Honda FR-V 2006 - long-term test
As the weather is getting colder, our Honda FR-V has been equipped with winter tyres to help it through the next few months
Having conducted many tests and used them for several years, I am sold on the benefits of this rubber - which can be felt every time the temperature drops below around seven degrees.
After running Vredestein's cold-weather tyres for the last two years, I've switched to Continental's new ContiWinterContact TS810S. The steering is not quite so sharp as it was with the Michelin Primacys I took off, but apart from that, you'd never know the difference.
The only other work we have had done on the practical FR-V is its 12,500-mile service, which cost £185 at Brayley Honda, St Albans, Herts. It warned the front brake pads might not last until the next service - but then I was also told the locking wheelnut key was missing, when it was in the boot all the time! Nevertheless, we'll keep an eye on the pads, as the miles are piling up fast.
And the more I drive the six-seater, the more I like it. It's quiet and refined on the motorway and the excellent diesel combines super-flexibility in town with a good turn of speed on open roads. Fuel economy has also improved, and is nudging 37mpg, probably as a result of the reduction in my stop-start city driving as I complete my 50-mile commute on Honda's SH scooter. I wonder if you can get winter tyres for two-wheelers?
