What you’re looking at is the new Jade RS that
Honda’s rolled out in its home market back in Japan. The minivan was first
introduced in 2013 and facelifted in 2016, but now it’s been made to look and
feel sportier.
The Jade
typically comes with six seats distributed across three rows, under a
relatively low roofline that we’d likely think of more as a wagon than a
minivan. Whatever you want to call it, the new Jade RS reverts to a more traditional
five-seat configuration, in apparent response to demand.
Honda’s packed the Jade RS with a long list of
advanced driver-assistance systems as part of the Honda Sensing suite, and is
offering it in this new shade of “Premium Crystal” orange you see here
(exclusive to the RS model), with a black roof for contrast.
Instead of the hybrid powertrain, the RS packs a 1.5-liter turbo four,
rated at 148 horsepower and 203 Nm of torque, mated to seven-speed
dual-clutch transmission.
It’s set to reach dealers in Japan this May. But
unless you live in one of a handful of Asian markets where the Jade is offered,
you’ll have a hard time getting your hands on one.
