What Is It?
Honda WOW
What's Special About It?
We kid you not: The presentation used the line, "Dogs are part of the family; let's make driving fun for such people."
And the printed press handout showed a photo of a Welsh corgi in its middle-seat carrier with a speech balloon saying, "Bow wow wonderful!"
And we were worried this Tokyo show was short on wackiness.
Honda's WOW concept (that's "Wonderful Open-hearted Wagon," naturally) does represent an idea we love. Why shouldn't a family vehicle make special provisions for cherished pets? The WOW is a compact front-drive vanlet with a low, flat floor, and two or three rows of two-person-wide seating. But the middle seat, which folds up out of a well beneath the floor, can be configured into a soft-sided crate for dogs up to medium size. Ruff or Spike can choose to ride with his/her head poking out through the top panel, so everyone can be sociable.
Smaller dogs (or cats) have another option: a mesh-faced compartment behind a pivoting cover where the front-seat passenger's knee bolster would otherwise be. All interior surfaces, including the seat upholstery and that flat floor, are easy to clean, and there is generous fresh-air ventilation to the cabin. Power-sliding side doors (all four) create wide-open spaces for clambering in and out, and the roof is raised over the central walk-through space.
It turns out this vehicle is not a one-off thought around Honda. Check out www.honda.co.jp/dog to see an entire Web site (sorry, in Japanese) "dedicated to making life on the road more enjoyable for you and your dog." We especially wish we could read the "Wan!der Dog" page.
What's Edmunds' Take?
OK, the details aren't all entirely practical. The pet-as-airbag arrangement in the dash, for instance, would clearly not see production. But the middle-seat carrier is a workable feature. And the mere fact Honda thought to look after Man's Best Traveling Buddy makes us great WOW fans. — Kevin Smith
Honda WOW
What's Special About It?
We kid you not: The presentation used the line, "Dogs are part of the family; let's make driving fun for such people."
And the printed press handout showed a photo of a Welsh corgi in its middle-seat carrier with a speech balloon saying, "Bow wow wonderful!"
And we were worried this Tokyo show was short on wackiness.
Honda's WOW concept (that's "Wonderful Open-hearted Wagon," naturally) does represent an idea we love. Why shouldn't a family vehicle make special provisions for cherished pets? The WOW is a compact front-drive vanlet with a low, flat floor, and two or three rows of two-person-wide seating. But the middle seat, which folds up out of a well beneath the floor, can be configured into a soft-sided crate for dogs up to medium size. Ruff or Spike can choose to ride with his/her head poking out through the top panel, so everyone can be sociable.
Smaller dogs (or cats) have another option: a mesh-faced compartment behind a pivoting cover where the front-seat passenger's knee bolster would otherwise be. All interior surfaces, including the seat upholstery and that flat floor, are easy to clean, and there is generous fresh-air ventilation to the cabin. Power-sliding side doors (all four) create wide-open spaces for clambering in and out, and the roof is raised over the central walk-through space.
It turns out this vehicle is not a one-off thought around Honda. Check out www.honda.co.jp/dog to see an entire Web site (sorry, in Japanese) "dedicated to making life on the road more enjoyable for you and your dog." We especially wish we could read the "Wan!der Dog" page.
What's Edmunds' Take?
OK, the details aren't all entirely practical. The pet-as-airbag arrangement in the dash, for instance, would clearly not see production. But the middle-seat carrier is a workable feature. And the mere fact Honda thought to look after Man's Best Traveling Buddy makes us great WOW fans. — Kevin Smith
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