Honda Elysion. Anyone got/had one?

[Trevor555]

I'm considering one of these for a fishing wagon.

I presume it'd be reliable being a Honda, but interested to hear from anyone who's had one.

Looks like £5,000 to £6,000 buys a very nice one.

£6,000 doesn't buy much of a combi van these days.

[Trevor555]

Challo said:

Don’t know much about them, but we have discussed about potentially getting one a next car.

If you like the Elysion also look at the Stepwagon from Honda. Also Toyota Alphard and Nissan Elgrand is an option.

There are a couple of other Nissan / Toyota MPVs that are imported which offer similar. I think one is called the Serena.

Thanks for that, I've done the deed and it's on it's way.

I went for the Elysion in the end as it'll fit into my garage, they're 1790mm tall (hoping google is correct) My garage is 1805mm

The importer had one already on it's way so due 11th Nov into Southampton.

A grade 4.5 so should be close to mint condition.

I'll update when it's here.

[Trevor555]

Challo said:

Sounds very nice. What did you go for in terns of engine as I know they do a 2.4 and 3.0?

Was it expensive?

I went for the 2.4cc, I think that has a chain rather than a belt?

It's just under 5k landed, Duty/Vat paid.



Engine bay looks clean for a 2006 car.

Edited by Trevor555 on Friday 23 October 10:49

[Trevor555]

Challo said:

Trevor555 said:

Challo said:

Sounds very nice. What did you go for in terns of engine as I know they do a 2.4 and 3.0?

Was it expensive?

I went for the 2.4cc, I think that has a chain rather than a belt?

It's just under 5k landed, Duty/Vat paid.



Engine bay looks clean for a 2006 car.

Edited by Trevor555 on Friday 23 October 10:49

Wow that amazing. All that car imported for only 5k.

If I take the plunge next year I will drop you a message to understand more about the process.

By all means drop me a line.

I've got two dealers close to me that import cars from Japan, one of which has just helped me with mine. I've occasionally collected cars from the docks for them over the years.

Neither of them have seen an Elysion before hence my original question.

Their main advice is to get any car BIMTA checked for the mileage when it was in Japan.

[Trevor555]

The Hoegh Tracer has just docked in Southampton with my car on it.

It's been fun tracking the boat on vessel finder.

Now to find out if there's any delays at the port due to Covid.

[Trevor555]

TommoAE86 said:

Southampton is ok at the moment in general just don't go near Felixstowe

Thanks for that, good to hear.

[Trevor555]

Peanut130 said:

this is my honda stepwagon 2008 2.0 k20 engine not bad at all

That looks nice.

Has it lived up to the Honda reliability?

[Trevor555]

It's been delivered to me today, just got to wait for registration now. I guess 4-6 weeks.

It really is a lovely thing, must have cost a fair bit when new.

It's got the softest velour seats I think I've ever felt, same material on the door cards as well.

I'll jump on the forums to see if I can get the TV working, Jap only I guess.

And the best of all, it fits in the garage.

[Trevor555]

TommoAE86 said:

That looks great!! Can see why you're chuffed. If the TV is like my Crown then it's analogue so can't get it working over here, but you maybe able to replace the feed somehow?

Honda Elysion list price in 2006:

Model	Chassis	Engine	List price (new)
HDD Navi	RR1	K24A	3,000,000
HDD Navi	RR2	K24A	3,294,000
HDD Navi Aero Edition	RR3	J30A	3,500,000
HDD Navi Aero Edition	RR4	J30A	3,794,000

Thanks for the info, not that expensive then. About £21,000 in Japan back in 2006. Impressive quality for that price.

I think I'll just leave the infotainment as it is. It plays CD's so that's good enough for me for the occasional use the car will get.

[Trevor555]

wolfie1978 said:

Can i ask how you're getting on with the Elysion? The engine in my 2012 Caravelle has just grenaded itself so i need to replace it. These seem a lot of car for the money

I'm still waiting for DVLA to register it.

They certainly are a huge amount of car for the money.

Only downsides I'm expecting is certain parts availability, windscreens, body panels.

But many mechanical parts are easily available, and I think even the other parts are becoming more available.

I spoke to a breakers yard last week who have a container full of Elysion parts they've bought in from Japan, and they are planning on getting windscreens.

The beauty of the Elysion for me is that it's lower than the others, so it's fits into a garage.

Sitting inside it, and looking closely all over it, it's a quality thing, and has some nice touches, and lovely seats/trim.

If you take the plunge be careful though. There's a couple of people on the Facebook forums who visited some dealers selling them recently.

They reported that one dealer had quite a few, but all had issues/faults, and were not nice examples.

Another dealer had various vehicles, all in different states of repair.

So you need to be careful. I'll imagine there's some dealers bringing in damaged vehicles and repairing them.

And I'll imagine the auction sheets are easily doctored, take their "grade 4" with a pinch of salt.

A grade 4 should have very little damage, and no evidence of major body repairs. It should be a lovely example.

I'll report back when I've had a chance to run mine for a bit, it's sitting there waiting to go.

[Trevor555]

wolfie1978 said:

Would one of these dealers be located in Enfield by any chance?

I can't remember now.

All I remember is the chap saying they had around 10 or so, but all had issues, and their vehicles looked cheap compared to all other dealers.

I'll have a look back on the Facebook page and PM you if I can find it.

It's worth joining the FB page, there's a couple of people on it who import and they're helpful when people have questions.

[Trevor555]

scoobydo123 said:

@Trevor555 what importer did you use as that seems a decent price.

A friend let me use his account so it was a trade price, just a one off sale.

I'm still waiting for DVLA to process the registration so I'd highly recommend you buying one that's already registered.

[Trevor555]

wolfie1978 said:

Can i ask how you're getting on with the Elysion? The engine in my 2012 Caravelle has just grenaded itself so i need to replace it. These seem a lot of car for the money

Did you get one in the end?

Still waiting for my registration.

They sent my application back as by the time they opened it the insurance had expired.

Another 6-8 weeks wait I guess.

[Trevor555]

wolfie1978 said:

Trevor555 said:

Did you get one in the end?

Still waiting for my registration.

They sent my application back as by the time they opened it the insurance had expired.

Another 6-8 weeks wait I guess.

Not yet, I'm still in the process of dealing with the mess my VW has left us in. I can't believe you're still waiting though, I will definitely be looking at one that's already registered after reading how long it's taken you to get yours sorted

I finally got the registration through today.

I'll give an update in a couple of weeks with thoughts about it.

Hopefully the lockdowns will end soon, need to load it up and go over to Ireland on a fishing trip.

Perfect height for the ferry bookings, under the 1.8m threshold for larger vehicles.

[Trevor555]

wolfie1978 said:

Trevor555 said:

I finally got the registration through today.

I'll give an update in a couple of weeks with thoughts about it.

Hopefully the lockdowns will end soon, need to load it up and go over to Ireland on a fishing trip.

Perfect height for the ferry bookings, under the 1.8m threshold for larger vehicles.

So how have you been getting on with it?

I finally got my broken VW back last week so i can get shot of it

That's good news for you.

The Elysion is a lovely thing and runs like clockwork.

I've also found it stores all your music onboard once you've played your CD's, surprising for an 06 car.

Only negative is the rear seats are not clip in and out, theres bolts to undo to remove them.

As I use it for fishing trips it would be nice if I could easily remove the seats, and then put them bank on with out a socket set.

Other than that I love it. Its lovely inside and feels quite luxurious.

If you're going to get one join the facebook forum as theres talk on there of a dealer selling very substandard ones. Easy to spot as they're clearly much cheaper than all other dealers.

Good luck with the hunt, get a good one and I reckon they're great value.

Edited by Trevor555 on Saturday 15th May 18:31

[Trevor555]

Challo said:

It’s a shame on the rear seats. I really like these, but lack of seating functionality means I’m looking more to a Stepwagon or Alphard / Elgrand

Yes, the rear benches in some of the others simply fold up.

I removed the Elysion seats today, it took about 20mins.

Some photos to show what it's all about inside.

All seats in, but pushed all the way forward for maximum bootspace.



The way the seats fold up.



The seat bolts, 14mm.





And the space when three of the four seats are removed. Still able to seat 4 people.



If you took all of the seats out you have seven and a half foot of space in the back.

And a few general pics.









The bigger Jap wagons like the Elgrand and Alphard won't go in my garage so couldn't leave all my fishing kit in them.

[Trevor555]

Challo said:

Thanks for taking the time to post the details and pictures. Quick question, do the middle row or the front seats rotate at all?

Not on my one.

I think it's an option for the middle row to rotate, but people said on forum it's quite a rare option.

I've seen a camper conversion with a swivel front passenger seat. But I think the swivel base is an accessory that you can add.

I think the Alphards have a swivel centre row of seats.

[Trevor555]

D_G said:

These Japanese vans are brilliant, I've got a Nissan Serena now, my second one after having a Bongo a while back. The things that put me off the Elysion is the possible parts issues, I looked at getting a spare key and found it very difficult. Also the stereo system can't be changed. Still a great car though.

I was initially put off them myself after reading the same about parts issues.

After a bit of research I found that the 2.4cc Vtec engine was the same as the Accord of the same era. And today there are 10,287 items listed on Ebay under Honda Elysion parts, and 8,917 are new items.

Yes, you can't just walk into a Honda garage, unless it's Cox's, and talk Elysion, and order parts. You have to be a slightly resourseful owner to own one.

New body parts would be a problem so I guess most will be written off by insurance companies for even minor damage. But I saw plenty of used body parts available so I thought I'd be able to fix it if the worst happened.

Keys aren't a problem, even the genuine Honda ones are available on the bay and we've got a decent auto locksmith around here that can program them. Many people on the Facebook group have fitted aftermarket radios in place of the original Jap unit, although they're a bit expensive.

There are a few very helpful members on the FB group, at least two of them are involved in importing them, and they are very helpful when owners ask for advice. They quickly supply part numbers and advice.

I asked about a battery on there and they gave me the model number I needed to order. £65 delivered.

So yes, your neighbour that knows nothing about cars shouldn't go and buy one, I would recommend them towards a Ford Galaxy, or Zafira.

But when I had my budget of £5,000 for my fishing bus I just couldn't find anything UK that was appealing. The Jap stuff is in such good order if you buy a decent grade.

Funny you should mention Serena, I went to buy one and they sold it before I got to it.

Years ago I had a Delica for fishing duties. Here it is having fun in a muddy Irish field.



That was a brilliant tool as it had the off road gear from a Shogun. But dreadful on fuel, really dreadful, like sub 20mpg when loaded, and of course wouldn't go in my garage. The later Delicas don't have as good off road capability sadly. But luckily I don't need to drive across the fields anymore.

I think the best Jap van is the Alphard or Vellfire. Prices are high at the moment for them, probably because so many are getting converted into campers. I found a lovely 4x4 vellfire which, like the Serena, I wasn't quick enough to buy. But it was £16,000 for a 2009 one.

And one thing I learned recently re the Elysion. If you live in London make sure it's a 2006 or newer for the ULEZ.

[Trevor555]

SevenShades said:

Hi OP, thanks for posting, there isn't much info on these online, especially regarding interior layout! We are currently looking for a van to carry bikes, and occasionally camp in. I am wondering whether an Elysion with it's middle bench removed could be a good option, do you know whether this would allow the rear bench to slide right up behind the drivers/passenger seat? That way we could slide the rear bench back when camping and have some 'lounge' space. Also, with the rear bench removed in yours and the middle bench folded, do you know the length from rear of the van to the back of the middle bench seat? Thanks!

Hi, seven and a half feet in the back with the rear bench removed, and the middle row folded and pushed forward.

The rear bench wont push right to the front if the middle row is removed. At least it didn't on mine.

If you're putting lots of stuff in like bikes then the Elgrand is a bit bigger inside.

I've sold the Elysion now, I got my wife's estate car passed to me as shes bought herself a new motor.

I had to choose between the two and the Fabia estate won as its £20 road tax, and 50mpg.

[Trevor555]

PurpleTurtle said:

I happened across the Elysion, and then this thread, having seen someone do a pop top camper conversion of one in a motorhome magazine.

We currently tow a small Eriba caravan with a 140bhp petrol Honda FR-V 2.0 VTEC which we owned before we got the caravan. It's now sitting on 127k miles and although a bit battered around the edges has been the most reliable car I have ever owned, seriously impressed by Honda build quality.

It will eventually need replacement, so I like the idea of a Honda mini van with a 3.0 V6, would make towing a breeze! They look really comfy inside, probably a nice place to sit whilst chugging down the M5 at 60mph!

Honda build quality from back then was very high, I'd say well above many other brands at the time.

I haven't driven the 3.0cc one, but people in the Facebook forum say they're great. (very helpful bunch)

The odd mention of gearbox issues though so do a very thorough test drive, and have a look at the colour of the transmission oil.

The Elysions are very comfortable and luxurious inside, a nice place to be. The seats are the softest velour I think I've ever seen in a car.

Put some pics up if you get one..