Welcome to the first fully electric Honda SUV, and only its second fully electric car after the too-adorable-for-words Honda e. It is a car “designed to meet the growing customer demand for all-electric B-segment SUVs,” which means: you ask, you get.
And yes, it’s really called the Honda e:Ny1—‘anyone’, anyone?—which makes perfect sense because it sits on a “newly-developed e:N Architecture F.” This new chassis promises lots of rigidity, a low centre of gravity and “carefully managed” underbody aero for a “confidence-inspiring drive.”
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Allied to this new chassis is a high-performance powertrain, which houses the drive unit, electric motor and gearbox all in one for a total of 200hp. Powering it is a 68.8kWh battery—able to fast charge from 10-80% in just 45min—that delivers up to 412km on the WLTP cycle.
So, small-ish SUV, decent range, new visual identity for Honda’s electric cars. Well, at least in terms of the white ‘H’ badge dotted around that five-door shape, and the new ‘Honda’ typeface on the tailgate said to deploy a “premium look” that’ll feature on later EVs too. Of the body itself? Honda champions its short overhangs and wide track, though it's perhaps a little more GenericSUV.
That front-drive layout, by the way, affords “remarkable interior space and comfort” as you’d expect Honda to claim. And as for the interior, there is a socking great 15.1in touchscreen that dominates the centre console. Three physical buttons exist—hazards, front and rear windscreen demist—but otherwise everything else is on the screen. Yay. The driver gets their own digital dash, of course.
“Our development philosophy blends intelligent, customer-centric technology with beautiful design and fun-to-drive dynamics. This latest SUV exemplifies Honda’s commitment to electrification and is the latest step on Honda’s electrification journey,” said Honda Europe’s senior VP Tom Gardner.
NOTE: This story first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
