The solar cycle leads to important changes in the solar wind, which can have an important effect on the structure of the global heliosphere. In the ecliptic, the ram pressure can vary from one cycle to the other, being greater during periods of minimum activity. We investigate the response of the heliosphere to a temporally varying solar wind. Since neutral hydrogen is a key component in determining the global structure of the heliosphere, we employ a multi‐fluid model in which the self‐consistent charge‐exchange interaction between neutral hydrogen and protons is included self‐consistently. The variability of the termination shock location is described and the response of the hydrogen wall to the temporal solar wind is discussed. © 2003 American Institute of Physics