Last week we had some deja vu when we attended the launch of the Honda Ballade in Cape Town. Honda as a brand have been largely quiet, since they had a finalist in the Car of the Year competition, namely the Civic Type R.
Ballade is a much loved model with many a story to tell, so I was anxious to get a drive on. The Ballade comes back on the back of Honda’s 20th anniversary in SA. Let’s just say from the offset, that the Ballade is by no means assured a shoo in for mega sales, times have changed, and the segment is dominated by the likes of the Toyota Corolla, and other notables. But Honda is trusted by many loyal buyers, and it should find support amongst those who have that model or other Honda models.
A very quirky innovation, is the introduction of the global Honda ‘RS’ brand name to Southern Africa. Honda uniquely defines ‘RS’ as ‘Road Sailing’, a nod to the smooth nature of a boat sailing on water. This could cause some confusion, as the letters stand for racing sport, in other performance brands.
Exterior Styling.
So how does it look? It’s bigger than the previous gen model, : 110mm longer, 55mm wider, and 10mm lower. This translates into a lower centre of gravity for greater on-road stability, boosting cornering confidence and improving overall driving dynamics. This also lends the Ballade a more athletic and dynamic appearance, while also increasing interior space for improved passenger comfort.
The Ballade Comfort and Elegance models are equipped with projector-type halogen lights, while the range topping RS is fitted with LED headlights and fog lights. All models come standard with LED daytime running lights and distinctive LED taillights.
15-inch alloys on the Comfort & Elegance variant and the range topping RS gets 16-inch alloys, and is further differentiated with RS decals throughout the car.
INTERIOR.
The all-new Ballade’s interior is very comfortable and fairly spacious. Two people drove very comfortably around Cape Town. Four up with luggage might be a squeeze. It has good viz and new seat designs featuring high-quality fabric upholstery on Comfort and Elegance models, while the range-topping RS interior is adorned with premium leather upholstery.
Another exciting addition to the newcomer is the high-resolution eight-inch touchscreen display which has been neatly integrated into the instrument panel. The brand-new infotainment system comes standard on the Elegance and RS models and grants the user full Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality. The unit also features Bluetooth and steering wheel controls.
Electrically operated side mirrors and windows, cruise control, automatic air-conditioning and auto headlights are all standard features across the range.
The flagship RS model gains a host of additional features and technology such as smart entry with walk-away auto locking, a rear-view parking camera, electric sunroof, and an all-new intuitive 7-inch TFT multi-information display replacing the traditional analogue instrument cluster. This allows the driver to easily adjust the contents displayed on the instrument cluster via controls on the steering wheel.
ENGINE, TRANSMISSION & SUSPENSION
The Ballade comes with a new 1.5L DOHC engine with i-VTEC technology. The new and improved powertrain achieves improved efficiency and reduced emissions, without compromising on performance. It now generates a slightly higher power output of 89kW at 6 600 r/min, while the same peak torque of 145 Nm is now reached at a lower engine speed of 4500 r/min. In the ape this was sufficient, and I see no problems with it for the Reef altitude.
Fuel economy is a claimed average combined cycle consumption figure of 5.5L/l00km, along with CO2 emissions of 131g/km.
The Ballade is fitted with a revised version of Honda’s Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) which now features ‘G-Design’ shift control. This creates the sense of driving a traditional automatic transmission through the integration of artificial gears during acceleration, but with the enhanced efficiency of a CVT. As with all CVT gearboxes, there is an element of ”hunting’ for the ideal gear in the revs. But they really are getting better and better.
The Ballade comes in three model ranges: Comfort, Elegance and the RS, all with the same 1.5 L engine.
SAFETY
With a solid and dependable brand like Honda, safety is a feature in the Ballade. Active safety features include an advanced Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) with Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD) and Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) which allow for more effective vehicle control. Rear parking sensors are standard on all but the base Comfort model, while the RS model gains a reverse parking camera for added convenience.
Passive safety is provided for by driver, front passenger, side and curtain SRS airbags as standard across the model range. In addition, all models are equipped with seatbelt pretensioners and ISOFIX child seat anchors.
PRICING
Ballade 1.5 Comfort CVT R336 500
Ballade 1.5 Elegance CVT R366 900
Ballade 1.5 RS CVT R396 900
For additional peace of mind, the Honda Ballade range comes standard with Honda’s five-year/200 000 warranty, as well as a four-year/60 000km Service Plan with 15 000km service intervals.
Enjoyed the drive in the Ballade, and it’s pricing is quite keen so hopefully will convice the buyers to forego the segment leaders.