I have just one major problem with Honda’s new Ballade, and it lies with the men in suits who live in Honda SA’s marketing department and decided on the Ballade nameplate for this car.
Let’s take it a step back.
The original Ballade marked the Japanese automaker’s entry into the local passenger-car market way back in 1982, and was called the Civic in overseas markets. Mercedes-Benz assembled the cars in East London at the time. When Honda came into the country lock, stock and two smoking barrels at the start of the millennium the name reverted to Civic.
But in the interim there were some serious Ballades for the time. Who can forget the 150i with its pop-up lights, the chisel-nosed 160i DOHC, the fatter-bummed 180E or the most recent - the Ballade V-Tec? These were all legends; they ran strongly, handled well, and some - the DOHC and V-Tec in particular - achieved a cult following on street and drag strip alike.
Skip to 2011 and Honda has reintroduced the Ballade badge in South Africa, but on a car very different in character to any Ballade I’ve ever driven. The new one is a sanitised small sedan that slots in neatly between the Jazz and the Civic sedan. But, unlike the previous Ballade with Civic lineage, the new Ballade runs on a Jazz platform and is called a City in overseas markets. In essence you’ll find it in the Avis garage parked next to rivals such as the sedan versions of the Mazda2 and Ford Fiesta.
Badging aside, there’s not much wrong with Honda’s new compact sedan, and it ticks just about every box on the utilitarian check list. The nose and wheels are about as exciting as it gets in terms of design, with designers introducing a wide-toothed smile that we’ve already seen on other models in the range. The back looks very previous-generation Toyota Corolla to me, but lift the boot lid and there’s a seriously large boot (506 litres worth which, according to Honda, rivals larger sedans) and a full-sized spare (with proper mag rim). The family man would appreciate both of these aspects.
The interior seems to follow the same back-to-basics design brief, with the only design stand-out being the sci-fi styled steering wheel borrowed from the Jazz. The dials and centre console, unlike the Jazz and Civic, are simple and straight forward, which I guess isn’t a bad thing. Two points on the technology front, Honda: the USB cable is a winner, the cellphone Bluetooth connectivity not so much. The latter, located on the A-pillar next to the driver, looks like an add-on aftermarket device and, besides not being able to read its graphics due to the angle of the device, it’s finicky to operate.
Rear legroom in the Ballade is especially impressive though, and I could sit “behind me” with complete comfort. The seats are rather comfy too but, as in the current Jazz, the driver’s seat doesn’t seem to lower enough, forcing an elevated seating position.
Powering the new Ballade is only one engine choice, the same 1.5-litre i-VTEC found in the Jazz (and CR-Z, minus the electric motor) - in five-speed manual (the version on test here) or five-speed auto guise.
Against the clock at altitude we managed an 11.5sec 0-100km/h sprint (Honda claims 10 seconds at sea level) and 18.1sec for the quarter mile. I do also like that the traction control can be switched off completely. Overall consumption of 7.7 was a little higher than the claimed 6.3 litres/100km, which I attribute in part to the lack of a sixth gear.
The 88kW/145Nm engine can be accused of being neither perky nor lazy; it gets the job done in typical rental-car fashion. Being from the Jazz gene pool one would expect handling and steering feedback in the Ballade to be engaging, but it feels watered down a bit here. The Jazz feels light, and is agile through corners with sharp and crisp steering feedback. The Ballade, on the other hand, feels softer and less athletic (though stable at high speeds), with the steering having a numb feel - perhaps it’s the way the electronic power steering is set up.
Not that most buyers in this segment might notice. Build quality and finishes are typically Honda, which means they’re exceptional.
VERDICT:
The bottom line is that there’s fantastic value for money to be had in the Ballade for the R193 900 sticker price (we had the Elegance version with bigger wheels and Bluetooth, among others). Nine grand less gets you the Comfort version, and this includes a multi-function steering wheel, cruise control, electric windows, electric side mirrors, aircon, alarm with remote locking, and radio with USB and MP3 capability. Personally I wouldn’t take it over the Mazda2 sedan, purely from a looks and engaging drive perspective, but I would take it over the Fiesta sedan. They’re all very similarly priced so it does come down to personal preference.
For me this will never really be a Ballade, though. Sigh. -Pretoria News Motoring