Honda's Micro-Minivan: Freed

Wouldn't it be curious to see what would happen if one of Honda's smallest cars

merged with one of its biggest? Apparently we weren't the only ones to think this, as Honda's engineers have actually created a car that merges the traits of the Odyssey and the Fit. It's called the Freed, and is a very, very small, but very, very clever minivan.

The Freed, which is short for "Freedom", is based on the same clever chassis as the Honda Fit, but has been stretched in all dimensions to accommodate up to eight passengers. Because the Freed features the Fit's centrally-mounted gas tank, it allows the interior to have a completely flat floor just like a minivan, and when it's equipped as a seven-seater with second-row captain's chairs, it has a walk-through interior. Like an Odyssey, it has sliding doors for easy entry and access to the second and third rows.

And, just like a minivan, you can cram plenty of people and stuff inside. Honda is boasting about the ability to transport bikes, whole, and the interior is

spacious enough to accommodate grown adults in all three rows. That said, as a seven or eight seater, there isn't much cargo space.

Being based on the Fit, the drivetrain of the Freed is very similar. It is powered by a 118 horsepower 1.5-liter i-VTEC inline-four, the same engine that will be featured in the next-gen Honda Fit set to go on sale later this year. Instead of a five-speed automatic, it gets a CVT. Four-wheel drive is an option.

Like most things clever and Japanese, Honda doesn't have any plans to sell the Freed here, but if the price of gasoline keeps escalating at its current rate, perhaps Honda should reconsider. After all, Mazda does pretty well with its 5 and it only seats six. Something like the Freed might bring new life to the minivan segment.