One of the hardest parts of my job is putting aside my personal opinion to get to an non-biased conclusion.
In the case of this Honda e that's going to be quite a problem, because I absolutely love this car.
It's retro and it's futuristic, it's cute but very cool, and that combination really does it for me. However, when you have to choose one of these...
one day and you start crunching the numbers, you'll find out the Honda will give you a range of around 220 km for €35.000.
However, this Opel Corsa-e will offer you more than 100 km additional range for €5.000 less than the Honda e. Isn't this the better choice?
On the outside, the Opel Corsa is much more of an everyday appearance than the Honda e. That's partly because it looks identical to every other Corsa.
There are tiny details that give it away, but if you drive past one, you probably won't notice it as an electrical Corsa. It's very normal, and it's the same...
as in every other Corsa. That has a few drawbacks, because it means Opel hasn't taken the opportunity to make their electrical car
a very special car. However, it also means that people who are used to petrol-powered cars will easily adjust to an electric car.
Everything is where you expect it to be. You've got a gear lever, the seating position is very good, the infotainment system is where you...
expect it to be, so you can easily drive off with it. The interior is very decent, with decent being the perfect word to describe it.
It's not groundbreaking in any way, but the finishing, materials and design are of a level you'd expect in a B-segment hatchback.
The infotainment system itself is made by PSA, just like the whole car is made by PSA, so it comes with a couple of drawbacks.
The reaction speed isn't optimal and I know enough infotainment screens that have a much better design.
Anyway, you'll get used to it after a while. The infotainment system is aided by a digital instrument cluster, but I get the idea they haven't optimalized...
the available space. Mostly because you can't see how much juice there's left in the batteries.
You'll have to do with a predicted range, which is too bad if you ask me.
Speaking of the range, this car can go further than 300 km on a single charge. Opel states it'll do 330 km on a single charge, but I think that you...
be happy if you get near to 300 km in the summer. That should be doable when you take it easy in this car.
That's because this car has a 50 kWh-battery pack, just like the Peugeot e-208 and e-2008. And that's a lot for a compact car like this.
That also means it's a tad heavier than a regular Corsa, and you'll feel that in the drive. Luckily, it has more than enough power to compensate.
It produces 100 kW, or rather 136 horsepower which is the same as the aforementioned electrical Peugeots. With that power output, it can do...
0-100 km/h in around 8 seconds, which is very quick for a Corsa.
Theoretically speaking, you only have access to the full amount of power if you put it in Sport-mode, but I've been driving in Normal-mode...
for most of the time now and it's more than quick enough. Besides the quick and silent drivetrain there isn't a lot that distinguishes this Corsa...
from its combustion-powered brother. It's a tad heavier like I already mentioned, but it's comfortable as well and the steering is light.
However, it offers enough feeling. Also, the seating is very good. Even the way the so-called 'automatic gearbox' in this electric version...
is very similar to the one in the petrol-version. If you lift off the brake, the car starts crawling.
They've really tried to make it drive like we're used to. You can set it to regenerate more than in the regular Drive-mode,
but it won't come to a full stop like a Tesla will.
Where the Corsa looks like a petrol-car wherever it's possible, the Honda e is truly unique when it comes to design and technology.
The electric motor for example is placed at the back, which has some advantages. Take a very small turning circle for example.
On the other hand, the luggage space is very small as well. It can only fit 171 litres, which is half what the Corsa has to offer.
Also, it has two bags of charging cables in here. Luckily, there's a small bit of space left underneath the boot floor, so what I would do is remove...
this piece of foam in an effort to fit the cables under there. Anyway, it's incredibly cramped back here.
When we move to the back seat however, the tables have turned. It's close, but still. In the Corsa, sitting in the back is almost impossible.
The headrest is uncomfortable, your head touches the ceiling, and your knees are in the seat in front of you.
In the Honda, it's not that bad. Your legs do need to be in kind of an awkward angle, but that's a typical characteristic of an electric car...
because of the high floor and all. It's very cozy with all of these lights though and the space isn't too bad either. I do have to mention...
is that the Honda e officially is a four-seater car. It doesn't have a fifth set of seatbelts, and that's something the Corsa-e does have.
And it's not only cozy in the back of the Honda e, the atmosphere continues in the front.
Honda has already said they've wanted to create a living room-atmosphere and they've done a pretty good job. Of course, the upholstery is exactly...
the same as in the back, and it's really similar to something you might have on your living room couch. You also have this beautiful wood.
Together with the special design, that makes sure the Honda e doesn't feel like anything like anything else. This continues to an open space over here,
which means there's space here for storage and ports. It even has an HDMI-port on which you could play a console or a Chromecast,
which would let you stream movies to these screens. But I'll get back to you on that. This car just feels so different than anything else,
but not in a far-fetched way. Everything works really well. Also, the quality experience is very good. It already shows on the outside...
but the finishing is great. All panels fit seemlessly on the outside and that trend continues on the inside.
They've used some hard plastics, but because of the good build quality you really get the impression it's made to last.
Now it's time to address the elephant in the room, because we can't not mention the screens. The outer two screens function as side-view mirrors.
And they're standard as well on the Honda e. Unlike the Audi e-tron, the mirrors, or rather the camera's, aren't the widest part of the car.
If the nose of the car fits, the rest of the car fits as well. That offers a lot of advantages, especially in the city.
Inbetween the 'mirrors', there are three other screens. This is the digital instrument cluster as we see often nowadays in other cars.
It works in a similar manner, but it allows more information to be projected on the screen than in the Corsa.
Also, this does show the battery percentage. But it's these two screens that are truly special, because it's not common at all to have...
two infotainment screens which have pretty much the same function. As you can see, both sides of the screen have menu's. Those are shortcuts...
to functions you want to have on that screen. You can choose those in the big menu and drag the function to that screen.
That way, you're able to display the satnav on one screen and the board computer on the other screen.
If you want to switch them, you only have to push one button. That way, the satnav appears on the other screen so the passenger is...
able to enter the satnav-destination. And with that, it's very handy because you can have several features next to each other.
You can even look at the last-used apps in a smartphone-like way. It all works incredibly well, even though it might not be the quickest.
Tesla's system still is quicker. But when it comes to operating it, it's really good and thought through. The resolution is good and...
with this car, Honda really distinguishes itself in this segment.
Speaking of Tesla by the way, the Honda e has a fun gimmick as well. The aquarium. You might've seen it already, but it's filled with fish.
You can even feed them. They'll swim towards your taps. Also, you're able to set the amount of certain fish you want in your aquarium,
or what kind of aquarium you want. That way, you're able to set different moods in your cozy little living room.
Honda has presented the e as a real city car, and that's made clear through the examples I gave you.
The small turning circle for example, which is a lot smaller than the one of the Corsa. You're able to turn anywhere without having to three-point turn.
Or the handy side-view camera's, which makes the car very narrow. It becomes apparent as well when you get into the car.
You're pretty high up, higher than in the Corsa. There's no armrest either, which could be annoying on longer journeys, but won't bother your in the city.
Also, you've got a very clear view. Lots of glass, and if that's not enough there are lots of camera's as well to help you out.
If you're still not able to park then, there's a very handy and comprehensive parking assist which will even brake for you.
That way, you don't have to do anything yourself. And when you're driving it, it's very easy. The steering doesn't offer a lot of feedback,
but it's very light. It's easy to position and the handling is good, but you can really feel it's quite heavy for its size. But that's because...
it's electrical. Anyway, it's a very pleasant car to drive. It's pretty powerful as well. It's available with two power outputs.
The base version has just as much power as the Corsa. 100 kW or rather 136 horsepower. If you get the more powerful Advance-version,
you get 154 horsepower to play with. With that, the performance is about the same as the Corsa. It does 0-100 km/h in around 8 seconds...
and a top speed which isn't that high. But that's not relevant either.
However, you need to take the Honda e onto the motorway to get from one city to another. We don't have any big metropoles of course.
And that's the moment it starts getting difficult with this car, because the biggest problem in this car is the range.
It has a 35,5 kWh-battery pack, which is a lot smaller than the one in the Corsa. Theoretically speaking, it should be able to a little over 200 km on a...
single charge. 220 km with the standard wheels, 210 km with these wheels. However, I think you should be happy to reach 170 km with good weather.
Especially when you sometimes take a bit of motorway. That's just not a lot. And if you eventually run out, you can quickcharge it up to 60 kW.
It's not as much as the Corsa again, because that can quickcharge up to 100 kW. On the other hand, smaller battery packs are charged up again much quicker.
However, this Honda e isn't really suited for longer distances.
The small range really is a big drawback on the Honda, because if it had a tad more of it, I would've thought it was worth all of its money.
It's built very well, the drive is good and it has a very good standard trim. Also, and this is the most important, it really distinguishes itself.
The Corsa isn't that unique, but it doesn't do anything wrong. Also, you get a much more versatile, usable and spacious car for less money.
Having said that, the Corsa is the only rational choice. But if I had to choose for myself...