Beyond the track-day king Civic Type R, the rest of Honda's current line-up doesn't exactly set the world on fire.
Admittedly, part of this is because we Kiwis miss out on stuff like the new overseas-market Accord and new Odyssey — both of which look quite funky, and are quality vehicles to boot. Part of it also is because cars like the Jazz and CR-V aren't exactly designed to set the world on fire.
But, the little Honda e (yes, lower case) should change some of that. Assuming that we get it, of course.
The small, rear-wheel drive, fully electric hatchback broke cover last year as the 'Urban EV Concept', with the pictured more production-ready version unveiled in February. While the design was lauded, the only number Honda released at the time was the pie-in-the-sky view that the e will be able to hit over 200km to a charge. Now, thankfully, Honda have offered further insight into how exactly it'll accomplish that.
The Japanese manufacturer has confirmed overnight that the Honda e's electric motor will make 110kW of power and 300Nm of torque. Not exactly a threat to the Nürburgring lap records, but remember that this is a little supermini we're talking about and not a sports car.
Hooked to the electric motor will be a water-cooled 35.5kWh battery (one of the smallest in the segment dimensionally, says Honda), which is said to be able to be charged from zero to 80 per cent in 30 minutes when connected to a fast charger. Honda still hasn't given us a finite range figure, with 'over 200km' still quoted in the latest release. Although 'single-pedal driving' thanks to an aggressive regenerative braking system has been confirmed.
Honda has also boasted about the car's handling credentials. The e is said to deliver “an optimal balance of stability and handling performance to the compact electric car segment” through 50:50 weight distribution, a low centre of gravity that's just 500mm from the ground, and a four-wheel independent MacPherson Strut set-up.
The latter is something Honda seems rather proud of, having boasted about bench-marking its handling and comfort characteristics against vehicles from larger segments during test development.
There's plenty more to learn about the Honda e. Things like actual performance figures are still to be confirmed, and the reveal of its fully blown production version at the Frankfurt Motor Show could spring some surprise. But, if the early words are anything to go by, then it's going to be a tough little car to beat.
