The is a minivan with seven or eight seats that was initially sold only in Japan as a competitor to the

Toyota Alphard The is a minivan produced by the Japanese automaker Toyota since 2002. It is available as a seven or eight-seater with petrol and hybrid engine options. Hybrid variants have been available since 2003, which incorporates Toyota's Hybrid Synergy ...

and the

Nissan Elgrand The is a minivan manufactured by Nissan Shatai for Nissan since 1997, available in three generations, with model codes E50 (1997–2002), E51 (2002–2010), and E52 (2010–present). The E50 Elgrand was also configured and produced as a light ...

. One of the major differences from the third-generation JDM Honda Odyssey was that the rear doors were changed to sliding doors typically used on minivans, whereas the JDM Odyssey used conventional doors. The US variant of the

Honda Odyssey Honda Odyssey can refer to three motor vehicles manufactured by Honda: * Honda Odyssey (ATV), an all-terrain vehicle (1977—1989) * Honda Odyssey (minivan), a brand of two different Honda minivan models for different markets ** Honda Odyssey (inte ...

, known in Japan as the

Honda LaGreat The Honda LaGreat, known in some markets as the Honda RL1, is a passenger van produced by Japanese automaker Honda for the Japanese market. Produced in Alliston, Ontario, Canada, the LaGreat was a rebadged version of the second generation North ...

, was too large for Japan, so the Elysion took many styling cues from the LaGreat and used them on a smaller vehicle. In June 2012, the Elysion was introduced to the Chinese market. Production of the Elysion ceased in October 2013 in Japan, but it continued to be assembled and sold in China. Honda was inspired to name the vehicle the "Elysion" from the classical Greek word

Elysium Elysium (, ), otherwise known as the Elysian Fields ( grc, Ἠλύσιον πεδίον, ''Ēlýsion pedíon'') or Elysian Plains, is a conception of the afterlife that developed over time and was maintained by some Greek religious and philos ...

, or heaven.

First generation (RR; 2004)

Honda Elysion (first generation) (rear), Serdang

The first generation Elysion appeared at the

Tokyo Motor Show The is a biennial auto show held in October–November at the Tokyo Big Sight, Tokyo, Japan for cars, motorcycles and commercial vehicles. Hosted by the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA), it is a recognized international show by ...

, in October 2003 as the "ASM", and was released for sale on 13 May 2004. A mild body restyle was introduced 29 September 2005, introducing an "Aero" and "VG Premium" trim level. 13 January 2006 saw the introduction of the "G Aero HDD Navi" and "VG HDD Navi Aero" editions. Another styling change was introduced on 21 December 2006, including an interior update. The Elysion was offered with either the 2.4 L

DOHC An overhead camshaft (OHC) engine is a piston engine where the camshaft is located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier overhead valve engines (OHV), where the camshaft is located below the combustion c ...

direct injection K24A with

i-VTEC VTEC (Variable Valve Timing & Lift Electronic Control) is a system developed by Honda to improve the volumetric efficiency of a four-stroke internal combustion engine, resulting in higher performance at high RPM, and lower fuel consumption at low ...

producing or the 3.0 L

SOHC An overhead camshaft (OHC) engine is a piston engine where the camshaft is located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier overhead valve engines (OHV), where the camshaft is located below the combustion cha ...

J30A V6

producing . The V6 was also available with "VCM" or

Variable Cylinder Management Variable Cylinder Management (VCM) is Honda's term for its variable displacement technology, which saves fuel by using the i-VTEC system to disable one bank of cylinders during specific driving conditions—for example, highway driving. The second ...

. The upper trim level "Prestige" model was available with the J35A V6 used in the

Honda Legend :''Sections of this article are translated from Japanese Wikipedia''. The Honda Legend is a series of V6-engined executive cars/mid-size luxury sedans produced by Honda since 1985 which currently serves as its flagship vehicle. It is larger tha ...

, producing and available with AWD. However, vehicles equipped with AWD had their engine power reduced to . For two-wheel drive vehicles, this was more power than that was available in the

Toyota Estima The Toyota Previa, also known as the in Japan, and Toyota Tarago in Australia, is a minivan that was produced by Toyota from 1990 until October 2019 across three generations. The name "Previa" is derived from the Spanish and Italian for "previ ...

, which was quoted to be .

The concept

This MPV was first seen as a concept car called Honda ASM at

in late 2003 and finally made into a production half a year later with some cosmetic adjustments to its headlight, front grill and interior to make it more commercially friendly. Officially launched in mid-2004 for Japan domestic market.

The design

At 4840mm, the length is identical as the 3.0L second-generation Odyssey RA6 or about 1cm longer than XV50 Toyota Camry. The 1830mm width is about 3cm wider than the RA6 or about 2cm wider than Camry. The different is on the clever space management making 70% of total space available as cabin plus the height of 1790 mm, which is an extra 18cm from RA6 or about 24cm more than the current odyssey.

Safety

The combination of a new 30% stronger high-rigidity steel, the Honda G-Con technology and the unique double platform with low central gravity floor, first seen on Merc A-class, makes Elysion (one box car) to achieve the highest 6 stars rating by Nasva and become one of the safest Japanese passenger car production ever, even higher than the competitor's luxury three-box (hood-cabin-boot) sedans. The high-rigidity body also benefited to the overall comfort as the car handles any rough roads with poise, free of squeaks found in many older Honda vehicles. The top-of-the-line VZ model is equipped with an IHCC (intelligent highway cruise control) and CMS (collision mitigation sensor) that works with radio-wave radar installed in the front grill to warn driver if he or she get too close with the car ahead and the seat belt automatically tightening and brake ready, similar to the pre-cash system in the S-class. The radar can be double as night vision (a similar concept to the infrared night vision introduced in BMW) as it gives picture in a form of graphic of objects ahead displayed on its built in 8 inch navigation system at the dash. Other safety equipment includes ABS (anti-lock brake), VSA (vehicle stability), TCS, sideslip, and AFS (adaptive front lighting) on its projector HID Xenon headlight.

Engine and brake

At launch, two choices of engines are available. The 2.4L i-VTEC K24A that is used in the current Odyssey produces about 160 horses and 22.2 kg-m of torque. With virtually the same specs and gear ratios, it behaves and drives very similar to the current Odyssey and sips about 10,2 km/L in 10–15 Japan standard test (3 times variable city driving stop and go and 1 time highway driving with 120 kg extra weight of two passengers and without a/c). The compression ratio of 9.7 couples with an anti-knocking sensor and intelligent timing control makes it easy to take RON 95 grade. A similar 2.4L engine but with different overhead and higher compression ratio of 11.0 that produces 200hhp that is used in Honda JDM Odyssey Absolute is not yet available at this time for Elysion. The other is an all new 3.0L V6 i-VTEC J30A with the VCM (variable cylinder management), shutting-off 3 cylinders on one bank of the V6 when reduced power is needed such as during cruising or driving down hill. The only tell-tale sign that the engine is running on 3 cylinders is when the ECO green light at the panels light up. All Elysions are equipped with ventilated 4-disk brakes with ABS and EBD.

Trims and specifications

There are 6 different trim and grades plus 2 special AERO HDD editions. Three grade of 2.4L front-wheel-drive models are available, namely M, G and X. There are also three 3.0L front-wheel-drive models, VG, VX and VZ. Four-wheel-drive is optional on all models. File:2007 Honda Elysion.JPG, Elysion (facelift) File:ElysionPrestige.jpg, Elysion Prestige File:ElysionPrestigerear.jpg, Elysion Prestige rear File:ElysionPrestigeinterior.jpg, Elysion Prestige interior File:Honda Elysion RR 011.JPG, Instrument gauges

Chinese market

Honda announced to introduce the Elysion to the Chinese market in 2012. The Elysion was launched on June 7, 2012. The vehicle comes with a 2.4L i-VTEC K24Z5 engine, 5-speed auto transmission and is assembled locally by Honda's Chinese joint-venture

Dongfeng Honda Dongfeng Honda Automobile Co., Ltd. is an automobile manufacturing company headquartered in Wuhan, China, and a 50:50 joint-venture between Dongfeng Motor Group and Honda Motor Company. It currently produces a variety of Honda models also ava ...

. It is positioned as a corporate people-mover. File:2013 Dongfeng-Honda Elysion (front).jpg, Elysion (Chinese market) File:2013 Dongfeng-Honda Elysion.jpg, Elysion rear (Chinese market)

Second generation (RC; 2015)

Previewed by the Honda Concept M MPV concept during the 2013 Shanghai Auto Show, the second-generation Honda Elysion for the Chinese market based on the fifth-generation Odyssey was unveiled at the

Guangzhou Auto Show China (Guangzhou) International Automobile Exhibition (), also called Guangzhou International Motor Show () or Auto Guangzhou (), is an auto show held by Guangzhou Zhanlian Exhibition Service Co., Ltd, in November and December every year in the G ...

on 20 November 2015, and launched on 9 January 2016. It is longer in length and lower in height compared to the previous generation. The second-generation Elysion is produced and sold exclusively in China by

, and was sold alongside the fifth-generation Odyssey produced by

Guangqi Honda Guangqi Honda Automobile Co., Ltd., also called GAC-Honda, is a Chinese automobile manufacturing joint venture company based in Guangzhou, Guangdong province. Co-owned by Honda and GAC Group (''Guangqi''), Guangqi Honda operates two plants that, ...

. The Elysion Hybrid went on sale in September 2019, with redesigned grille and bumper. The model received a facelift in December 2021, with the hybrid variant renamed to e:HEV Sport Hybrid. File:Honda Elysion II 02 China 2016-04-17.jpg, Honda Elysion II in China rear File:Honda Elysion and Honda Odyssey.jpg, Honda Elysion II and Odyssey V based on the same platform in China File:HONDA ELYSION HYBRID (RC) CHINA (12).jpg, Honda Elysion Hybrid (pre-facelift, China) File:Honda Elysion II Hybrid Shishi 02 2022-10-31.jpg, Honda Elysion Hybrid (pre-facelift, China) File:HONDA ELYSION HYBRID (RC) CHINA (5).jpg, Honda Elysion Hybrid (facelift, China)

References

External links

Official website
(China) {{Modern Honda vehicles

Elysion Elysium (, ), otherwise known as the Elysian Fields ( grc, Ἠλύσιον πεδίον, ''Ēlýsion pedíon'') or Elysian Plains, is a conception of the afterlife that developed over time and was maintained by some Greek religious and philos ...

Luxury vehicles Vans Minivans Front-wheel-drive vehicles All-wheel-drive vehicles Cars introduced in 2004 2010s cars