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Honda Begins Sales of All-new Gasoline-powered “JADE RS”, New Addition to the JADE Lineup
JADE RS equipped with a 1.5-liter VTEC TURBO Engine
TOKYO, Japan, May 21, 2015 – Honda Motor Co., Ltd. today announced it would begin sales of the all-new JADE RS equipped with a newly-developed 1.5-liter direct injection VTEC TURBO engine, at dealerships across Japan on May 28, 2015. The all-new JADE RS is a new addition to the all-new JADE lineup which has been well-received for its stylish form with the total vehicle height of a sedan, minivan-class occupant comfort and utility and high-quality driving performance.
- JADE RS
The all-new 1.5-liter direct injection VTEC TURBO engine realizes powerful and smooth acceleration by generating torque equivalent to that of a 2.4-liter engine in the normal rpm range while at the same time realizing excellent quietness, and achieving smooth and powerful driving even with multiple passengers and on hilly roads. Moreover, the all-new JADE RS realizes excellent fuel economy of 18.0km/liter (JC08 mode*1).
While maintaining the outstanding features of JADE, namely a stylish exterior design with low vehicle height, 3-row seating, and the Honda SENSING*2 advanced driver-assistive system, JADE RS also features a nimble steering feel and sporty and exhilarating driving performance, realized through exclusive chassis and suspension settings and the adoption of Agile Handling Assist (AHA), an electric control system that enhances the dynamic performance of the vehicle through brake control.
- *1
- Tested by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism in Japan
- *2
- Manufacturer’s option
< Key features of the all-new JADE RS >
A 1.5-liter direct injection VTEC TURBO engine that realizes powerful and smooth acceleration and excellent fuel economy
- All-new JADE RS is equipped with a newly-developed 1.5-liter direct injection VTEC TURBO engine whose direct injection system, small-diameter turbine and dual VTC*3 help improve the turbo effect in low rpm range, enabling the engine to generate torque equivalent to that of a 2.4-liter engine in normal rpm range. This enables the JADE RS to demonstrate smoothness and powerfulness even while driving with multiple passengers and on hilly roads.
Moreover, top-in-class level*4 fuel economy of 18.0km/liter (JC08 mode) was realized by enabling the engine to maintain and expand its fuel efficient range by fully leveraging the advantage of this turbo engine where the amount of air-intake can be precisely controlled.
In addition, quietness is improved by achieving better control of noise and vibration through various measures such as increasing the rigidity of bearing caps that support the crank/crankshaft which is a typical source of transmitted engine vibration.
- Honda also developed a new CVT which exploits the full potential of this 1.5-liter VTEC TURBO engine. The thorough pursuit of CVT efficiency enabled the improvement of fuel economy and the realization of smooth driving in urban areas at the same time. Moreover, in order to take advantage of the performance of this torque engine, the paddle shifter (7-speed mode) was adopted. The driver can enjoy the feeling of driving with a manual transmission.
- *3
- VTC (Variable Timing Control)
- *4
- Passenger mini-van class/internal research by Honda (as of May 2015)
Exterior and interior designs developed exclusively for JADE RS to add a touch of high-quality sportiness
- For the front grille, an exclusive mesh-type design was adopted to indicate high-torque driving that the VTEC TURBO engine realizes in this vehicle. Moreover, as with the tailgate, the front grille features the “RS” emblem. For the fog light garnish, outer door handle and tailgate molding, dark chrome plating was adopted, and a 17-inch noise reducing aluminum wheel was adopted.
- There are two interior color choices — black and brown. Seat surface material is a combination of a fabric and Prime Smooth. Red stitching was used for the genuine leather-wrapped steering wheel and black-color seats. Furthermore, a paddle shifter enables the driver to enjoy gear-shifting operations similar to that of a vehicle with a manual transmission. The acceleration pedal and brake pedal adopted an exclusive design for this model. These interior features create a sporty “driver’s space” that deepens the joy of driving this vehicle.
Chassis settings that make sporty driving possible
- Rigidity of the front and rear suspensions was increased by 15% and 20%, respectively, compared to the hybrid version of the JADE. Moreover, by applying exclusive settings to its springs and dampers, JADE RS realizes stable driving and a sporty steering feel without compromising high-quality occupant comfort.
- All-new JADE RS features the Agile Handling Assist (AHA) electronic control system that utilizes brake vectoring to improve corner traceability and confident handling feel with smaller steering wheel inputs.
- Striving to realize vehicle movement which reflects more direct and linear steering operation, a tunnel brace was added as a reinforcement member to the underfloor panel to enhance the rigidity of floor area.
