Honda e

  • Thread starter Thread starter Ray B
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Ray B

Ray B

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I hate to torment @insightman but I'm curious if you've seen any of these videos on the Honda e:

This one has interesting comments from the designers especially in light of the more recent statements from Honda:


Impressive turning circle...


This guy does great reviews:


I like the design and this would be a nice daily driver for me, but the dashboard's expansive video/UI is a bit much. Also they really need to give it a proper name. Searching anywhere for "Honda e" on the web or forums like this one is not going to work well. Other than those two complaints, I think it looks like a great car.
 
Aaarrrrrgh! I've watched all those videos and am waiting for the real road test videos when Honda finally lets the journalists have at it.
 
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My MINI Cooper SE is due in April. I've already made a protest sign that I will hold while standing next to my MINI in the parking lot of the local Honda R&D facility. I'm hoping my message will get through the Honda grapevine from Ann Arbor to Torrance. Perhaps before I'm thrown off their property some of the Honda engineers will want to check out my MINI.

upload_2020-1-24_0-46-57.webp
 
Ray B said:
Searching anywhere for "Honda e" on the web or forums like this one is not going to work well. Other than those two complaints, I think it looks like a great car.
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Probably even worse than trying to do a Google search on "GM Bolt" or "Chevy Bolt", which keeps getting hits for the Volt rather than the Bolt! Grrrrr...
:mad:
 
Pushmi-Pullyu said:
As I recall, the Honda "e" won't be sold in the U.S., is that right? And presumably not in Canada either?
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Honda initially considered selling the Honda e in the US, but decided that there wasn't much evidence Americans will continue buying cars, much less a tiny electric car that can go only 125 miles on a charge. The way Honda's Canadian branch treats its Clarity customers makes it clear they're not into plug-in cars, either. Europe, Britain, and Japan will be the only markets receiving the Honda e.
 
Okay. Why? Or what? You're protesting the Mini or the E? I know I've missed something.

insightman said:
My MINI Cooper SE is due in April. I've already made a protest sign that I will hold while standing next to my MINI in the parking lot of the local Honda R&D facility. I'm hoping my message will get through the Honda grapevine from Ann Arbor to Torrance. Perhaps before I'm thrown off their property some of the Honda engineers will want to check out my MINI.

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Tek_Freek said:
Okay. Why? Or what? You're protesting the Mini or the E? I know I've missed something.
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Sorry, many here know that I've written countless letters to American Honda, begging them to bring the Honda e to the US. Hence @Ray B's opening, "I hate to torment @insightman but..."

When Honda said they absolutely were not going to bring the Honda e to North America, I felt they'd abandoned me. I've been buying nothing but Honda cars (and lawn mowers, snow blowers, etc.) since my 1986 CRX Si, but now if I want a small, sporty electric car, the MINI Cooper SE will be the only game in town, er, North America.

So after driving a gen-1 Honda Insight (two of them, actually) for 20 years, I sold it and placed an order for the electric MINI. The MINI will be faster and less expensive, but I really wanted a Honda e. My "protest" will be my way to let Honda know that their long-time Insight promoter was forced to go elsewhere to buy his next car. I'm certain it will result in high-level meetings in Torrance where they change their minds and decide to bring the Honda e to the US.

It won't be long and there will be head-to-head tests of these two small-range BEVs, one a converted ICE vehicle and the other a ground-up design.
 
In hindsight, you may have gotten the result you desired had you told them you’d never buy or promote another Honda if they ever brought that funny little car to the US.

Based on past experience.
 
It pays to remember that Honda is, primarily, a company that makes internal combustion engines. They then ALSO make cars, bikes, trucks and planes to put them into.
 
insightman said:
My MINI Cooper SE is due in April. I've already made a protest sign that I will hold while standing next to my MINI in the parking lot of the local Honda R&D facility. I'm hoping my message will get through the Honda grapevine from Ann Arbor to Torrance. Perhaps before I'm thrown off their property some of the Honda engineers will want to check out my MINI.

View attachment 7231
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I should meet you there with my 2019 Hyundai Ioniq electric, also 125 miles range. I picked one up when they dumped the last of 2019s in November (after local rebates $1,500 down and $99/mo. for a three year lease). That was for the "limited" version, base was $79/mo ($0 down with local rebates). Especially because I pay more than that for my iPhone and cell service, it was too good a deal not to try one. The limited has a heat pump too, so the winter range hit is a lot less.

The funny part is I really like it, and most of the time use it as my daily driver with the Clarity under a car cover on reserve for traveling more than about 50 miles.
The Clarity is a step up in quality, cabin, comfort, ride, etc., a better car in almost every way, but the little Ioniq electric is a lot more fun to drive. Picture from the brochure (I got a white one too).2019-Ioniq-electric-why_mobile_hero_1500x1355.webp
 
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While the e is intriguing and would make a good daily driver for us the price is too high. What I would be looking for is a stripped down $25,000 car, without incentives, with a 100 mile range. Leave the LKAS, and other "safety" features. Just make it minimalist for quick trips around town.
 
The Honda e's price is high, the range is low, and it's not as fast as the less-expensive (and US-available) MINI Electric. But I like its looks. Honda wants you to think buying a Honda e is like buying an iPhone.

With all the complaining on this forum about the Clarity's infotainment system, I wondered if the much, much, larger infotainment system of the Honda e would be better. This reviewer says he doesn't like the Honda e's infotainment system in his video. Evidently Honda didn't fire the Clarity's infotainment engineers and instead turned them loose on the Honda e. On the plus side, the reviewer likes the way the Honda e looks and the way it drives, too. He says the high price will make it a difficult sell, but other cars don't have infotainment systems that display an aquarium on the dashboard.

Here's another video review of the Honda e by a skeptical reviewer.

It seems to me the Honda e should have been much, much better than the MINI Electric considering it's a from-the-ground-up, new-design electric car rather than an electrified 2014-vintage ICE-car. BMW's embargo on journalists publishing their driving impressions of the MINI Cooper SE expires January 29th. It will be very interesting to see how it compares (especially because I ordered one sight-unseen, er, butt unmoved). One blog defied the embargo and uploaded their MINI Cooper SE driving impressions video early.
 
insightman said:
The Honda e's price is high, the range is low, and it's not as fast as the less-expensive (and US-available) MINI Electric. But I like its looks. Honda wants you to think buying a Honda e is like buying an iPhone.

With all the complaining on this forum about the Clarity's infotainment system, I wondered if the much, much, larger infotainment system of the Honda e would be better. This reviewer says he doesn't like the Honda e's infotainment system in his video. Evidently Honda didn't fire the Clarity's infotainment engineers and instead turned them loose on the Honda e. On the plus side, the reviewer likes the way the Honda e looks and the way it drives, too. He says the high price will make it a difficult sell, but other cars don't have infotainment systems that display an aquarium on the dashboard.

Here's another video review of the Honda e by a skeptical reviewer.

It seems to me the Honda e should have been much, much better than the MINI Electric considering it's a from-the-ground-up, new-design electric car rather than an electrified 2014-vintage ICE-car. BMW's embargo on journalists publishing their driving impressions of the MINI Cooper SE expires January 29th. It will be very interesting to see how it compares (especially because I ordered one sight-unseen, er, butt unmoved). One blog defied the embargo and uploaded their MINI Cooper SE driving impressions video early.
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One more for the record:
 
Every time I see the "face" of the Honda e, I think it reminds me of some cartoon animal character. But I can't figure out which one it is. It's driving me crazy!
:confused:

Congratulations to those European readers who have the option of buying the "e". It's "No soup for you!" for us Americans!
:(
 
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Thanks for trying, but no. Some cartoon character -- I think an animal character -- with space between the eyes, which most Simpson characters lack.
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