Let's break the ice straight away with a number: 35,060. This is the starting price, in euros and excluding bonuses, of this Honda e. A price higher than that of the more powerful Mini Cooper SE, and that of the Opel Corsa-e or the Renault Zoé, larger. But the little Honda doesn't care about the rational! She clearly plays the card of emotion and the trendy technological "gadget". A recipe that makes the success of a certain Tesla. And besides, the side "fashion accessory" of the Mini he has not been popular for a long time, and this in spite of prices not really friendly?
Let's talk (a little) about practicality
With its 3.89 meters long - or 10 cm less than a Jazz for example - the e can take four medium-sized passengers, who will board via the four doors. The trunk varies from 171 to 571 liters but the backrest of the bench in one piece completely strikes the modularity. This is again a choice of the designer to give a "sofa" aspect to the bench, and that alone says a lot about the importance of design in this city car.
The atmosphere on board is more of a Scandinavian inspiration, with a refined board cabinet and imitation wood trim with a very nice effect. Note also that Honda has not sacrificed quality, thanks to which the little Japanese stands out clearly from all other electrics on the market. This observation is obviously part of the centerpiece of this e: a dashboard made up of five juxtaposed screens! Facing the driver, an 8.8-inch screen displays driving information. Beside it, two 12.3-inch screens take care of all multimedia functions, such as navigation, display of energy flows or of course connected functions. Finally, at each end of the cabin are two 6-inch screens that reflect the image of the exterior cameras replacing the mirrors! An artifice (delivered in series) to which you get used very quickly as their positioning falls perfectly into the natural viewing angle.
A perfect compromise of efficiency
As the e is dedicated to urban users, Honda has chosen a battery of modest capacity. Its 35.5 kWh thus promise 222 km of WLTP autonomy, perfectly realistic. The engineers have in fact endowed this city car with an optimized energy recovery mode when the accelerator pedal is released. The deceleration is then very clear, until the vehicle comes to a complete stop, which allows the use of the brakes to be completely dispensed with when this function is used wisely. However, you can deactivate this mode. The car coasts once the accelerator is released, and it is possible to modulate the recovery, therefore the deceleration, via the paddles on the steering wheel, as if we were downshifting.
Whether in town or on the national road, all of this is extremely efficient and well calibrated, testifying to the efficiency in energy management shown by the little Honda. After more than 120 km traveled, our on-board computer showed an average of less than 17kWh / 100km. However, we did not deprive ourselves of fully exploiting the 154 horsepower of the most powerful electric motor (a 136hp version is also available). Our whips have also shown that the compromise between dynamism and comfort is excellent, and the instantaneous torque of the engine, especially in Sport mode, turns the car into a small ball of nerve. A real treat !
In the "trendy city car" category, the Mini and the Fiat 500 may have thought of continuing their face to face in the field of electric mobility. But now, they will have to count on younger, fresher, cuter and just as trendy as they are. Prepare to see Honda's everywhere in town.
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The Honda e Advance in a few figures
- Engine: electric, 154 hp, 315 Nm
- Transmission: to rear wheels
- Automatic box
- L / W / H (mm): 3.895 / 1.750 / 1.512
- Curb weight (kg): 1.542
- Boot space (l): 171
- Battery (kWh): 35.5
- 0 to 100 km / h (sec.): 8.3
- Max speed (km / h): 145
- Range (km): 222 (WLTP)
- Price (€): 38.060
- Trend
- Honda
- Electric car
- Automotive