A five-door compact multi-purpose vehicle (MPV), the FR-V was noted for its 3+3 seating configuration, along with the Fiat Multipla.

It has been claimed that FR-V stands for Flexible Recreation Vehicle,[3][4] although Honda did not officially state this.

[3] In 2007, the FR-V received its first and only facelift, where Honda changed the front bumper, headlights, tail lights[7] and door handles.

[9][10] The FR-V was available with four petrol (both Japan and Europe used the K20, with slight differences) and one diesel powered engine, though this depended on the region.

At the same time, some minor cosmetic changes were made (carbon effect interior, light cluster, and darker front grill).