Discussion
aestetix1 said:
21ATS said:
The funky door designs are a revelation for disabled access. The front doors open 90 degress wide and provide huge access, the seat height is "bum" height so you just slide in and out. Very easy to use, nice specification as standard.
This is well worth repeating, I forgot to mention it. Hondas usually have very wide opening doors, but the E is exceptional. The ability to kind of "step" in is really good too, no swinging down low or pulling yourself up to get out.
oop north said:
Though 21ATS is, I believe, talking about Mazda MX30 not the Honda E
Either way I'm glad of the suggestion and will put the MX30 on my possible test drive list. Getting in and out and seat comfort are very much a priority. It's a tad slow on paper though, but I guess like diesels they actually offer the power you need for urban driving.hedges88 said:
oop north said:
Though 21ATS is, I believe, talking about Mazda MX30 not the Honda E
Either way I'm glad of the suggestion and will put the MX30 on my possible test drive list. Getting in and out and seat comfort are very much a priority. It's a tad slow on paper though, but I guess like diesels they actually offer the power you need for urban driving.It's only when you get out on to the open roads at 60mph plus where it feels slow, around town the ability for electric power to be instant means it actually feels pretty quick.
MOBB said:
My Seat Mii electric is slow on paper, but nippy as hell in real life, catches many cars napping :-)
My boyfriend has an F21 BMW 118D and the effortless power delivery and grunt is very impressive in urban driving. Only when you get to the motorway do you realize you're only playing with 150BHP. The Honda E is actually just a few lb/ft off his 118D in terms of torque so. I imagine it to be lively enough for my purposes.I think the Mazda that has been suggested is front wheel drive and has torque vectoring whereas the Honda E is rear wheel drive. I bet instant torque delivery and rear wheel drive on such a small car would be quite an experience. Shame the parking assistance system is on the high spec model only and not standard equipment. My 2009 A class can park itself!
I might test the Mazda first as it seems just like any normal car and then the Honda to see if I can really dive in head first to EV ownership. It's an important decision as I'll have to live with the car for 3 years, but on motability I don't have to care about insurance costs, residual values etc. I just make sure the car stays clean and damage free so I can get a bonus towards my next one.
There are a lot more to choose from than I realized. Plug in hybrids are available which might be a better steppingstone. The Hyundai IONIQ and Toyota Yaris hybrid look like pretty nice cars. The Vauxhall Mokka has a fantastic battery range
hedges88 said:
My boyfriend has an F21 BMW 118D and the effortless power delivery and grunt is very impressive in urban driving. Only when you get to the motorway do you realize you're only playing with 150BHP. The Honda E is actually just a few lb/ft off his 118D in terms of torque so. I imagine it to be lively enough for my purposes.
An ICE engine has torque at a specific peak range, though, meaning that you need to build up to it - and it isn't necessarily linear. An EV has peak torque instantaneously, meaning that the delivery of that torque is instant and has no 'lag' or 'build up', and so should feel far more performant compared to the BMW (although a weight difference may apply).
cj2013 said:
An ICE engine has torque at a specific peak range, though, meaning that you need to build up to it - and it isn't necessarily linear.
An EV has peak torque instantaneously, meaning that the delivery of that torque is instant and has no 'lag' or 'build up', and so should feel far more performant compared to the BMW (although a weight difference may apply).
I'm looking forward to feeling what an electric motor feels like on power delivery, I've seen the YouTube videos and the crazy acceleration of EVs like the Tesla Plaid which is powerful enough to stick loose items in the cabin to the upholstery! My current car is very good on power delivery but ultimately has little power and has to be worked pretty hard, it would be very nice to drive something that feels more effortless. I take it that even low powered ev's must have pretty quick traction control if all their torque can be delivered instantlyAn EV has peak torque instantaneously, meaning that the delivery of that torque is instant and has no 'lag' or 'build up', and so should feel far more performant compared to the BMW (although a weight difference may apply).
hedges88 said:
I'm looking forward to feeling what an electric motor feels like on power delivery, I've seen the YouTube videos and the crazy acceleration of EVs like the Tesla Plaid which is powerful enough to stick loose items in the cabin to the upholstery! My current car is very good on power delivery but ultimately has little power and has to be worked pretty hard, it would be very nice to drive something that feels more effortless. I take it that even low powered ev's must have pretty quick traction control if all their torque can be delivered instantly
I've had a "performance hybrid" before with a Lexus, but drive my first full EV now. These days I enjoy finding efficiency just as much (if not more) than clipping apexes, and so far I've found that in an EV I need only tickle the pedal lightly to make progress, and they 'coast' much better (if you don't have one with obligatory regeneration, that is).A couple of times I've tried out a bit of heavy throttle and it's more than plenty. I have just under 150bhp in mine, by the raw specs, but there's no direct equivalence to petrol cars (where that sort of figure would align with an n/a 2.0 petrol). It's comparable to a turbocharged engine with no lag, but completely bizarre experience as there's no angry noises coming from the mechanicals. There is a smorgasbord of stability controls, but in a rear-engine, rear wheel drive EV, there's less potential for loss of traction compared to the FWD ones that are just BEV-converted ICE platforms.
0-30 tends to be very quick, then it tails off a little from 30-60, but of course there's no gear changes either. Environmental credentials aside, electric motors are just better at the job.
cj2013 said:
I've had a "performance hybrid" before with a Lexus, but drive my first full EV now. These days I enjoy finding efficiency just as much (if not more) than clipping apexes, and so far I've found that in an EV I need only tickle the pedal lightly to make progress, and they 'coast' much better (if you don't have one with obligatory regeneration, that is).
A couple of times I've tried out a bit of heavy throttle and it's more than plenty. I have just under 150bhp in mine, by the raw specs, but there's no direct equivalence to petrol cars (where that sort of figure would align with an n/a 2.0 petrol). It's comparable to a turbocharged engine with no lag, but completely bizarre experience as there's no angry noises coming from the mechanicals. There is a smorgasbord of stability controls, but in a rear-engine, rear wheel drive EV, there's less potential for loss of traction compared to the FWD ones that are just BEV-converted ICE platforms.
0-30 tends to be very quick, then it tails off a little from 30-60, but of course there's no gear changes either. Environmental credentials aside, electric motors are just better at the job.
I too find efficiency rewarding though I imagine it's a damned site more rewarding if you have a low mileage range EV like a Honda E. I didn't think about the layout, I guess the motor and that over the rear wheels is going to give a almost Porsche like tendency for the rear wheels to gain traction. I'm actually impressed it's only two hundred kilos more than my current car which is roughly the same size. I really am looking forward to some test drives now because I would like to feel how it is to drive without everything going through a transmission and all those angry sounding mechanicals you mentioned. A couple of times I've tried out a bit of heavy throttle and it's more than plenty. I have just under 150bhp in mine, by the raw specs, but there's no direct equivalence to petrol cars (where that sort of figure would align with an n/a 2.0 petrol). It's comparable to a turbocharged engine with no lag, but completely bizarre experience as there's no angry noises coming from the mechanicals. There is a smorgasbord of stability controls, but in a rear-engine, rear wheel drive EV, there's less potential for loss of traction compared to the FWD ones that are just BEV-converted ICE platforms.
0-30 tends to be very quick, then it tails off a little from 30-60, but of course there's no gear changes either. Environmental credentials aside, electric motors are just better at the job.
We have Taycan's on order, my business partners has already arrived and mine is due next month. They are absurdly fast and we went for the 4S.
I'm honestly so surprised how well the Mazda stands up as a daily driver considering the other vehicles i have use of. If Mazda offered it with a 200 mile range it would be an outstanding vehicle.
As it stands it's either a city car only for low mileage drivers or a second car (as we use it). My partners carers use it during the day to take her out and to appointments.
I'm honestly so surprised how well the Mazda stands up as a daily driver considering the other vehicles i have use of. If Mazda offered it with a 200 mile range it would be an outstanding vehicle.
As it stands it's either a city car only for low mileage drivers or a second car (as we use it). My partners carers use it during the day to take her out and to appointments.
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