Honda's attitude to life

I admire Honda for making cars. On the surface, they study technology, but in fact, they have pushed car building to a new level: from building a good car, to creating a life attitude, to a new lifestyle. Everything is not easy.

The domestic economy car market is notorious for rapid changes. Sometimes sedan cars are popular, and manufacturers are rushing to introduce them; sometimes hatchbacks are popular. Route: Guangben Hatchback Fit, Peugeot 206, and Nissan Tiida appeared one after another, and all of a sudden, this long-silent hatchback field became hot.

Because of this change, the original sedan models fell out of favor, and the sales volume of many models was less than 1/4 of the original. Of course, such a situation cannot be entirely blamed on it, and the rapid changes in the market are also one of the reasons. Speaking of which, I remember when I went to Thailand to interview the Bangkok Auto Show in 2005, and saw the continuous hot sale of the sedan Fit (locally called City) in the venue, I couldn't help but sigh that the "only trendy theory" of Chinese people when buying cars is not Mature.

However, in the face of immaturity in the market, Guangzhou Honda has always been able to grasp the pulse of the market. Admiration. The new CITY born on the Fit platform this time cannot be simply understood as a modified version of the sedan Fit. The new car has undergone a reborn evolution in terms of engineering and design orientation. I think it is appropriate to use "refreshing" to describe Sidi's test drive experience.

Car "gentrification"

This was the word that struck me the most at the tech briefing: car gentrification. Sounds a bit cryptic. A small car (here refers to an economical car) is nothing more than convenient and practical, easy to drive and fuel-efficient, and high-end is often built with material and money. If the two are simply superimposed, then Sidi has to sell it at a high price, right? ! Don't panic, Honda's engineers have their own shrewd ideas.

First of all, Sidi has a better-looking appearance and more harmonious proportions. Since the introduction of the sedan Fit, there has been a lot of talk about its beauty and ugliness. In order to satisfy greedy consumers, Honda engineers took great pains to implement the MM concept of "minimizing machinery and maximizing space" on the sedan Fit. The control of the proportions of the body caused negligence. Sidi has redesigned the front and rear light groups and shapes, and the total vehicle length has been increased by 90mm. The purpose is to make the proportions of the body harmonious and unified.

What is surprising is that the effect is so good: the front of the car, which is somewhat like the Honda Airwave, is full and layered. The natural transition of the van effectively dilutes the feeling of a sedan Fit MPV. The side turn signal adopts the popular one-piece rearview mirror, the area of the tail light is increased a lot, the whole tail looks much thicker, and the top-heavy imbalance is basically eliminated. There is no doubt that the current Sidi is more like a sedan, rather than a "compact car with the characteristics of a small MPV".

Furthermore, Sidi replaced the original Fit's continuously variable transmission (CVT) with a traditional five-speed automatic transmission (AT). This can be called a big move by Honda on the Fit platform. You must know that the trend of CVT for small cars in the Asian and European markets was initiated by Honda, but this "leader" chose to go the opposite way at this time, which is surprising. This is also the essence of the high-end car that Sidi is striving for. Honda's researchers found that most of the models that are more advanced than the Fit use traditional automatic transmissions. In addition to the practical advantages of more efficient shifting, it will give people a more advanced feeling and improve the level of driving experience. . Moreover, this automatic transmission is a five-speed front, and the transmission ratio range of the fifth gear is no less than that of a CVT, thus dispelling the concern of a significant increase in fuel consumption that may be brought about by switching to AT. However, the manufacturer also emphasized that Sidi's abandonment of CVT and switching to AT is not a harbinger of the modification of the hatchback Fit, and the concept cannot be copied.

Another manifestation of Sidi's gentrification is that the rear seat of the 1.5-liter top version has abandoned the original Fit's most distinctive folding seat and replaced it with a traditional fixed seat, because the folding seat is comfortable to ride Sex has always been criticized. The entire fixed seat has been widened and thickened, a bit like the "executive chair" of a mid-to-high-end car. In addition to the wide seat cushion, there are side wings that support the shoulders on both sides, plus the soft-touch leather. It's such a caring comfort. The designer also dug out two storage compartments under the seat to make up for the fact that the seat cannot be folded. Although the actual space is not large, it is still practical to place small sundries such as shoes. After the above-mentioned changes, Sidi has improved at least a half upgrade compared to the original sedan Fit, and the slogan of "upscale car" is not empty talk.

More advanced power

I have been in contact with the Fit many times, and its overall mechanical perfection is impressive, so that every time I compete with the same class, I am accustomed to the Fit Vote. However, the Fit is not perfect, and the common problems in small cars such as low-level suspension shock filtering and insufficient control texture still exist. Guangben seems to be able to penetrate people's hearts, and the progress in Sidi continues to be exciting.

After switching from CVT to 5AT, the driving feeling of Sidi has changed significantly. The instant slippage that is unique to CVT cars is no longer there, but it is replaced by a slight impact, and the accompanying It's a sharper and more direct shift and acceleration response. The 1.5AT we tested, under normal circumstances, the speed is maintained between 2000rpm and 3000rpm. If you deliberately step on the accelerator, the response of kickdowm acceleration is much more direct than that of CVT. To use an analogy, it used to be that someone tapped you on the back twice before you started running, but now you know you have to run with a tap. Such a synchronized response will undoubtedly make it easier for the driver to grasp.

In the Yalong Bay, Hainan where we tested the car, there is a section of expressway of about 10 kilometers. I have tried running Sidi in a high gear at a speed of more than 140km/h, and I feel that the power of the engine is smoother. Huh..." The tension was greatly relieved. In the case of maintaining the original power, I have more reason to believe that this is due to the more efficient transmission of the gearbox.

Speaking of this new five-speed automatic transmission, I have to mention the full-speed clutch lock-up control design it adopts. Through the electronic control unit, the 1st to 5th gears of the torque converter are locked at full speed, so that the rigid transmission of power can be realized at the start of the first gear, and the power loss is lower, which is more conducive to fuel-saving and efficient transmission. According to the manufacturer's information, the constant speed fuel consumption of Sidi after the replacement of 5AT still maintains the value of the CVT of the year. With so many favorable factors, it is no wonder that Honda has also switched to the AT camp this time. In addition, this automatic transmission cannot be localized at this stage, and it is imported from Japan.

More Comfortable

If the advancement of the drivetrain is only experienced by the driver, then the improvement in comfort can be a treasure for every passenger. The suspension structure of Sidi is the same as that of the Sedan Fit, but the shock absorbers, which play a key role in driving comfort, and the flexible bushings connected to the suspension have been adjusted more carefully (including stiffness and angle), so that the suspension The action to handle vibration is more delicate. The actual effect is obvious. The vibration from the road surface is significantly reduced at medium speed. When running over some large speed bumps, the impact of the suspension rebound is reduced, and the feeling is more calm.

Although the suspension is a little softer, and the support force when facing the curve is weakened, the cornering dynamics of Sidi are still very smooth, and the suspension action is gentle and comfortable. The key elements involved in handling steering and braking have been improved. The electric-assisted steering wheel already knows how to transmit the sense of the road, and the sense of proportion of the steering is comparable to that of hydraulic assistance. On the undulating asphalt road in Hainan, you can clearly feel that the steering of Sidi is more direct than any previous Fit.

Furthermore, Sidi's braking response has also been adjusted. I inadvertently braked several times during the test drive, and the feeling is quite obvious as soon as I step on it. I thought that Sidi's braking force was strengthened, but according to the engineer's account, in fact, the braking force did not increase, and the braking distance in the limit test was not shortened, but the free travel of the brake pedal was changed. The response of operating the brake has been accelerated, and the rumor that the original Fit "brakes soft" is no longer tenable.

Sidi 1.3MT has been with me for the longest time in order to find a photo spot. I have not only once lamented that Honda's manual transmission models can be driven to such a degree that the manual transmission with cable structure is extremely easy to operate. Blocking is as easy as playing at home. Walking under the shadow of the coconut trees, I even focused so much on enjoying the view that I almost forgot that I was in control of a manual car, a feeling that is rare in my test driving experience.

Attitude

This time, I spent a lot of time with the R&D personnel during the test drive of Sidi. After chatting with them about technology, development, and even some sensitive market topics, I was impressed by their always pertinent and serious answering attitude. A good car factory, a good brand, should be like this. As for Sidi, I believe that it will sell well after it goes on the market, because its progress in every detail is like a heart attack, which makes you feel that a good family car should be like this... In addition, Guangben has always been brilliant Market strategy, Sidi has enough strength to become a new leader in the same level market.