Honda E long-term test: report 2
There's a lot to like about the Honda E, but can you live with the short range in the real world? We're running one to find out...
The car Honda E Advance Run by Mark Tisshaw, special contributor
Why it’s here To see if you really need the extra range offered by rivals day-to-day, and to see how the E manages on longer journeys when charging stops are required.
Needs to Be quick to charge so disruption is minimised on longer journeys, and offer something a little special to justify its high price.
Miles 388 List price £32,160 (before Gov't grant) Target Price £32,160 Price as tested £32,710 (before Gov't grant) Test range 95 miles Official range 125 miles Options fitted Crystal blue metallic paint (£550), 17in wheels (FoC)
30 August 2020 – Not just a pretty face
As a rational purchase, the Honda E doesn’t really make a lot of sense when you consider that you can get a Peugeot e-208 with more space and twice the range for similar money. But then, with looks like the E’s, this is a car that you buy with your heart as much as your head.
Indeed, some days I think it’s the coolest car I’ve seen in the past decade, perhaps because I’ve always had a soft spot for Honda’s Zoomer scooter (below), with which it shares a few design cues, including large round headlights.
True, there are other times when I find it a bit of a pastiche, but I always love the interior. For starters, there’s how airy it feels. And then there’s the sheer modernity of it, not just in the technology but in the materials used. The fabrics and trims really do feel of a very high quality, reminding me of the sort of posh living rooms you see in coffee table books.
Perhaps the biggest surprise, though, is that the E isn’t just a quirky piece of design. Not only is its ride better controlled than the e-208’s, but it’s a quieter car at 70mph – aided by it having small reversing cameras instead of door mirrors.
Instead, it’s the small range (90-95 miles according to the instrument readout) that remains my biggest concern. Still, I have a theory about that, which I’ll talk more about next time.
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