This is the Honda e:Ny1 and, trust me, the car is less confusing than the name. It's Honda's second stab at a fully electric car, this time a crossover. And that makes it easy to pass it off as an electric HR-V, but it is quite different.
That name, incidentally, is pronounced ee-en-why-one, by the way, which makes it even more cumbersome to say than it is to type out, but it denotes the fact this is the first car from the brand to sit on its new e:N platform. Expect to see a few more.
Aside from the electric propulsion, it also introduces some new Honda touches, especially the design - which isn't a big departure from its stablemates, but it certainly looks agreeable, if a little "safe" compared to its EV predecessor, the Honda e.
READ MORE: Clever budget Amazon devices turn your car's touchscreen into a smart tablet- I tried a pricier version with extra features
READ MORE: We test a gadget that warns you about speed cameras and road hazards
I'm an eBay expert - how to make hundreds from selling unwanted household items
Another welcome addition I'd like to see a lot more of is the infotainment system that dominates the smart cabin. As much as I'm always quick to berate the loss of physical buttons on a dashboard, this massive screen is a million times better than the comparatively rudimentary system we see on internal combustion-powered Hondas. I do hope it starts to carry over.
Everything else about the cabin is likable in that predictable Honda way. There's comfy seats front and rear, space is good, and the build quality is classic Honda.
The same can be said for the driving experience. This isn't a car that leaps off the line like some electric cars like doing, but it does have 201bhp, so progress can be brisk if you really want it to be.
It also has a fairly good range. The battery's only 62kw, but it runs really efficiently, so Honda's claim of 256 miles isn't far off what you should expect in the right conditions.
It charges at 78kw, which is less impressive, but it's still easy enough to live with.
And that's the nice thing about the e:Ny1. It does everything you'd expect from a Honda very well. There's nothing amazing about it, it lacks the daring imagination of the Honda e, and it feels like it's playing it very safe, but that's something a lot of Honda buyers will relish.
There are currently two versions of the e:Ny1, with the base Elegance spec costing £45,000. That means it has some competition to work with but equipment levels are generous, and Honda is offering an £8,000 deposit contribution at the moment, if you fancy the finance route.
Overall then, it's a commendable first stab at a mainstream EV. It might not offer anything ground-breaking, but that's not always the best way to send a car up the sales charts.
Ultimately, what I really like about the e:Ny1 is the promise of things to come. It all hints towards a bright future for Honda and I can't wait to see what they come up with next.
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
