2004 Honda SUT Concept

Running Rings Around the Conventional Pickup Truck

With all the bravado of a Johnny-come-lately who doesnt care that the party has already started and the house is crowded, Honda is set to crash into the pickup truck segment.

The thing is, with Hondas recent track record of success, its SUT (Sport Utility Truck) concept that was shown off Jan. 4 at the 2004 North American International Auto Show in Detroit will be a hard vehicle to pooh-pooh or ignore.

While Honda calls the five-seat SUT a "truck" (it does have an open-air five-foot-long cargo bed after all), the company seems to be targeting the market segment currently occupied by the Ford Explorer Sport Trac and Chevrolet Avalanche with gusto.

"By combining the utility of a pickup, the practicality of an SUV and the advantages of unibody design--including better packaging, improved comfort and superior ride and handing dynamics--the Honda SUT represents a next-generation truck for a new wave of truck buyers, with more refined tastes and active, outdoor-oriented lifestyles," said Tom Elliot, executive vice president, American Honda Motor Inc.

Most pickup trucks and SUVs, including the Explorer Sport Trac, are built with the traditional, rugged body-on-frame construction method, with stiff frame rails underneath, which allow car companies to fairly easily and cheaply design new bodies to drop on top of the chassis. But, these designs are heavier and may not always be optimized for the best ride, steering and handling. Cars, that used to incorporate body-on-frame architecture, moved toward unibody designs to shave weight in the quest for improved gas mileage. Could this be a good move for trucks as well? Honda seems to think so.

Elliot did play up the fact that the SUTs planed all-aluminum DOHC V6 will be coupled with an advanced, electronically controlled four-wheel-drive system for "outstanding all-weather handling performance and medium-duty towing and off-road capabilities, along with ultra-low emissions and class-leading fuel efficiency."

Production Slated for Ontario

While the example unveiled in Detroit is a "concept," the production SUT will be built in 2005 at the Honda Canada Manufacturing Plant in Alliston, Ontario, on its global light truck platform that is shared with the Pilot SUV and the Acura MDX, which are also built at the plant. The Honda Odyssey minivan, which is built at the factory, will be moved to the Honda Manufacturing of Alabama plant to make room for SUT production.

Honda is not releasing much information on the SUTs engine displacement, though the 2004 Pilot features a 3.5-liter SOHC 24-Valve, VTEC V6 that produces 240 hp at 5,400 rpm and 242 lb-ft of torque at 4,500 rpm with gas mileage of 17 mpg in the city and 22 mpg on the highway. The Acura MDX, with a similar engine to the Pilot, gets a boost of 25 hp and 11 more foot-pounds of torque, while squeezing out an extra 1 mpg on the highway. Expect the SUTs powertrain capabilities to be somewhere in the range of the Pilot and MDX.

While Honda hasnt set a production target, Elliott said that he expects the company to build 40,000-60,000 SUTs during its first few years. If the Japanese automaker is going after the Explorer Sport Trac market, which is priced starting at $23,840, it would probably be competitive. Most likely though, the Honda will be priced slightly higher.

The target buyer is a little older than that for the Element SUV, a male outdoor enthusiast, but married with children rather than single. The advertising campaign, Elliot hinted, is to go after the "cool dad" who already owns some of Hondas other products, like its motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles (ATV), personal watercraft, or speedboats powered by Honda engines.

Four Panel Glass Roof Adds to Intriguing Features

Honda officials have been coy about the details of the SUT, leaving observers to try to discern details for themselves and whether or not they represent design trends or are just for show.

One of the most obvious features is a four-panel glass sunroof, with a light panel running down the center of the headliner. This could just be a feature to allow more light into the cabin to show off the interior of the SUT concept or a possible design direction.

One predominant feature on the instrument panel is the large, circular speedometer that looks like it is a changeable electronic display screen with smaller instruments alongside. The speedometer indicates that the SUT supposedly has a maximum speed of 160 mph, but its best to keep in mind that concept vehicles, which are often merely fiberglass mockups to show a possible direction in design, only need to be able to roll out on stage and make a lot of noise with their engines.

To the right of the three-spoke leather and billet aluminum steering wheel, is a large touch point liquid crystal display screen, probably for controlling the navigation system, climate control, entertainment, and access to a cell phone or computer address book, indicating that the truck, like most new cars that will be coming onto the market, will have some kind of Bluetooth-like technology (thats wireless connectivity, linking personal data assistants, cell phones, etc., into a network with the vehicle).

Lights and dual zone climate controls are mounted on large aluminum, glowing knobs with red plastic accents that can be turned with gloved hands. And, there are large buttons on the steering wheel and a row of four large switches below the climate controls.

The SUT concept has a rubberized floor, much like the Element, for easy cleaning, and two-tone fabric chairs with large, nonmoving head restraints held in place by aluminum pillars. Between the front captain chairs is a small center console, and there is a bench seat in the back that sits three passengers.

Mag Lights, the aluminum flashlight cum weapon especially popular with security guards, are integrated into the doors, and a climbing rope is packed into the front seat backs.

The cargo bed features integrated lighting, a bed liner, tie downs and external speakers.

The SUT concept has a four-wheel fully independent suspension--whereas most pickup trucks feature traditional leaf springs in the rear to handle heavy cargos in the truck bed--to offer a car-like ride. This configuration is practically unknown in the light truck segment, and should allow the SUT to perform much better than the average pickup.

On the safety side, the Honda truck features side curtain airbags with rollover sensors--to help offer some protection to passengers in the event of a side collision or rollover. While a step up from the majority of vehicles in the category, Hondas system probably wont be as sophisticated as Fords "side canopy" airbags that remain inflated throughout continued rolls. The SUT will, however, feature Vehicle Stability Assistance (VSA) so that the chance of a rollover is less than likely. Combined with the vehicle architectures respected poise (the Odyssey minivan, Pilot SUV and Acura MDX SUV are at the head of their respective classes when it comes to driving dynamics) the system should help the driver maintain control of the truck in adverse conditions. Other safety items include front-side airbags with an occupant position detection system; four-wheel anti-lock brakes; and some undefined "pedestrian safety features."

Pedestrian safety has been a growing concern in Europe where automakers may be placing airbags that can deploy at the front or from the hood of vehicles when they strike people, requiring additional external sensors. For light trucks, one of the obvious concerns for pedestrian safety is that the grilles and hood lines are much taller than cars, leading to greater upper body injuries and a greater chance that the vehicle will ride over and drag an accident victim rather than throwing them onto the hood.

When produced, Honda should find a small but enthusiastic group of buyers willing to take home an SUT. While it wont offer the towing or payload functionality of a traditional pickup truck, the future model should win kudos for better-than-average on-pavement handling in dry and wet conditions as well as control through the snow.