Honda Stream Estate 2001 - 2005

The Honda Stream is based on the extremely competent Civic, which gives it a great starting point. The Japanese manufacturer set out to make a ‘sports activity vehicle', something that you could seat seven people in and still enjoy a decent level of performance. It's fitted with the 2.0 VTEC engine, or if you'd prefer the 1.7, as seen in the Civic.

Inside the cabin there is a lack of space and the seats are simply too small for anyone but the smallest of adults. They lack padding and make for an uncomfortable ride over long journeys. The driving position suffers along with the rest of the cabin, with the driving position more that of a van than a family motor. Visibility is good and the road manners likewise. The steering is sufficiently assisted as to remove any sensation of the road, but it's precise and assured. You are never in doubt as to where you're going, only surprised with the ease at which you'll get there.

The rear two seats are really only going to be suitable for children, and they take up much of the luggage space. Honda's attempt to offer a sporty MPV have really come up short on internal size and in doing so has made the vehicle a bit of a nonsense. It's sold well in Japan, but as a race they are smaller people than the English, and with our ever burgeoning waistlines we're likely to burst out of the stream if we're not careful.

The engines do offer some decent performance with a Sub 10 second 0-60 and top end of 127 mph but you can get similar figures from the Seat Alhambra, which although not as sporty looking does at least have the room for 7 people inside.

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