In January 1993, a redesigned Honda Today was announced. Unlike the first generation, which was originally designed to meet light commercial car requirements, the second generation Today was designed as a passenger car from the outset. Thus, the suspension was tuned for a more comfortable ride and the car did not have a
hatchback; in its place was a downwards-opening
tailgate, like on the 1992
Civic three-door (although unlike the Civic, the Today's rear window did not open). This influenced the "
Pochette" trim name ("pouch" in French), which described how the tailgate opened. While the unusual, wraparound rear window was designed to maximize the view to the car's sides, the design also increased the rigidity of the bodyshell. As with the original Today, the interior was not symmetrical. With the second generation, Honda took full advantage of the extra space on the right and made the driver's seat slightly wider than the front passenger seat, at respectively. These features were decided on after research indicated that the car's target audience were mostly single young women who often drove alone, with little need for cargo space or room for additional passengers. While the sedan was initially only available as a two-door, the four-door was added in May 1993. As per Honda, the name is derived from the English word "Associate". On four-door models with power windows, the rear windows were still manually operated. Aside from on the lowest equipment level (Mi), a driver's side airbag was offered as an option. On the better equipped front-wheel drive models, an ABS system was also available, although this encroached considerably on the space in the luggage compartment. Ordering the airbag or ABS system was also the only way to get three-point
ELR (emergency locking retractor) belts on the rear seats instead of the usual waist belts. The 1993 Today was available with two engines, a standard fuel-injected 656 cc three-cylinder
E07A engine, and a high output version of the same engine with MTREC technology for the Xi model (called Rs in the facelift model). MTREC stands for "Multi Throttle Responsive Engine Control" and features individual
throttle bodies for each cylinder. This engine was borrowed from the
Honda Beat, although the Today's engine was tuned for more low-end torque than the high-end Beat. MTREC-engined models received a three-spoke steering wheel and a
tachometer. Power outputs were at 6300 rpm for the regular model and at 7300 rpm for the MTREC-equipped versions; torque figures were at 5500 or 6200 rpm respectively. These engines were largely unchanged throughout the second generation Today's production run. Both engines were available with either a five-speed manual or a three-speed automatic transmission.
All-wheel drive (using Honda's Realtime 4WD technology) was available only in the Qi trim level; unlike in the first generation Today, four-wheel drive was also available with an automatic transmission. Similarly to the first-generation Today, front-wheel drive models had a coil-sprung rear
beam axle located by two
trailing arms and a
Panhard rod (though the first generation used a torsion beam rear axle), while four-wheel-drive versions had independently sprung rear wheels using struts. The base model was originally called the Mi, with a better-equipped Pochette available with two doors only. The corresponding Gi trim was only offered on the Associe. Qi was the four-wheel-drive version, and the Xi was the sportiest model, using the MTREC engine. In March 1994, the base model was renamed Ji and three-point rear seat belts were made standard fitment. Until 1996, Today buyers could specify traditional Japanese
fender-mounted mirrors on the base Mi and Ji models, a feature that was still popular with professional drivers at the time. For the February 1996 facelift, Honda replaced the unconventional tailgate with a traditional
hatchback door. This necessitated a thorough redesign of the rear end (resulting in a look very similar to that of the
Honda Logo, which appeared a few months later), because the rear window had originally wrapped around to the sides. The option of a driver's side airbag was now available across the range, whereas before it had only been offered on select models. The five-door arrived one month after the three-door and was now simply called "Today", forgoing the "Associe" name. The front was also reworked with a thin grille and different bumpers. The chassis numbers remained JA4 and JA5 (FF/4WD). Reflecting changing market conditions, the five-door Today was no longer available with the more powerful MTREC engine, as buyers tended to appreciate more economic models. One part shared between both generations and all models of the Today was the single windshield wiper. While never successful in a changing market, where "tallboy" designs were prevalent, the low slung JA4/JA5 Today with its comparably rigid construction has since developed a strong following with racers and tuners nowadays. There is a thriving
aftermarket for the Today, helped further by sharing an engine with the Beat. File:Honda Today 012.JPG|Honda Today Pochette 2-door (pre-facelift, rear) File:Honda today 3door Gs (E-JA4) front.jpg|Facelift 3-door Today Gs File:Honda today 3door Gs (E-JA4) rear.jpg|Facelift 3-door Today Gs File:1993 Honda Today Associe Gi, rear right (Sands Point).jpg|Honda Today Associe Gi (4-door, pre-facelift, rear) File:1993 Honda Today Associe Gi dashboard (Tahitian Green Pearl).jpg|Dashboard of pre-facelift Today Associe File:Honda today 5door Qi (E-JA5) rear.jpg|The facelifted 5-door received a proper rear hatch (Qi 4WD version) File:Honda today ja4 gf 1 f.jpg|Facelift Today Gf 5-door
Discontinuation In light of the
Suzuki Wagon R's success, Honda decided to introduce a modern version of its 1970s
Honda Life "StepVan"
microvan, and reintroduced the Life model name in 1997. When kei car regulations changed in October 1998, necessitating a redesign, the "tallboy" Life was updated, while the Today, a modern interpretation of the first Honda Life three-door hatchback, was discontinued. ==References==