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Surveys of sports utility vehicle (SUV) use in the United States, where they are extremely popular, show that they are mostly driven on streets in urban areas. However, most SUVs are based on a truck chassis, and off-road performance is regarded as more important than on-road handling and usability. Therefore, this system was created using an FF (front engine, front drive) passenger car chassis with functions integrated in the rear final drive unit, clutch units installed on the axle shaft for the left and right rear wheels, electronic torque control, torque limit control, and so on. The result combines the rough road performance required for an SUV with the handling of a passenger car. Further, this performance is achieved in a system weighing only 97 kg, making it the lightest in its class.

This paper describes the new Honda R&D Americas Scale Model Wind Tunnel (SWT). To help address Honda's ongoing need to improve fuel economy, reduce the driving force of a vehicle, and decrease product development time, the wind tunnel was developed and implemented to achieve high accuracy aerodynamic predictions for product development and a significantly improved capability for vehicle aerodynamics research. The SWT can accommodate model scales up to 50%. The ¾-open jet test section has a top speed of 250 km/h, a 5-belt moving ground plane with a long center belt for proper wake simulation, a test section designed specifically for very low static pressure gradient, three separate dynamic pressure measurement systems for state-of-the-art blockage corrections, and an overhead traverse for specialized measurement activities. This paper describes the decision process that led to the SWT, key commissioning results, and performance validation results with models installed.