2010 Honda Stream MPV Receives the Mugen Treatment

Here's some more Mugen news for all you Honda fans. Along with the release of the first photos of the European specification Civic Type-R 3-door hatchback, the Honda parts specialist revealed its updated tuning package for the discreetly facelifted Stream MPV. Mugen's aero body kit features all the usual pieces such as a front spoiler, a rear spoiler and a roof-mounted rear wing. Additional exterior modifications include a sport grille, side skirts and 17-inch alloy wheels.

Owners of the 2010 Stream can also order a sports suspension, beefier brake system, a performance muffler with a single exhaust pipe and a sport air filter.

Honda Updates Stream MPV, Adds Sporty RST Version to the Range

It's mid-life facelift time for the Honda Stream, a Japanese market compact MPV with three rows of seats that looks like a cross between a people carrier and a station wagon model. The subtly refreshed Stream gains a restyled front bumper, a new grille, upgraded features and different trim options for the interior plus a revised suspension. In other words, nothing to get excited about. However, Honda did add a new variant to the lineup called RST that attempts to give some 'R-Type' flavor to the compact MPV.

And by flavor we don't mean a high-revving four-pot but an exterior styling package that includes among other parts, a new rear bumper with a diffuser and specific tail lights, new 17-inch alloy wheels, body-hugging seats, sportier interior trim with aluminum decor and contrasting red stitching on the leather steering wheel and gear knob along with a sportier suspension setup.

And since the RST is supposed to be "sporty", the Japanese automaker decided to remove the third row of seats for weight saving reasons - that's what Honda supports in its press release. Would of made some sense if the RST was offered with a R-Type powertrain, but since it is available with the same 140HP 1.8-liter and 150HP 2.0-liter i-VTEC engines as the rest of the range, it just makes it less practical and nothing else.