Honda are the Proud Performance Partner and Official Vehicle of England Rugby Team. At the opening of the World Cup series for 2023, Cox Motor Group’s Media Exec, Charley was invited to escort the team coach into Twickenham on board the all-new Honda XL750 Transalp, closely followed by the Honda eNy:1.
Charley pens her first impressions...
Critics will stand-by the view that the infrastructure for electric vehicles (EV’s) in the UK is not robust enough to support the growing trend of EV ownership. One in every 32 cars now comes with a plug, with 1.1 million electric cars now in use on UK roads – up by more than 50% over the past year. Admittedly, as a keen motorcyclist, I spend more time filling my tank with E10 and making frequent stops than I would ordinarily in my car.
What particularly entices me about the electric market however is the performance, and the eNy:1 is no exception. The e:Ny1 has a 62kWh battery with range of 256 miles. A healthy 0–62mph in 7.6 seconds - which is plenty speedy enough for this family runabout and a top speed of 100mph. It will ‘rapid’ charge at 78kW; that gets you from 10% to 80% charge in 45 minutes which basically means you’ll get an extra 62 miles in 11 minutes. Pretty cool, huh?
My favourite feature though is the mapping of the e-acceleration on the eNy:1. As electric cars blow the wheels off some of their fossil-fuelled counterparts, the e-acceleration is gaining a reputation for creating a bit of travel/motion sickness, so Honda have created the eNy:1 to match that of a petrol car. It has worked very well; the car is still perky, but there’s less front wheel scrabbling unless you’re in Sport mode, when you get the full mighty force of the e-motor's 201bhp and 229lb ft.
Walking around the vehicle, I was really surprised by how spacious it is, comfortably seating the driver and 4 guests that were also escorted into the stadium immediately ahead of the England Team bus. Honda also had a great, interactive stand within the Stadium Village where spectators and fans could have a ‘try’ for themselves and also sit in the display car to get a real feel for the vehicle before its official launch in October 2023.
The colour choices are great! Fresh, vibrant, personal. With a very stylish black leather interior and amazing 15.1” inch touch screen, I began to take a whole new look at Honda’s first fully electric SUV and even started to ask myself, maybe I do need one?
Our demonstrator Honda eNy:1’s will be arriving at our North West showrooms very soon. Don’t delay! Pre-book your test drive today and be one of the first in the UK to be a part of Honda’s electric revolution.
Read more about the Honda eNy:1