Despite Honda’s wholesale scuttling of its planned Honda Zero lineup, elsewhere in the world electric Hondas aren’t dead. The Honda Super-One was designed to be an EV hot hatch, with distinct styling that recalls the Honda City Turbo II. Now, for the first time, the Super-One and its predecessor can see the two vehicles side by side in a video produced by Honda.
Conceived as an electric hot hatch, the Honda Super-One is based on the Honda N-One, but it’s not a kei car. That’s because its blister fenders widen the car by 3.85 inches and the EV system can deliver 94 horsepower in Boost Mode, both exceeding kei car limits. Of course, Boost Mode will drain the battery quicker, so in normal driving it generates a kei car-like 63 horses and has a range of 170 miles.
Engineers prioritized agility and drivability, with a wider track to imbue the car with sharp handling, especially when combined with the battery’s low center of gravity. It also weighs just 2400 pounds, a featherweight for an EV. The Super-One even simulates a 7-speed transmission, with power delivery that jolts the car during “gear” changes, synthesized revving sounds that blip when downshifting, and non-linear deceleration to mimics engine braking. It even replicates the bounce off a rev limiter if you don’t upshift in time, or cuts power if you downshift at too high an rpm, forcing proper usage of the paddle shifters.
To put both cars through their paces Honda sent two of their works drivers, SuperGT driver for Team ARTA Tomoki Nojiri and Super Formula driver Ayumu Iwasa. Both were born after the car had ended production in 1986. They remark on its lack of low-end power and the long throw of the shifter. They also comment on how difficult it is to engage the clutch. But as they drive it around the circuit they’re amazed at how a car like this could have existed 40 years ago.
In the end, they conclude that both are fun in their own way. The City represents a Honda hot hatch in the internal combustion era and the Super-One in the electric era. Both are meant to be the ultimate distillation of a city car that’s still enjoyable to commute in.
