- Pull-out center tray between driver and front passenger seats
-- Individual lighting controls
-- Individual air conditioning controls
-- Dual sliding doors (dual power sliding doors on EX model)
-- Privacy glass
-- Cruise control
-- Power windows
-- Power mirrors
-- Power door locks
-- Power flip-out quarter windows
-- Micron air filter
-- Variable intermittent windshield wipers
-- Front and rear 12-volt power outlets
-- Central on-off switches for interior lights and air
conditioning/heating
SAFETY & SECURITY
-- Dual air bags
-- 3-point safety belts
-- Anti-lock braking system
-- Security immobilizer system
-- Keyless entry system (EX only)
ENVIRONMENT
-- Meets California light truck low emissions vehicle standard
DRIVETRAIN
-- V-6 engine, 4-speed automatic transmission
SOURCE Honda
