Foldable instead of foldable
This brand new Honda N-Van-e combines the benefits of a Nissan Prairie, a Chrysler Grand Voyager, a van and an EV in one compact package. It is also more practical than the petrol version, so come see it!
In Japan, the Honda N-Van is the even more practical brother of the already bizarrely practical N-Box. While the latter is primarily focused on the transport of people, the N-Van – its name says it all – is basically a ‘van’ that can also accommodate passengers, depending on the version. The N-Van is a so-called Kei-car, a car in the class governed by clear size restrictions that provides major tax benefits in Japan.
Kei cars are usually mainly intended for the city, so it seems sensible to replace the petrol engine limited by legislation to 660 cc with an electric drivetrain. The fully electric N-Van e shows that Honda thought the same way. The brand is somewhat reserved when it comes to specifications, but does report that the high, narrow Honda has a range of 245 kilometers. Charging takes about 4.5 hours on a normal charger, but can be a lot faster on a fast charger with a maximum of 50 kW. The battery can be cooled and heated to extend its life and shorten charging times.
Down-to-earth and practical: the N-van e has been kept nice and simple
Looking at the photos, we can’t help but fall in love with the charms of the N-van. Everything about this car shows that practicality was at the top of the priority list. The undoubtedly rock-hard plastic of the interior is not a disadvantage, but ensures that the interior of the unpretentious N-van can withstand many tough years. Steel wheels, depending on the version with or without hub cap, paint a similar picture.
Like a Nissan Prairie
The practical N-Van not only has a gigantic tailgate, but also two (relatively) large sliding doors. Like the Ford B-Max and Nissan Prairie, the N-Van has no B-pillar, so with the front and rear doors open it creates one large, uninterrupted opening.
No B-pillar, so one large opening. This is the four-seater, with the seats folded away.
Interestingly, by using an electric powertrain, Honda has managed to further expand the already rainy interior volume of the N-Van. In the most uncompromising variant, the e:G with only one seat, the usable interior space has been extended by 95 mm. This version is all about transporting as much stuff as possible, so the simple dashboard on the passenger side has been shortened a bit to create more space. The N-Van is also available as an L2, which has a seat behind the driver, meaning it can also transport quite long items.
Stow&Go
Would you rather have more people along? No worries. The N-van is also available as an e:L4 and a more luxurious e:Fun, two four-seater versions with ingeniously concealed seats. The system is somewhat comparable to the Stow&Go principle with which Chrysler once made a splash, and means that the rear seat and the front passenger seat can sink almost seamlessly into the bottom of the floor. The result is a flat loading floor that is 120 mm higher than the single-seater e:G, but is still impressively low. The result is a four-seater car in which the passenger seats are in fact not the priority, but are installed in the floor as a kind of reserve facility. So no folding rear seat, but a folding rear seat, which basically waits neatly in the bottom until it can be of use.
The interior of the ‘luxury’ e-Fun with folded seats.
Less than 15 grand
We see career opportunities in European cities, especially for the N-Van e:L4, but that will undoubtedly remain a dream. In Japan, sales start in October and prices for a four-seater start at €15,994. a version with fast charging option costs €16,645, the single-seater is available for €14,455.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl