The car drives as if all four tires are absorbing the road surface

On the other hand, driving is characterized by a sense of stability and security, and yet it just feels good to drive”, to put it in words.

The actual vehicle uses new technologies, such as a motion management system that increases turning performance while increasing front wheel load through integrated control of the brakes and powertrain (motor), and an adaptive damper system that uses a new six-axis sensor to change damping force in real-time.

The effectiveness of these features means that (although the author’s test drive was on a dry road surface) the four tires felt as if they were absorbing the road surface and gripping it evenly, with a sense of stability in the changes in attitude and a driving performance that allows you to fully enjoy the comfort of the car.

This is what Naoki Yokoyama LPL (Large Project Leader), who is responsible for the development of the car, was talking about when he said, “I had a lot of fun driving it in the US”. …… The tires installed were Michelin e PRIMACY 235/45R18, and the suspension was designed to fit these tires perfectly.

Very quiet and comfortable to drive

Of course, the e:HEV’s powertrain also features a direct-injection 2-litre engine combined with an electric CVT with two motors and a system that provides appropriate control according to the driving mode. The workmanship is so natural and quiet throughout the range that it is hard to tell when the car is switched to EV mode, for example when cruising. The paddle operation allows the driver to select the level of deceleration, which is quite in line with actual driving conditions and allows smooth one-paddle driving instead of one-pedal driving.

The Honda Parking Assist, which can be trusted to park almost automatically, is also a credit to its skills, putting the car in place without a hitch, and the Honda Sensing 360 driving safety support, with new features such as forward crossing vehicle warning, is also reassuring. I can’t mention the specific names of the music and artists who were provided in the BOSE test car for listening, as they are in breach of copyright law, but if I were the author, I would like to go for a drive a little further afield on my own, listening to the new Nora Jones album, which will lighten my heart. ……The car made me think so.

translated by DeepL