Honda e – electrifying emotions

Honda has already offered its own electric cars in the past, such as the Jazz or the electric version of the Clarity model, but none of them were sold in Europe. The Honda e is thus the first electric car of the brand that is offered on the old continent, and it is intended only for this European (and Japanese) market.

Honda e brings a bit of retro and also a certain amount of futurism to the waters of uniform and austere electric cars. A little bit of each, and in my opinion, these two directions are perfectly combined here. I am definitely one of those who love this design and style from the first moment that the production model saw the light of day. Both the aforementioned study and the production model clearly refer to the legendary Honda Civic of the first generation from 1973.

The Urban EV Concept study was also three-door, like the first Civic, and clearly referred to it with its silhouette and front fascia. But inside, it had a bunch of displays and was loaded with technology, such as camera mirrors. Most of those who saw it at Frankfurt 2017 may have considered it just one of many studies where designers more or less fly away, but it will never make it to production in this form. An even bigger surprise came two years later, at the same place, when the production version of the Honda e was presented. Not only did it retain the features of the aforementioned study, but it also retained most of the introduced technologies and the display inside, and it also retained the exterior rear-view mirrors in the form of cameras as standard.

The Honda ev has received one extra pair of doors in its serial form, but it is tastefully disguised by hidden handles in the corners of the rear windows, as Honda did, for example, with the eighth and ninth generations of the Civic model. Here we get technologies such as LED headlights or cameras instead of mirrors and all together it looks a bit like a toy, especially in the tested combination of green-yellow color and black glossy accessories. The interior perhaps even more reflects the design of the Civic from the seventies, and at the same time, the contrast with technology is even more pronounced here.

A complete delicacy for design connoisseurs are some kind of fins on both front doors, which gently simulate the function of rear-view mirrors. There are cameras hidden in them, which transmit the image to a pair of displays in the interior.

The Honda e was designed from the ground up as an electric car. So it has an engine mounted on the rear axle and, unlike the original, we find rear-wheel drive here – and that is one of the promises of great fun behind the wheel. The batteries are stored in the floor, which lowers the vehicle's center of gravity and helps to distribute the weight between the axles in a ratio of 50:50. It's a shame that despite this, the on-board charger and the system for the electric motor, together with other technology, took up space under the front hood, leaving no space, for example, for charging cables, which otherwise just fly around the already small trunk. We won't deal with that too much here. You put your shopping bag in it and you probably won't go to Croatia on a family vacation with Honda…

The base already has technologies in the price, which many car companies several classes higher did not even dream of. These are, for example, virtual rear-view mirrors that can only be found in the Audi e-tron, and even then only for an additional fee. In addition to cameras and displays instead of mirrors, the Honda e really has superior equipment and superior performance in its class. The basic version has 100 kW, and the Advance version tested by us even has 113 kW (154 hp) and a torque of 315 Nm. Project it in combination with rear-wheel drive, ideal weight distribution and an excellent chassis, and you get the ideal for fun.

Certainly many of us like cars with rear-wheel drive, and the Honda e, thanks to the already mentioned ideal weight distribution, excellently tuned chassis and sports tires, goes like on rails. On a slippery surface, it is very easy to get into a beautifully overturning and well-controlled skid. If it weren't for the too strict control in the form of electronic assistants, it would easily let itself be dragged through a corner in a drift. Despite such capabilities, the sporty chassis is relatively comfortable and filters out with an overview everything that our perfect Slovak roads put under its wheels.

When it comes to consumption, it is somewhat the only disappointment. I expected better results from such a technologically advanced car, which is built from the beginning as an electric car. But the fact is that Honda's clear emphasis was on driving characteristics, which is also confirmed by the standard sports tires. Nevertheless, I think that even with the preservation of these excellent driving characteristics, the consumption could be lower. This would also help the range, because a battery of this size can handle more than a third longer range in some cars. The on-board computer showed a little over 20 kWh for the entire test, but it managed to pull over 30 kWh with complete ease when it was necessary to properly heat it in the cold.

The real range during the test was around 120 to 150 kilometers in combined operation. Yes, it was already winter and yes, I think it is realistic to drive around 200 kilometers when driving more calmly in the districts and around the city, which is sufficient for city and suburban cars. But if a longer range could be obtained from the battery, it would be nicer to have a reserve for the occasional crazy ride in serpentines or a longer drive on the highway.

When it comes to charging, even on a 100kW charger, it only pulls 50kW, even though the materials state a higher output. Home charging from a classic 230V socket can handle the Honda e overnight up to 100%, so you can actually leave every morning with a full battery. Only the distance… it shortens before your eyes very quickly.

Let's sit inside – after putting it on for the first time, you immediately turn on the displays and look for the aquarium presented everywhere. You click through the settings, the number and type of aquatic animals, the scenery, feed the fish and go on your way. So I set out with pleasure and find out – that the aquarium cannot be active while driving. So much disappointment… and emotions!

The interior here is in the aforementioned spirit of a combination of retro design and modern technology. The elements of vehicles from the seventies are clearly visible here, for example, the angular and simple shapes of the dashboard without the central tunnel to the floor in the middle, as well as the two-spoke steering wheel or practically flat door panels. All this contributes to the fact that the interior is quite spacious and airy for cars of this size. At the same time, there are a total of five color displays on the instrument panel itself, as well as a simple one a little lower for controlling the air conditioning. In addition, the tested version of the Advance also has a virtual rear-view mirror, or you can turn on the display on it instead of the classic mirror. So there are seven displays in total! But everything is beautifully put together in such a way that retro elements with displays go together and the result looks rather futuristic.

The mentioned displays in the vehicle are not just that, they are actually used. When you get into the car, the home screen appears, with a beautiful background that you can change and the whole thing stretches across the two infotainment displays. The driver has a basic display in front of him that shows the speed and data from the on-board computer. But it can also display navigation instructions, not only from Honda's built-in navigation (Garmin system), but also from, for example, Waze or Google Maps navigation from a phone via Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. And that's definitely an over-the-top feature, and I can't remember any other test car that could do this. Not to mention the fact that here we finally find a wireless connection to these functions and thus there is no need to stick your phone on the cable every time you drive. Just have it paired in your pocket and you're good to go…

Of course, a pair of displays can display two different information, but they can be so-called "switched". When the driver has the navigation closer to him and needs to enter something into it, he can send it in front of the passenger with one click, who can enter, for example, a waypoint, and the display "flips" again so that the driver has the navigation closer in front of him. So, for example, the driver does not have to operate the navigation while driving, even when driving alone. In this case, he can use the services of a voice assistant, which he activates with the words "OK Honda". Through this, you can not only enter a destination, but also display various functions, such as the weather forecast, or search for the latest podcasts via Spotify. The beauty's only flaw may be that she only knows English, so the Slovak "Hey Honda, move the main uphill, the Hron is roaring, the firemen are braking the dam!" won't catch on very well here.

As for build quality – it's Honda after all. Everything fits, the controls are of good quality to the touch and nothing creaks or interferes anywhere. It is also worth mentioning the possibility of connecting devices via an HDMI cable or a classic 230V socket, which will provide a power of up to 1500 W. In short, when it comes to technology, there are not many cars that can match the Honda e. And in this class and price category, not at all.

Thanks to the simple shape of the interior, I can easily sit behind myself, with the driver's seat almost all the way back, and although I may be touching the back of the seat in front of me with my knees, it's not uncomfortable in any way. So, four adults should be able to sit comfortably, and actually – the Honda e is only a four-seater, so there is no need to deal with the space at all. The two people in the back have plenty of it.

Electric cars as such do not have it easy at all today. Although there are many things in which they bring us substantial improvements, car companies still do not know how to convince us of their usefulness and versatility. They give them better performance, have lower operating costs, lower service costs and of course are also more ecological. So far, however, no car company has tried to use the best sales argument – emotions. And that really happened with the Honda e…

Retractable handles, frameless windows, cameras instead of rear-view mirrors, displays in the interior, but also an advanced chassis using McPherson suspension at the front and at the back, and similarly to the BMW i3 – rear-wheel drive. These are things that confirm the high design competence of Honda developers.

The Honda e is worse than the competition in almost all parameters, and yet you won't be able to help yourself and need it. For me. Just. Feed the fish!

You can find all photos of the Honda e in our large GALLERY.