Saturday, September 19, 2020

Honda Stepwgn Guides, Photos and Videos

September 19, 2020 Posted By Daniel Johnson

The Honda Stepwgn (stylised as STEPWGN) is a mid-sized MPV produced by Honda since 1996. It is designed with a higher cabin, in contrast to the Odyssey and also the Stream respectively. Additionally, it can accommodate eight people, instead of seven in the Odyssey and Stream. In standard form the car has one door on the driver's side but two doors on the passenger's side.

The first generation Stepwgn originally appeared at the Tokyo Motor Show as the "F-MX" in 1995.

Japanese sales began on 8 May 1996. At that time, most rival Japanese vehicles usually had the engine mounted under the driver's seat, or a cabover type. The Stepwgn used the latter, and was based on the Civic, to keep prices low - starting from ¥1,548,000 and going up to ¥2,368,000. The passenger side was fitted with a sliding door, to allow easier access. To improve profitability, cost reduction measures were used, such as there being only one engine and transmission option; a two-litre inline four and a cvt (countinously variable transmission automatic), and the vehicle design reduced the use of steel panels and parts.

Changes for 1997 included standardizing ABS and dual SRS airbags throughout the range and further addition of a number of convenience features.

Japan models went on sale in August 1997 at Honda's Primo, Verno and Clio networks.

A version of the Stepwgn with pop-up observation tent, designed for outdoor leisure pursuits and made out of fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP).

The models went on sale in Japan from January 1998, at Honda auto dealers.

The vehicle received a facelift in May 1999. The appearance of the headlights was altered, and the rear license plate position was moved down.

The second generation Honda Stepwgn debuted in April 2001, largely based off the first generation's design.

The second generation Stepwgn used a design that was geared towards families with children. The Stepwgn retained its sliding doors located on one side of the vehicle. The vehicle's seating allows four different seating arrangements: "play mode" (sitting opposite each other), "food mode", "sleep mode" and "cargo mode" (the second row of seats is folded flat). A 2.0L Honda K engine DOHC i-VTEC engine powers the second generation Stepwgn, providing 160 PS (117.7 kW; 157.8 hp), improving both driving performance and fuel economy. Some parts were stiffened in order to further enhance driving performance.

The vehicle was unveiled at the 35th Tokyo Motor Show.

The Stepwgn Almas includes conventional side door lift model or passenger seat lift mechanism

Early models include i-Series 2.0-liter DOHC i-VTEC engine. Stepwgn Almas models went on sale on 11 June, 2001.

In June 2003, Honda significantly modified the design: both the front and rear fascias were altered to fit the look of other Honda vehicles, and the "Spada" series was introduced, available with a 2.4L K24A DOHC i-VTEC, producing 162 PS (119.2 kW; 159.8 hp), and unique fenders.

The vehicle was unveiled at the 37th Tokyo Motor Show in 2003.

For the first 6 months of year 2004, sales of the Stepwgn in Japan reached 24,389 units.

The third generation Honda Stepwgn saw a completely new design.

Honda announced the third generation Stepwgn on 26 May 2005. Unlike the previous generations, which only featured sliding doors on one side, the third generation featured sliding doors on both sides, in order to compete with other minivans such as the Nissan Serena and Toyota Estima. Although the size of the car was shrunk, interior accommodation space remained unchanged thanks to a new low-platform chassis which also improved the handling of the vehicle. The overall length had also been shortened, although the platform retains the Civic-based design and employs a thin plastic fuel tank in order to provide a low floor. The Stepwgn was available with a double wishbone-type suspension with an FF axle or a de-Dion style suspension (4WD models).