Tokyo Motor Show 2013: Honda Vezel, The Fit Crossover

November 21st, 2013 10:13 AM

The Honda Urban SUV concept was supposed to preview a Fit-based crossover that would be sold in global markets and even be produced in Honda’s new Mexican plant. Now, we have the production version, oddly named the Vezel.

The oddly named Vezel is Honda’s take on the Nissan Juke and other B-Segment crossovers. Like the Juke, the rear door handle is mounted on the C-pillar, but the two could not be more different. The Vezel is conservatively styled. Honda hasn’t released specs for the car, despite its on sale date approaching within the next few months. But it will use a 1.5L 4-cylinder engine, as well as a hybrid drivetrain, presumably shared with the Fit.

#Crossover #Honda #HondaVezel #SUV #Tokyo2013

Comments

Join the conversation

7 of 43 comments

Old Man Pants on Nov 21, 2013

This class of vehicle would be so much more appealing if I were 5'7" and 140 lbs.

Like Reply
- See 3 previous
- Occam on Nov 21, 2013
  
  Yeah - the Fit is designed for small people who want to feel a sense of spaciousness. High ceiling, long dash, but limited rearward seat travel, a short cushion, awkward ergonomics for anyone who is not short. Mom has one... she loves it (She's 5'4).
  
  Like
- Imag on Nov 21, 2013
  
  Interesting. I am over 6′ tall, but I can’t figure the massive size of most modern vehicles. I rented a Challenger and I could hardly reach the sill to rest my arm on it. It feels like a boat. I like small cars. They feel sporty and tossable. And I can’t figure out why I want to cart around a huge pile of vehicle.
  
  Like
- Occam on Nov 21, 2013
  
  @imag I enjoy small cars as well, but some companies (Japanese in particular) have begun severly limiting rearward seat travel. Mom's Fit and my wife's Versa stand out, as well as my ex-wife's Mazda5... I have several hypotheses on it, but no concrete answers: 1. Limiting rearward seat travel allows greater advertised rear legroom. 2. The positioning of curtain airbags require limiting the rearward travel of the seat. 3. The disappearance of two door cars in preference for four-doors, as well as cab-forward designs and a desire for larger rear doors pushes the B-pillars forward, along with the anchor for the shoulder harness. Since dummy restraint is sucha big point in IIHS and NCAP tests, allowing the seats to extend further to the rear makes the shoulder harness less effective. From experience, in small four-door cars, when I run out of seat travel, I usually lean the seat back to give myself a bit of extra space (I'm less than 200 lbs, but have a 35" inseam). I often find that the shoulder harness is not snugly against my chest, and in the event of a crash, I'd have several inches to travel forward before even engaging the locking mechanism. Two door cars don't have this issue, and seem to provide a better fit for leggy drivers like me... and the window sill / armrest are NEXT to me instead of ahead of me. Small two-doors are becoming more and more difficult to find, unfortunately. Ones with functional backseats are nearly extinct.
  
  Like
- CelticPete on Nov 23, 2013
  
  @Occam I have noticed this in American cars as well. You really have to test out the car and make sure it doesn't run into this problem. I also feel that the 'numbers' don't always reflect reality.. Coupes do seem better then 4 doors though (in general). Also German cars seem to be the best in this regard. Mercedes is famous for their long travel and BMW and Audi are not far behind in my experience.. Supposedly Golf is very good for big drivers and Mini is great even for really big people. That being said a Challenger is a really comfortable car if you are legitimately big and tall. I am 6'4" and 200 pounds - roomiest car ever..first car that I can think of that might be too roomy. I kinda want one but they have great resale value.
  
  Like
Occam on Nov 21, 2013

Dutch for "Fiber" That's all I can find. I wonder if the model with the leather interior is called the "Leder" Honda almost always uses English words, and usually with a "Society" theme: (Civic, Accord, Passport) or "inspirational" theme (Prelude, Pilot, Dream, Insight, Inspire, etc.), so this is somewhat... odd. A bit off topic, but I love Toyota's names. They are almost always related to royalty and crowns (Crown, Tercel, Corona, etc.), with the young Scion to the crown called... Scion!

Like Reply
- BuzzDog on Nov 22, 2013
  
  ...and now that Prince Harry is dating Cressida Bonas, Toyota's naming convention makes even more sense. ;)
  
  Like

DenverMike When was it ever a mystery? The Fairmont maybe, but only the 4-door "Futura" trim, that was distinctively upscale. The Citation and Volare didn't have competing trims, nor was there a base stripper Maxima at the time, if ever, crank windows, vinyl seats, 2-doors, etc. So it wasn't a "massacre", not even in spirit, just different market segments. It could be that the Maxima was intended to compete with those, but everything coming from Japan at the time had to take it up a notch, if not two.Thanks to the Japanese "voluntary" trade restriction, everything had extra options, if not hard loaded. The restriction limited how many vehicles were shipped, not what they retailed at. So Japanese automakers naturally raised the "price" (or stakes) without raising MSRP. What the dealers charged (gouged) was a different story.Realistically, the Maxima was going up against entry luxury sedans (except Cimarron lol), especially Euro/German, same as the Cressida. It definitely worked in Japanese automaker's favor, not to mention inspiring Lexus, Acura and Infiniti.
Ronnie Schreiber Hydrocarbon based fuels have become unreliable? More expensive at the moment but I haven't seen any lines gathering around gas stations lately, have you? I'm old enough to remember actual gasoline shortages in 1973 and 1979 (of course, since then there have been many recoverable oil deposits discovered around the world plus the introduction of fracking). Consumers Power is still supplying me with natural gas. I recently went camping and had no problem buying propane.Texas had grid problems last winter because they replaced fossil fueled power plants with wind and solar, which didn't work in the cold weather. That's the definition of unreliable.I'm an "all of the above" guy when it comes to energy: fossil fuels, hydro, wind (where it makes sense), nuclear (including funding for fusion research), and possibly solar.Environmental activists, it seems to me, have no interest in energy diversity. Based on what's happened in Sri Lanka and the push against agriculture in Europe and Canada, I think it's safe to say that some folks want most of us to live like medieval peasants to save the planet for their own private jets.
Car65688392 thankyou for the information
Car65688392 Thankyou for your valuable information
MaintenanceCosts There's no mystery anymore about how the Japanese took over the prestige spot in the US mass market (especially on the west coast) when you realize that this thing was up against the likes of the Fairmont, Citation, and Volaré. A massacre.