Forum für alternative Antriebe

Ich möchte in diesem Thread über Kei Cars sprechen, das sind Fahrzeuge speziell für den japanischen Markt welche sich an dortigen Gesetzesregelungen orientierten um ein Maximum an Ökonomie und konkurrenzlos günstigen Unterhalt (Steuern & Versicherungen) herauszuholen.

Das klingt ja so, als wolltest du andeuten, diese Fahrzeuge verkaufen sich dort nur wegen dieser beiden Anreize?

Mein Händler sagte mal, wenn man ein Auto vom Japanischen Markt will, kann er es auch besorgen. Alles nur eine Frage des Geldes.

Nun ja, ich mag aber für so ein Fahrzeug auch keine 30.000 € hinblättern.

Aus seinem Review könnt ihr dann auch den Unterschied zwischen den beiden Motorvarianten hören. Wenn man sich in den Städten bewegt, reicht die Leistung des 666ccm Saugmotors vollkommen aus. Wenn man aber vorhat öfter auf den japanischen Highways mit 100km/h Tempolimit zu reisen, ist man mit dem Turbomotor besser gerüstet - er verkürzt die Beschleunigungszeiten schon merklich

So gibt es gegen Aufpreis nicht nur das CVT-Getriebe, sondern auch Allradantrieb und ein fettes Navigationssystem.

http://www.welt.de/motor/article148823210/Die-verrueckten-Mini-Autos-der-Japaner.html

So nun auch noch ein Artikel -mit negativen Tendenzen-  aus Welt-online zum Thema.

Just bought my first Honda Turbo, and yes, it has the same engine as the S660:
- 97PS/L
- 158 Nm/L
- 658cc
- CVT with 7AT mode and Paddle shifters

...

So technically the N-Box is going to replace our second generation Fit, which we recently got a minor accident with, and judged it was not worth repairing it.

The N is not meant to stay for long at home though, only until Honda releases the new Freed, and then we hope we'll like it enough to say bye bye. That said, for going around town this little thing is really close to perfection (if dead ugly to my eyes), not surprising that it's the best selling light car year after year in Japan ...

...

Otherwise, first impressions after taking delivery of the car.

I'm so glad we decided to get the Turbo. It has a roar when starting up which is very "un-Honda like", and it does take some time for it to bring power to the wheels after pressing the pedals, but otherwise the powertrain is silky smooth when matted with the CVT, and it makes owning the little 660cc car a non-issue. It actually feels stronger than the old 1.3 L15 in our Fit, and offers a "relaxing drive" within JP driving habits without the constant fuss required by its counterpart NA engine.

One thing is for sure though, once you use it FE drops fast, very fast, and keeping the car at the JP highway limit of 100Km/h means you are around 3k rpm, which combined with the tall-box shape is not ideal for hypermiling. It never feels underpowered though (under JP-driving), and once the cruise control is setup it goes up and down whatever mountain comes without needing to spool up the CVT.

Speaking of the CVT, it's nice to have the paddle shifters there, and they are as responsive as ever, and a must for making use of the engine brake, because otherwise when going off-throttle the 660cc engine offers close to zero drivetrain loses, and you need to jump on the brakes constantly.

Overall, after a 200km night drive under torrential rain I mostly find myself liking a lot the drivetrain. I do think I would rather get a larger displacement NA unit, but if for whatever tax-regime in your country you are limited in that aspect (such as in JP with these kei-cars) the Turbo is a no-brainer for the vast majority of people out there. Just hope it'll be reliable (fingers crossed).


As for the car as a whole:

- It rides impressively well for being so tall and narrow, actually a noticeable improvement over our 2008 Fit (including in the highway). It reminds me a lot of the new Fit or the HR-V, which feels much more solid and mature than previous cheap small Hondas. Guess some people would like a softer setup, but for sure it helps a lot conveying a sense of composure and safety to this unnaturally proportioned box.

- The interior is simply astonishing large and full of small details (rear-sunshades, retractable tables for rear passengers, sliding rear seats, plasma-cluster full auto a/c), and the best expression ever of the MMMM principle. It's like a Fit on steroids on that aspect. Also, fit and finish is great for a kei, and the design is pleasant to my eyes; again better than what we used to have in the ageing Fit.

- Sound deadening is fine around the city, not so much at 100kmph, but still better than our old Fit.

- I do miss however a little bit more "information" when driving, because albite also an improvement over our Fit (which didn't even have an external temperature indicator), it is like going back in time. Not even TripA&B ? Com'on Honda... at this price point and age you could have given us some kind of mini-onboard computer ...

- Perhaps the only truly negative part? The steering... oh my ... guess it's find for the intended market but ... if you ever complained about the steering feel on any modern Honda you need to try this one... So ok ... it's not the worst Toyota has ever managed to, but ... well, I guess I'll need to get used to it.