2022 Honda e Advance, an honest car review.
I recently got the chance to spend some time with the Honda e Advance and thought you'd like to see the results! Here is my honest review of the Honda-e giving you my genuine honest opinion on this exciting little electric vehicle.
“the range is not great, the luggage space is poor but as a piece of design and as a pure city car it’s almost a home run - well done Honda!”
Exterior.
What can I say other than it’s a total triumph? Why VW didn’t take this approach with an electrified version of the Golf or Polo really baffles me. This seemingly effortless blend of the retro and the modern just blew me away when I first saw it as a concept car and, like many, I was delighted to see the production car take on much of what made that concept car so special.
I can honestly say I don’t think I’ve ever had so many stares from pedestrian onlookers and fellow motorists as I had whilst driving this car. Stunning.
Driving.
This is an extremely capable little car, largely thanks to its spritely acceleration and extremely agile handling. The 8.3 second 0-62 time delivered by this rear-wheel-driven Advance model feels far quicker than the numbers suggest with the handling delivering smiles on back roads as well as making the task of parking an absolute doddle.
There is a competent self-parking feature for the laziest of drivers as well as an extremely effective one-pedal driving mode.
Range.
Undoubtedly a stickign point for many, this Honda E delivers a claimed 131-137 miles of range when fully charged, although the real-world range of the Honda E is more like 90-100 miles but luckily it can take full benefit of 50kw charging to take it from 10% to 80% in under 45 mins.
Charging from a 3 pin plug takes around 14 hours.
Interior.
The interior is a masterpiece of retro styling, despite being packed full of tech. Two 12.3 inch touchscreens makes up the main infotainment areas with both screens cleverly being able to display a plethora of options with the ability to “send” screens between passenger and driver’s sides of the dash. The main instrument cluster is taken car of by am 8.8” high res display. Even the mirrors are electronic in this tech-laden cabin with the rear-view mirror (in this Advance model) also able to display a live camera feed from behind the car.
The front seats are wide, and the front shelf-style console is covered in a very 80’s wood effect trim. It all has a suggestion of an 80’s hifi system. Although it’s a comfortable place to be, it really should have an armrest over the centre console.
The infotainment system itself is perfectly adequate although some may prefer to use Android Auto or Apple Car Play, both of which come as standard.
Boot space is disappointing at only 171 litres which will be a letdown for many a potential family owner.
Rear passenger space is cramped with 2 kids able to travel in comfort but 4 adults would struggle on a longer journey (which this car is not really designed for!).
In summary.
So is the Honda e the best city car EV? Whilst I understand that range anxiety and lack of versatility will put many off this car, consider your real-world use for a car like this, especially if it's a second car in your household.
This is a car that delivers smiles by the bucket load, interesting looks from passers-by (you’d think it were an F1 car by the attention it gets), and a feeling of being "something special" to drive and experience.
Forgetting the fact that it's an EV for a second, is it one of the best city car’s on the market? For me, the Honda E makes a compelling case for anyone looking for a funky premium city car, albeit one that is not without compromise.
What's good…
Retro-modern looks
Agility around town
Cool interior
Delivers smiles for all
An almost perfect city car
What's not…
The price, ouch!
Poor boot space
Real-world range is not great
It needs a centre-armrest
Ultimately lacking versatility
Pop over to YouTube for my full review of the 2022 Honda E Advance.
Do I want one……YES!
DefinitelyNotAGuru | Honda E Advance | Honest Car Review