Honda’s new hybrid car: Incite

In the middle of this worldwide recession, Honda introduced a new hybrid car, Incite. Although this is the second time Honda has used the name, the first model was for two people and this time it is for 5 people. The basic configurations and the purposes are totally different, so it is actually a new car.

This is one of the eco-friendly cars US President Barack Obama is supporting in a broad sense and the first hybrid car Honda can expect high sales. It is Honda’s long-awaited car in which they bet and devoted the company.

I went to a Honda dealer the other day and asked for a test drive of the car. Here is the impression I had.

The most important thing: the cost. Incite is 4390mm long and the same class as Toyota’s Corolla but the price for a cheapest “G” grade is JPY1,890,000. It has CVT gearbox, power-folding door mirrors, multi information display, and whatever is generally needed comes as standard equipment. Considering the price of current Toyota Prius and Honda’s 5 people Civic Hybrid starts from JPY2,300,000+, it is really cheap.

Next: fuel efficiency. 30km/L (10.15 mode) seems average but obviously lower than Prius’ 35.5km/L and slightly lower than the highest grade current Civic Hybrid’s 31km/L. For hybrid cars, fuel efficiency is very important. Why isn’t it as good as Prius when it is obvious they had Prius in their head while developing the car? It is because Incite is totally different from Prius.

Its “price” is the selling point for Incite. Look at the body first. It is one size smaller than Prius. It is because the base of Incite is Honda’s compact car, Fit. However, comfortableness for passengers is retained, unlike its profile from outside, an adult can comfortably sit in the back seat when another adult is sitting in the front. It still has a reasonable fuel tank size of 40L.

Next important factor: power performance. The hybrid system, the heart of Incite is the 1.3L i-WTEC Engine + IMA (Integrated Motor Assist) system, the same one as the current Civic Hybrid. The motor is 20% thinner and the battery’s electric pressure is lower but there is not much difference in between them. This is to lower the cost and to promote efficiency.

The drawback is its interior. It looks cheap and you cannot deny it. The instrument panel is very simple without soft padding and no heavy looking metal panel is used for its operation system. It is really just an extension of their compact car “Fit” and I have to say,the current Prius looks a lot more expensive.

Ride quality feels short on fun too. Honda’s hybrid is always parallel type in which the petrol engine is directly connected to the electric motor. There is no electrically-powered mode where a car can go only with the electric motor, separated from the engine. Air-conditioning is also engine-driven, so if in a traffic jam, the engine might start. I could not really feel that I was driving a hybrid car and it was not much fun. When I first drove a Prius, it had an electrically-powered mode which kicks in once the motor is fully charged and it also had regenerating brake with a totally different feeling from the normal one, and the highly computerised engine which moves separately from the car’s movement: it was impressive.

To compare that with the Incite is like a gasoline car with an electric motor added. Basically the engine revs with the accelerator and will not stop as long as the car is running.

But, wait! It is cheap enough to forget about all these flaws. Honda wanted to make hybrid cars to be low-end cars, not dream cars. Their most popular “Fit”, although it is small, can carry 5 adults plus luggage, and is only JPY1,200,000. They brought this concept into the Incite.

However, what do you think about the timing, I mean, in the middle of this recession which happens only once in every 100 years? I wonder if the Incite can be the detonator to resuscitate Honda. I will keep watching!


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