Presented in 2017 as a concept and as a series-production car two years after that, the Honda e is a retro-styled EV that left Chris Harris puzzled. On the one hand, the exterior design is bite-the-back-of-your-hand pretty, and the handling is very good. But on the other hand, it’s too expensive given its shortcomings.
“You see, the one question people ask about any new electric car is how far will it go on a single charge. In this case, the answer is not very far,” said Harris, who refers to the official rating of 130 miles (209 kilometers). Adding insult to injury, that kind of driving range is rarely going to be reached in the rain, cold, snow, and/or if you set the heater on at full blast.
Given the pint-sized battery, it’s obvious that the electric motor isn’t up to snuff either. Zero to 60 miles per hour (96 kilometers per hour) takes around eight seconds, and the top speed is quoted at 100 mph (161 kph), which is a bit of a shame given that it's the highest-spec version.
“The old Mini wasn’t fast, but it was fun and so is this. However, the old Mini was also cheap,” added Harris.£26,160 or $36,020 at current exchange rates (including the £3,000 government subsidy for purchasing plug-in vehicles) is too much for many people in the market for an electric vehicle. The Hyundai Kona Electric subcompact crossover, for example, is £27,950 ($38,480) and offers 189 miles (305 kilometers) of range right off the bat.
Alas, Chris simply cannot give his seal of approval. “The e isn’t really bringing anything new to the party, and that’s a real shame because Honda’s history is full of innovation and new ideas. It knows how to do revolutionary better than any other company. But this e, it’s lovely to be in and to drive, but it’s just a lot of existing technology wrapped in some fancy clothes.”
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News