Honda’s New 400-Mile EV Has 470 HP And One Big Problem
Honda has just launched its latest electric crossover. It’s a model with 404 miles of range, up to 469 horsepower, and styled like nothing else the brand builds. Not even the quirky CR-Z looked like this. The best part is that it only costs $36,000.
Honda
Japanese automaker Honda rose from the ashes of WWII and set about its business as a manufacturer of motorcycles initially, only launching its first car, the T360 kei truck, in 1963. Founder Soichiro Honda targeted the American market as the most important nut to crack, leading to generations of iconic nameplates like the Civic and Accord being among America’s best-selling passenger cars. Today, Hondas are renowned for their safety, practicality, and reliability, with a sprinkling of performance from models like the Civic Type R.
- Founded
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24 September 1948
- Founder
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Soichiro Honda
- Headquarters
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Hamamatsu, Japan
- Owned By
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Publicly Traded
- Current CEO
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Toshihiro Mibe
As you might have guessed by now, that’s because it won’t go on sale in the US. The Dongfeng Honda S7 is a China-only model that is a tease of what modern Honda is capable of.
Honda Shows It Can Actually Build Cool EVs
We get the Honda HR-V gas crossover and the electric Honda Prologue, which is a Chevrolet Equinox in disguise. China gets what was initially called the Ye models, but are now simply the S7 and P7, with the main differences being the joint venture that builds them and the “Hondaness” of the front and rear lights.
China is full of low-priced electric cars, but these Hondas are looking to play in a realm above those cars. That’s why the S7 has styling that’s so edgy for the brand, making it stand out in a way Honda doesn’t traditionally do. With the possible exception of the Civic Type R.
The S7 competes with the likes of Tesla’s Model Y. It also goes after local competitors like the Xiaomi YU7, Li i8, Xpeng G6, and Onvo L90.
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It’s a product of the Dongfeng-Honda partnership.
Aiming high means the S7 needs a lot of in-cabin tech and features. It delivers those through a 12.8-inch portrait mode infotainment screen that dominates the dash. A tiny digital dashboard display sits high above the steering wheel, right where the driver can see it without looking down.
There are cameras instead of door mirrors, cool lighting touches behind the interior trim that are made up of 1,256 LEDs, and an available 16-speaker Bose audio system. It will also offer floor heating to help warm up more quickly and has adaptive suspension.
EV Platform Offers Long Range, Excellent Cold Weather Performance
Honda’s S7 rides on an electric-only platform it calls the “W” platform. Single-motor rear-drive is standard with a dual-motor AWD model available. The crossover’s 90-kWh battery pack allows for up to 404 miles of range for the 268-horsepower rear-drive model. That’s on the CLTC cycle, which is quite generous. Expect an EPA equivalent around 35 percent lower. The more powerful 469-hp front-driver gets 385 miles on the same CLTC cycle. Impressively, Honda says the battery keeps more than 90 percent of its charge all the way down to -22°F.
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Unfortunately, there aren’t too many details on any of them.
The range and power figures make us want the model here, and the footprint doesn’t change that. This is a compact crossover, at 187 inches long and 76 inches wide, but it has a wheelbase that’s longer than the Honda Pilot. That should make for a very spacious feel inside, something more vehicles in this size class need to deliver.
Pricing for the Dongfeng Honda S7 starts from 259,900 yuan ($36,000), with the dual motor starting at 309,900 yuan ($43,000). The first 1,000 customers to order get what Honda calls “car purchase benefits worth up to 86,888 yuan ($12,000).”
