Honda e Advance

REPORT 6

£29,160 OTR/£29,170 as tested/£299pcm

WHY IT’S HERE

It’s cool, but can it cope with family life?

DRIVER

Jack Rix

AS I HAVE CONTINUED TO MENTION WITH IRRITATING REGULARITY, I’m quite taken with the Honda e So much so that I’m lobbying my wife on a weekly basis that when Honda comes calling to reclaim its property we should find a way to keep it with our own money Crazy I know but it really has got under my skin and slotted into our lives with ease despite having a miniscule boot and meagre range This is all the car we need for journeys that don’t breach the M Or is it?

Better cover those bases so I asked to borrow two comparatively priced compact EVs I hadn’t yet driven to see how the Honda stacked up First the Mazda MX a little more SUV in style but as with most new Mazdas these days a good looking car Its interior feels special equalling the Honda for quality Thing is despite being a more spacious car with a much bigger boot it doesn’t feel as airy as the Honda and despite the iDrive style controller being the more familiar interface Honda’s maximum screen/ minimum button approach is actually more intuitive to use and therefore less distracting So the Honda takes it on points

On paper the Peugeot e ’s mile plus range is quite the eye catcher when the Mazda and Honda are languishing around the to miles mark and it looks cracking too I let my wife have first dibs on this one and didn’t cloud her judgment by over explaining in advance

Her verdict? It drives nicely looks cool but the interior is a bit full on and what’s going on with that shrunken steering wheel?

I’ll make a road tester out of her yet because she’s right In my perfect seating and steering wheel position the top rim completely covers the dials I get this won’t be the case for everyone but why take the risk that it might be the case for anybody? It’s a deal breaker for us both and we arrive back at the Honda Old faithful Time to start drawing up the adoption papers?

SPECIFICATION

Electric motor, 35.5kWh battery, RWD, 152bhp

3.5 miles per kWh, 125 miles 0–62mph in 8.0secs, 100mph 1,555kg MILEAGE: 2,452 OUR MPKWH: 3.4

GOOD STUFF

It might not be fast above 50mph, but a quick burst of throttle below 30mph is enough to have both kids in stitches. Priceless.

BAD STUFF

Chilly morning, thermometer on -1ºC, battery on 100%, heater on, indicated range 50 miles. Gulp.