(Pictures Sourced from: www.whatcar.com)A lot of people have been asking me to do a review on Honda Stream 2.0iVTEC, the problem is that I DON"T have a car to review. Like my previous post, I'll do the next best thing. I will kickstart by posting a couple of "OWNER'S review" from the WEB... Then, I'll OPEN to AT LEAST 2 of YOU! Owners' of HONDA STREAM to post a review of your car AND AT LEAST 2 pictures of your Car! Send to "otoreview@gmail.com". I will post here and acknowledge your work (ie. Your NAME will be there).
Here's A FEW of Owner's review taken from the WEB:
REVIEW 1: Honda STREAM (2001 - TO DATE)
Source: YAHOO CARS UK Website: http://uk.cars.yahoo.com/carandriving/reviewused/honda_stream2003278.html
MODELS COVERED: 5dr Mini-MPV 1.7, 2.0 petrol (S, SE, SE Sport)
BY ANDY ENRIGHT
RATING: 3 ½ Stars out of 5 stars
Amid a welter of same-old mini-MPVs, the Honda Stream stands out like a beacon. Not for its looks as it's a fairly low-key thing, more for its driving characteristics. Think of it as a mini-MPV for people who resent having to buy one and you're a little closer to hitting the nail on the head. Unless the responsibilities of parenthood have flattened every ounce of mischievousness from your system, chances are you'll love the way the Stream drives.
* What You Get At first, the Stream doesn't promise too much. Settle in behind the wheel and you're greeted by reassuringly familiar Honda controls, a decent driving position that's different to many of the sit up and beg mini-MPV offerings and good all round visibility. The gear lever sprouts from the fascia like a hastily-buried dalek, but it works surprisingly well. Sporty though? Not a bit of it. There aren't any racy spoilers, liquorice strip low profile tyres or body hugging sports seats on display. The lines are neat, if slightly anonymous. Drop into the driver's seat and, again, there seems little to get excited about. You're greeted by reassuringly familiar Honda controls, a decent driving position that's different to many of the sit up and beg mini-MPV offerings and good all round visibility.
It will appeal to those who appreciate a sporty drive but need the practicality. They can have a car that's secretly something of a funster without being accused of being the oldest swinger in town. For convenience sake, let's imagine you're transporting six ankle biters to a football match. The Stream can easily accommodate the seating requests, although you may need to insist they share a towel and the half-time orange as six lots of bulky kit bags would have to find alternate travel arrangements. Yes, the Stream is a proper seven-seater, but how viable is the whole seven-seat scenario if you can't transport the allied paraphernalia with you? The seating is well planned, if not quite so smugly clever as is the case with the Zafira.
Standard features include air conditioning, twin front and side airbags and anti-lock brakes beefed up by electronic brakeforce distribution. You'll also find an electric sunroof, powered windows and door mirrors on the standard equipment list
* What To Look For Very little: the car tends to prove predictably reliable. A full service history is preferable. As with all MPVs, check for parking bumps and scrapes, plus interior damage caused by over-enthusiastic children.
* ON THE ROAD Fire up that smooth 16-valve four-cylinder engine and you'll hear no fruity exhaust trumpet, just a near imperceptible hum at tickover. The 2.0-litre engine in particular is something of a work of automotive art. This is one of the latest i-VTEC Honda engines and is a generation on from the first VTEC units with their 'buy one get one free' engine characteristics. These powerplants operated a system where the cam profile changed at a point two-thirds of the way up the rev range, giving you a docile, fuel efficient engine at the lower reaches and an aggressive, performance profile at the top end. The i-VTEC (intelligent VTEC) does away with this binary step, instead offering a seamless, graduated transition from one phase into the other. The 2.
0-litre Stream certainly benefits from this technology, borne out by its sprint to 60mph taking just 9.2 seconds for the manual version, or a less impressive 11 seconds with the sequential automatic box. A top speed of 127mph should be enough for most families of seven. Amongst MPV rivals, only the quicker versions of Vauxhall's Zafira offer performance this lively but the base figures only tell half the story. What makes the Stream genuinely innovative is the fact that Honda's engineers have set out to make it genuinely fun to drive. Coming from a company that's brought us the S2000 and wild Type-R models, perhaps that shouldn't be a huge surprise.
Do fun and MPVs have to be mutually exclusive concepts? No. The Stream rides well, is pleasantly roll-free in corners and the two-litre engine is always up for fun. The steering, whilst feeling slightly artificial at city speeds, weights up nicely on the move and enables the Stream to move to the top of the MPV class for driving satisfaction.
This may be construed as damning with faint praise, but the Stream is worthy of comparison with most medium range saloons in the twisty bits, its low centre of gravity belying its lofty altitude.
*Overall If the idea of trying to be 'Daddy Cool' at the school gates is too much to bear, a used Honda Stream may well appeal. It's understated but when push comes to shove it's a finer driver's car than many so-called hot hatches. You'll be happy, the kids will love it but your better half may well have to issue an occasional admonishment if you get a little enthusiastic. If you've got a family but hate the idea of a pipe and slippers mini-MPV, your chariot awaits...
REVIEW 2: Owners review 1:
SOURCE: http://www.dooyoo.co.uk/cars/honda-stream/1007438/
Secret Honda
by easypar4 - written on 12.06.05 - Rating: (4 of 5 possible stars)
Advantages One of the best MPVs, Reliable
Disadvantages Potentially high running costs
The Honda Stream is not as well known as the others but deserves attention as it's a stylish, well equipped and well built seven-seater with that superb 2.0litre VTEC engine that makes it enjoyably lively to drive. In comparison with the Galaxy I had (a 2.3 litre petrol) the 2.0 litre Stream kicks out about 10% more power but because of the way the Honda VTEC unit delivers its power it is easy to tootle about in but when you want to go the power is there particularly above 3000rpm. In this respect it makes it a very different proposition to the other cars in its class being much livelier and with a body less like van with windows has less body roll and much better handling generally.
The Stream though is a genuine seven-seater who will be carried in a very light and airy cabin. The surprising thing is the Stream is built around the same chassis as a Honda Civic. The Civic is a much better known entity which hints at good reliability. There are not many Streams about which hints at their lack of desirability. Lack of desirability in turn usually means low purchase cost for a used car but most Streams apparently end up back at the Honda dealers due to the loyalty of Honda owners. In turn this means it is difficult to find a cheap Stream. Honda servicing and parts costs are also a bit above average...
The Stream is an attractive car though I appreciate this is subjective and others may disagree. MPV styling is generally bland but the Stream does have striking aggressive pose rather than the lump of metal looks of the Galaxy/Sharan and 806/Ulysses. The 2/3/2 seating configuration works well but leg room is compromised when all seats are occupied. Removing and dropping the seats is reasonably easy though the middle row of seats does not split. There are lots of handy cubby holes too to stop things rolling around the flat floor. With all the seats occupied though there is not much space but trips where you need all 7 seats and luggage as well are rare anyway.
The drivers seat was comfortable and the driving position easily adjusted to be comfortable too. The fuel consumption averaged 37 mpg whilst we had it and considering the weight we had in this was impressive. The Stream is a fine car and I am sure Honda could sell more. However when did you last see an advert for the Stream? Never, I would guess but Honda seem to want to spend money on clever adverts which are almost an art form, (hate something change something, make something better – really makes you want to get a Honda diesel!!) regardless of the fact they don’t seem to help with giving their products identification or desirability.
The Stream could be a huge seller but Honda don’t seem to want it to be so.
REVIEW 3: Owner's Review 2,
SOURCE: http://www.dooyoo.co.uk/cars/honda-stream/416826
Room for all
by jessyclown - written on 06.05.03 - Rating: (4 of 5 possible stars)
Advantages seats all our family, a compact people carrier, looks good
Disadvantages No space for luggage, No split rear seat
There are now lots of people carriers on the market with a large range of prices and sizes. The larger people carriers like the Galaxy, Alhambra, Sharan, Espace, and Voyager looked so big and would not easily get through our narrow gateway. We wanted to change our car to a car that would seat 6.
Our choice boiled down to 4 cars Peugeot 307SW, Mitsubishi SpaceWagon, Vauxhall Zafira, and Honda Stream. The smaller people carriers on the market. As we looked closer at these cars we whittled our choice down to the Honda Stream.
The Stream in my opinion looks like a car, if a bit larger than a lot. It is slightly taller than most cars at 1.59m. The car is 4.57m long, still short enough to be a car. I feel that this car has a distinctive look with its attractively shaped windows. At 1.7m wide this car is narrower than the car we replaced a Ford Mondeo.
The Honda Stream has 3 rows of seat. 2 seats in the front, 3 in the middle and 2 in the back. The front seats are very comfortable. The seat in the middle can seat 3 but the middle one only has a lap belt. My children like to put down the back of the middle seat to expose an armrest with a space to put the cups. At the back there is a bench seat which is quite deep which makes up for the fact that there can be very little foot space if the middle seats are too far back!
The front of the car seems to be very spacious, as the gear stick is not on the floor, There is room to keep my handbag on the floor between the seats. The steering wheel can be raised and lowered depending on where you want to hold your arms.
As the seats at the back does not have a window to open there is a fan which can be operated from the front or the back. This can be very useful on very hot days. To keep the car cool you can open your electric windows, (which can be controlled by the driver), the sunroof is an option, and air conditioning can be used to maintain a constant temperature.
The biggest disadvantage with this car is its lack of boot. We did manage to take all we needed for a week away in it but we were all restricted to a very small bag the washing machine had to be used regularly! It is not uncommon to have a lack of space in 7-seaters and this problem can be overcome by using a roof box or a trailer. Unlike many 7-seaters it is not possible to have half the back seat down for luggage. It is even possible to fold the middle seats down if you have very large objects to transport.
We have been very happy with the handling of this vehicle. I found
it easier to drive than the Ford Mondeo, being taller than standard cars you get a very good view from it. It is difficult to see the front of the car so you have to well aware of the size of vehicle you are driving. I found this car comfortable to drive for long distances it is a smooth drive when travelling at the speed limit. As for fuel consumption I was quite happy with around 35 miles per gallon which is not as good as my husbands Micra but when you take into account that 6 people are travelling seems ok to me.
I am very happy with our new well nearly new Honda Stream. It is not a very popular car; I have only ever seen one other one on the road! As a small people carrier it does not do a bad job.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Engine: 4 cyl in line DOHC 1998cc, 16v IVTEC FWD (OR 4WD), Fuel Injection
Bore and stroke: 86x86mm, Compression Ratio: 9.8:1
MAX POWER/TORQUE: 154ps@6500rpm / 186Nm@4000rpm
Gearbox: 5 speed manual (Extremely Rare in Malaysia) or 5 speed Auto
Chassis:
Front Suspension: Independent MacPherson struts, anti-roll bar, coil springs and dampers (duh!)
Rear Suspension: Independent, double wishbones, coil springs and dampers (duh!), stabiliser bar.
Dimensions:
Wheelbase: 2720mm,
Length: 4550mm,
Width: 1695mm,
Height: 1590mm
Ground Clearence: 150mm
Weight: 1490kg
Fuel tank capacity: 55 litres
BRAKES: Front ventilated discs, rear discs, ABS/EBD
PERFORMANCE:
Top speed: 200km/h (205km/h manual), 0-100km/h: 11 secs (9.2secs manual)
PRICE: RM159,000 for a 2.0iVTEC IVS model when new back in 2003. Today, a used 2003 unit costs RM95,000 (as at 24 Dec). Not sure of the difference between IV and IVS apart from Bodykits, 16" wheels and Elec Sunroof. Anyone can help?
Hope this report is useful to ALL of YOU who're looking for a Used Honda Stream. All the best Looking for a NICE used Honda Stream... Oh! MERRY CHRISTMAS & A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
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