Do the driving dynamics of the E make it all worthwhile?

All Honda E related discussions
Parker87
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Joined: Fri Oct 08, 2021 9:30 am

Post by Parker87 »

Thanks Advance2020. It's the fun element that I hope to find with the E and I agree that engine sounds etc. aren't needed in order to have fun. As for the dog-crate, I put the back seats down now because the dog whines if he can't see me, so the E will be fine. Regarding reviews, I'm glad that Jonny Smith is a Superfan because I like his style. I'll let you know how I get on with the test drive.

Sco
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Post by Sco »

I don’t understand people saying this isn’t a drivers car. I’ve owned and driven all sorts of cars from bangers to supercars (not owning the latter unfortunately) and the Honda E is hands down the funnest car I’ve driven.

It’s got instant speed, you can throw it about the road with no effort, the turning circle, rear-wheel drive. Not worrying about fuel every time I hit the pedal is a bigger deal than I expected.

My most recent car was a 200bhp sports coupe and the Honda is far more fun to drive.

I have the Advance. I also hear the Tesla’s are supposed to be twice as fast, I can safely say that’s insane :D The Honda is absolutely more than fast enough and I’m not a slow driver.

Edit: Forgot the add the sound of the motors still hasn’t got old. The sound from the rear, not the fake sound from the front when crawling. The rear’s sound like a space ship when you floor it.

Edit 2: I have sport mode on most of the time, I will toggle between normal/sport if I’m on a longer journey but generally it’s sport mode.
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iHansz
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Post by iHansz »

Sco wrote: Mon Jul 11, 2022 7:17 am I don’t understand people saying this isn’t a drivers car. I’ve owned and driven all sorts of cars from bangers to supercars (not owning the latter unfortunately) and the Honda E is hands down the funnest car I’ve driven.

It’s got instant speed, you can throw it about the road with no effort, the turning circle, rear-wheel drive. Not worrying about fuel every time I hit the pedal is a bigger deal than I expected.

My most recent car was a 200bhp sports coupe and the Honda is far more fun to drive.

I have the Advance. I also hear the Tesla’s are supposed to be twice as fast, I can safely say that’s insane :D The Honda is absolutely more than fast enough and I’m not a slow driver.

Edit: Forgot the add the sound of the motors still hasn’t got old. The sound from the rear, not the fake sound from the front when crawling. The rear’s sound like a space ship when you floor it.

Edit 2: I have sport mode on most of the time, I will toggle between normal/sport if I’m on a longer journey but generally it’s sport mode.
Hear, hear. 8-)
Dutch Advance in Charge Yellow on 17"
1st registered Oct 2020
Home charger: public charging stations only
MaXPainT
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Joined: Wed Feb 16, 2022 6:34 pm

Post by MaXPainT »

It is funny that many of you are considering the E as not a driver's car, while my hesitation was that it drives too good for my driving style and I will overpay for the performance I will never use.

I am coming from a fiat 500 and have test driven the new 500e. Not sure how the E compares to a Tycan or a Tesla, but in comparison with the fiats it is extremely responsive and fun to drive.

With the instant acceleration of an EV and an incredible suspension I couldn't notice that it is 500kg heavier than my petrol fiat.

Unless you are planning to take it regulary to a track, the E is a driver's car in my book. Most of the tech you are overpaying for is a bit crap, but the driving experience is there :)
Parker87
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Post by Parker87 »

Thanks Sco, IHansz, and MaXPainT - this is all music to my ears!
Sco
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Post by Sco »

It even feels good with a full load. I’ve had Honda E sized cars in the past, all petrol from 1.2L to 1.6L turbo, they all felt sluggish with a couple of people in the car. The Honda E barely changes, it’s probably more related to EV vs ICE rather than a Honda E thing, but still nice.
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FDAD
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Post by FDAD »

For me it's great to drive... and yes I've had to urge just to go for drive simply because...
It can be a grocery shopper or a great mountain road twisty road fun car. It gives plenty of room to push it.
It punches to 150kmh going down or up a road.. it just doesn't care... If it was lighter it would only get there faster :D
Honda E advance [Modern Steel Metallic] 8-) [DELIVERED JULY 2020] - 85 000Kms + ✌️🎂
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advance2020
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Post by advance2020 »

Glad to see you are getting more positive comments now. While I appreciate that you are trying to “justify” the expensive switch to an “e” based on driving appeal, I thought I would add some comments about the tech. I think part of the high cost is due to engineering, good battery management, watercooling, and suspension, nice tyres etc, but it is also true the Advance comes with a lot of tech. I planned to buy the Basic, to save a little, but couldn’t wait for the even later delivery. And I liked wheels, tyres and extra horses.
But it comes with much more. Aquarium is fun at first and for kids, but now I never use it. Also Auto Park is fun to try, if you can find an empty car park. I never use Rear View Camera, just mirror.
But I do use and value the following:-
1. Door cameras: they are neat and work well (one day all cars will have them)
2. Lots of cameras: great for parking, manoeuvres in tight spaces*. I rely on them too much!
3. Heated Wheel & Seats: very useful in winter. Saves pre-heating cabin
4. Radar ACC - it is almost impossible to drive an e into another car, or fixed object. Cruise Control, Lane keeping, speed and distance controls may seem a luxury, until you go on a long journey, or have crawl in heavy traffic through roadworks etc. Although I rarely have to use these, BUT they are great when you need them.
5. One Pedal Mode: I love this, can't recommend it enough. Full 3 chevrons means I rarely use brakes. I know I have said this above, but needs repeating. You can sit at lights in Drive, ready to launch. Watch out for motorbikes cutting in front.
6. Knobs and switches v. Touch Screen. Screens are useful for Sat Nav Google Maps and perhaps radio, but not essential while driving. You can switch Displays Off. But the e does have lots of manual interfaces to control heating/cooling and much more.

See also new post “Electric Performance” (I’m about to write)

*you may not be aware during a Test Drive, so try this. With car in Drive (and perhaps OnePedalMode) use the button on the end of Wiper stalk. This will switch on Front camera. Although Rear Camera appears auto in Reserve, you have to select Front camera, when driving forward. It’s obvious why, but it took me ages to realise this button was there. It's very useful if you drive forward to park, avoids hitting barriers, low walls etc. And you can see (from above) where you are relative to lines etc.
Platinum White Pearl: e-driving green at last, on R17 Michelin Pilot Sport
A fan of One Pedal Driving max >>> and physical buttons
turntoport
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Post by turntoport »

Interesting to see the range of comments here - most pretty positive, but, as LP et al have written, the 'e' isn't a 'driver's car' in the trad petrolhead sense. No gashead myself, a 3.8 etype was fab (sadly didn't own it!) , as was (in an oh so different way) the sprogeye fright, which introduced a proper 'seat of the pants' driving experience as the floorpan rusted-through - ok that's an exaggeration; all that happened was the then ever-present semi-emulsified rain/engine oil road spray went up my trouser-legs, but let's not ruin a good yarn). And others; 8.2 litre Cadillac - oh, please help us (any god will do).
Yep, the e's range is (very) annoyingly short. Yes, it's 1.6 -ish tons. Yes, it bluntly bludgeons flies rather than swishing them aside with good aerodynamics. But for me the e is the best allround car i've ever driven. It makes something like the ID3 seem...bland. Very.
Good luck whatever you choose!
atb -ttp
Parker87
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Post by Parker87 »

Thanks FDAD, Advance2020, and Turntoport. Your positive comments are encouraging, and I'm very much looking forward to my test drive on Friday.
To be fair to the MX30, it has most of the tech that the E has, plus HUD, a heat pump, and an opening sunroof, which is particularly welcome at the moment. It doesn't have OPD, which I will try on Friday. Against it are it's weight (over 2 tons), and it's range, which is even less than the E, but the key decider for me will be the overall driving "feel" which is, of course, very hard to define. I'll also be checking out build quality because the Mazda scores very well there - i.e. the bonnet is one of the heaviest I've ever known (not good for efficiency of course). I'll also be listening out for road noise - I had a CRZ a few years ago and I had to get that Dynamat'd to be tolerable noise-wise.
So, Friday's the day - I'm Zap Mapping today because my first issue is that the E is 80 miles away so I'll be Instavolting the MX30 somewhere around Reading!
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