If you’ve ever wondered what would happen if Honda spliced the DNA of a Fit with that of an Odyssey minivan, wonder no more. Honda has released a new minivan in Japan that, despite being smaller than a Civic, can seat eight people.
Dubbed the Freed, the new JDM minivan is actually a full 12 inches shorter than the Civic. The Freed is built on a mix of the Civic and Fit architecture and can be had in five, seven or eight-passenger configurations. Despite having such a small footprint, the Freed is said to have plenty of cargo room when the third row of seating is stowed.
The Freed is powered by a 118 horsepower 1.5L engine, so eight-passenger hauling will zap any zip the Freed possesses.
Honda has no plans to bring the Freed to the U.S., but the timing could be right for such a vehicle. Honda is one of the few automakers doing well in today’s economic environment — thanks to the automaker’s thrifty lineup — so the Freed could actually have a shot at successfully creating a new segment in the U.S.
