Discussion
aestetix1 said:
Test drove one yesterday. If you can live with the small boot and the range it's a fantastic car otherwise. Nothing else quite like it, the "mirrors" are easy to use and the interior feels like visiting the future. It's very comfortable too, very easy to get in and out. The turning circle is ridiculous and the autopilot is very unfussy and easy.
I didn't try the autopilot - but it seems Honda are installing their "Sensing" package on all their new cars now. Were you able to assess how good it was?aestetix1 said:
Test drove one yesterday. If you can live with the small boot and the range it's a fantastic car otherwise. Nothing else quite like it, the "mirrors" are easy to use and the interior feels like visiting the future. It's very comfortable too, very easy to get in and out. The turning circle is ridiculous and the autopilot is very unfussy and easy.
The mirrors. I like the idea for aero and techy reasons. After watching the Autogefuhl review, I can understand his point about the screens being a 2d image and losing the depth perception from a conventional mirror. Did you get that, once you get past "don't look out of the window the mirrors aren't there"?Did you use the interior rear view as a mirror or a screen?
ajprice said:
Did you use the interior rear view as a mirror or a screen?
The rear view mirror as a screen doesn't work well imo. My initial impression was that it was harder to see things, like the contrast wasn't quite good enough. Maybe that was because the sun was quite strong when I was trying it which washes out the lcd screen a bit. SWoll said:
Other than some of the more modern tech it sounds very similar in many ways to the BMW i3. Anyone driven both for comparison?
I test drove an i3s last year. Steering was similar on both cars (i.e. both were very good). Performance seemed similar to me (although I think technically the i3 is quicker). Suspension was more refined on the Honda though (particularly over speed bumps etc).
A lightly used 120ah i3 is about the same price as the Honda, but I think the Honda is the better car.
I would have liked one of these as a London commuting and urban runabout. I've had the original Zoe and 2x i3, so you'd think it would be the perfect thing for me - cool looking, small, spritely, tech fest etc. But I can't do it given the range and boot and price - its really about the compromises meaning it lacks value for money, rather than how often I'd use the range in one trip. And so I wonder, if I can't, knowing EVs very well etc, will many people get past these compromises, or, are there too many of them at the price?
So I have ordered an e-208 on a ridiculously cheap work scheme lease instead - I like the funky interior and usability with proper doors, reasonable boot, range etc. I don't want to wait for an ID3 especially given their software problems, already have a Tesla M3 LR as the family car
So I have ordered an e-208 on a ridiculously cheap work scheme lease instead - I like the funky interior and usability with proper doors, reasonable boot, range etc. I don't want to wait for an ID3 especially given their software problems, already have a Tesla M3 LR as the family car
squirejo said:
I would have liked one of these as a London commuting and urban runabout. I've had the original Zoe and 2x i3, so you'd think it would be the perfect thing for me - cool looking, small, spritely, tech fest etc. But I can't do it given the range and boot and price - its really about the compromises meaning it lacks value for money, rather than how often I'd use the range in one trip. And so I wonder, if I can't, knowing EVs very well etc, will many people get past these compromises, or, are there too many of them at the price?
So I have ordered an e-208 on a ridiculously cheap work scheme lease instead - I like the funky interior and usability with proper doors, reasonable boot, range etc. I don't want to wait for an ID3 especially given their software problems, already have a Tesla M3 LR as the family car
I think there's a few commentators desperately trying to excuse the range, price and to a lesser extent boot space but for a lot of people like yourself they will be genuine deal breakers. So I have ordered an e-208 on a ridiculously cheap work scheme lease instead - I like the funky interior and usability with proper doors, reasonable boot, range etc. I don't want to wait for an ID3 especially given their software problems, already have a Tesla M3 LR as the family car
A real world 150 miles would have been acceptable and 200 miles would mean 99% would have no issues at all.
ChocolateFrog said:
I think there's a few commentators desperately trying to excuse the range, price and to a lesser extent boot space but for a lot of people like yourself they will be genuine deal breakers.
A real world 150 miles would have been acceptable and 200 miles would mean 99% would have no issues at all.
Its not really designed for the market though? They knowingly put in a smaller battery and then spent more money on tech and design.A real world 150 miles would have been acceptable and 200 miles would mean 99% would have no issues at all.
They aren't pitching it to business travellers or long distance commuters. They are pitching it on looks and gadgets.
Zoe and the Peugeot are decent looking cars, but ot as interesting as the E. People often make these purchases based on look and feel rather than range.
Edited by hyphen on Sunday 2nd August 20:31
ChocolateFrog said:
I think there's a few commentators desperately trying to excuse the range, price and to a lesser extent boot space but for a lot of people like yourself they will be genuine deal breakers.
A real world 150 miles would have been acceptable and 200 miles would mean 99% would have no issues at all.
Assuming you can charge at home (and you'd be mad to buy an EV if you can't) this obsession with range I've never understood.A real world 150 miles would have been acceptable and 200 miles would mean 99% would have no issues at all.
We've run EV's as our only cars for the past 18 months and very rarely do a round trip of more than 100 miles which I would suggest is pretty normal for the vast majority of drivers.
It's a city car, in reality it doesn't need to suit 99% of drivers or do 150+ miles to be acceptable IMHO.
EddieSteadyGo said:
I didn't try the autopilot - but it seems Honda are installing their "Sensing" package on all their new cars now. Were you able to assess how good it was?
I tried it out on some local roads and on the motorway. Performed flawlessly.You enable it and it steers for you. If you want to change lane or take a turn you just do it, and then as soon as you are back in a lane it picks up again automatically. No fuss, no incessant beeping, didn't randomly disengage.
ajprice said:
The mirrors. I like the idea for aero and techy reasons. After watching the Autogefuhl review, I can understand his point about the screens being a 2d image and losing the depth perception from a conventional mirror. Did you get that, once you get past "don't look out of the window the mirrors aren't there"?
Did you use the interior rear view as a mirror or a screen?
I used the rear view screen. It's a fair point about them being 2D, although it does project distance lines on the wing mirrors and for reversing you have the overhead view. I found them absolutely fine for driving and parking, very clear and great field of view. I didn't have to get past "don't look out the window", I never felt the urge even once.Did you use the interior rear view as a mirror or a screen?
Overall I found that I had great spacial awareness in this car, both on the motorway and when parking it. The auto-park is great but I did try manual parking as well.
ChocolateFrog said:
A real world 150 miles would have been acceptable and 200 miles would mean 99% would have no issues at all.
The range would have been okay if it charged faster. When the originally said 0-80% in 20 minutes it was fine for occasional long trips. It's not very clear how fast it charges because Bjorn was limited to 50kW with quite a poor taper, but other people have reported 70+kW and there is a firmware due before delivery.SWoll said:
Assuming you can charge at home (and you'd be mad to buy an EV if you can't) this obsession with range I've never understood.
We've run EV's as our only cars for the past 18 months and very rarely do a round trip of more than 100 miles which I would suggest is pretty normal for the vast majority of drivers.
It's a city car, in reality it doesn't need to suit 99% of drivers or do 150+ miles to be acceptable IMHO.
This is not correct. We now have 2x EVs for our family use, and like the significant majority of Londoners, do not have off-street parking. We use the (significantly improved) on street charging infrastructure, but, it does mean that there will be occasions we can't charge. That is a reason a car like a Honda E won't work - because of the margin of safety required to be built into the range. Put another way - for regular journeys of the up-to-20mile variety, we need to know the car is always good to go. You can do that if it can bank 200+ on a charge, or in the case of my 2x i3's, have the REX, but not below. This is also why we chose a Tesla as our main car - the charging network when doing those motorway trips.We've run EV's as our only cars for the past 18 months and very rarely do a round trip of more than 100 miles which I would suggest is pretty normal for the vast majority of drivers.
It's a city car, in reality it doesn't need to suit 99% of drivers or do 150+ miles to be acceptable IMHO.
squirejo said:
This is not correct. We now have 2x EVs for our family use, and like the significant majority of Londoners, do not have off-street parking. We use the (significantly improved) on street charging infrastructure, but, it does mean that there will be occasions we can't charge. That is a reason a car like a Honda E won't work - because of the margin of safety required to be built into the range. Put another way - for regular journeys of the up-to-20mile variety, we need to know the car is always good to go. You can do that if it can bank 200+ on a charge, or in the case of my 2x i3's, have the REX, but not below. This is also why we chose a Tesla as our main car - the charging network when doing those motorway trips.
Workplace charging is going to be essential, but in the medium term they really need to get chargers on every street.aestetix1 said:
Workplace charging is going to be essential, but in the medium term they really need to get chargers on every street.
It would be nice progress, and far from hard to do.Most people can make do with what comes out of an ordinary socket, and there's plenty of power already in our sidewalks and streets.
The reason I only got an EV last year and not 5 years earlier was because I didn't have off street parking before.
dobly said:
The Honda E is designed for the Japanese Domestic Market first and foremost - as an urban car. The UK market for it will therefore be small, as the UK isn't the same as the Greater Tokyo Area, to name the obvious example.
It was released in Europe first. Most of the demo cars were LHD. Tokyo isn't ideal for EVs because while you are legally required to have a parking space before you can even buy a car most of those spaces are in parking lots, often automatic ones where there would be no way to plug in even if they fitted sockets.It was designed for Europe.
aestetix1 said:
...you are legally required to have a parking space before you can even buy a car most of those spaces are in parking lots, often automatic ones where there would be no way to plug in even if they fitted sockets.
I assume that's why the Japanese seem to be so keen on hydrogen, despite its obvious shortcomings.Gassing Station | EV and Alternative Fuels | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff