Honda Shuttle 2.3i LS Review

Overall Rating

Superb quality, genuine 7 seater, very refined, handsome looks for what it is, VTEC engine sounds great and performs nicely, incredibly relaible, surprisingly decent to drive, the sensible choice in this sector.

Quite thirsty at just 26 mpg combined, engine needs to be revved to get the best of the power, the third row of seats have too little knee room for adults (but are fine for children), no CD player on the LS version.

I had my 98 Honda Shuttle for three years before changing it to a Mercedes. My memories of it are still vivid as I truly believed it is a SUPERB people carrier. For a start, it has never let me down. Mehcnaically it was flawless, and even on very very long journies (which I will discuss below) it was a really solid and dependable machine. It was spacious inside, especially at the front and in the middle row, although on the third row it was tighter. It looked good, to, managing to have a certain class the Ford Galaxy or Chrysler Voyager could never achieve.
It even had a boot which was handy and sunk below the floor line for more storage. It's seating was particularly impresive as the rear bench folded flat into the ground, allowing the Shuttle to become a commodious estate car.
Equipment was only average though, with a radio cassette, Air con, p/s, ABS and the rest of the usual, but as I had the base LS model, I'm not really complaining.
One main problem of these people carriers is that many people complain that they are not good to drive. For a vehicle that is almost 5 meters long, the Shuttle is a genuinely good drive: The steering is precise and fluid and although the soft suspension does give body roll in fast bends, it fairs well comparared to others. On the main road it was soft and comfortable and perfect for long distance cruising.
So good in fact, that I took it down to Italy and back with the rest of my family (wife and 5 kids!!) This included the luggage which was stashed in the boot (I dislike having to put it on top for some reason...always safer in the boot!) At this point the poor Shuttle was hugging the floor like a BTCC touring car, but it maintained its dignity on every single road, be it the British B-roads or the German autobahn. Even with a huge load in it's cabin, the Shuttle faired greatly: when I needed to gain speed, I put my foot to the floor and it simply shifted up gear and the VTEC engine made an eager high-pitched shriek associated with some hot-hatches as we gathered momentum. Now I'm not calling this fast, but on the autobahn, with the entire crew on board, the speedo clocked 115mph which was easily enough to keep with the faster cars there. I'm pretty certain it would do 120 mph+ if I was the only one driving.
When we arrived home after out motoring holiday, we were all tired out and went to sleep. The only one of us who didn't seem bothered was the Shuttle 2.3i LS which sat on my drive, awaiting it's next mission. A truly worthy car.