Khulekani On Wheels
    • Car Reviews
    • Car News
    • Electric
    • Videos
    • Travel
    • About
    • Contact

    Launched: 2020 Honda Ballade Sedan

    By khulekani / on Dec 22nd, 2020 / in Car Reviews, featured

    Launched: 2020 Honda Ballade Sedan

    By khulekani / on Dec 22nd, 2020 / in Car Reviews, featured

    By Khulekani Dumisa

    The sedan segment is under pressure due to the onslaught of SUVs but a few of these cars remain resilient and are pulling decent numbers. In fact, go back a few years, the Ballade was one of the key players of the segment. Things may be tough but Honda reckons they have a shot and on paper that may be true, the Ballade has a few things going for it – space, generous specification, decent ride quality and decent pricing.

    Looks

    The new model is larger than the outgoing model: 110mm longer, 55mm wider, and 10mm lower. This translates into a lower centre of gravity for greater on-road stability, better cornering confidence and an improvement in the overall driving dynamics. 

    From a design perspective, the new Ballade incorporates a solid wing face that spans the entire front width of the car, while incorporating the brand’s bold grille design and the new slim headlight treatment shared with the larger Honda Civic.

    The Ballade range launches with three models: Comfort, Elegance and RS. The all-new Ballade is the first model to introduce the global Honda ‘RS’ brand name to Southern Africa. Honda uniquely defines ‘RS’ as ‘Road Sailing’, a nod to the smooth nature of a boat sailing on water and not performance. Think R-Line, M Sport package and AMG-Line.

    The Ballade Comfort and Elegance models are equipped with projector-type halogen headlights, while the range topping RS is fitted with LED headlights and fog lights. All models come standard with LED daytime running lights and distinctive LED taillights that wrap around the side of the body. These really make the Ballade look upmarket.

    The colour options for the Ballade include a new Platinum White (Pearl), Radiant Red (Metallic), Lunar Silver (Metallic) and Modern Steel (Metallic).

    Interior

    The interior of the new Ballade is roomy, however tall drivers will struggle with the sunroof. Yours truly is barely over 1,7 metres tall and barely had any headroom in the RS model fitted with a sunroof.

    The new Ballade features new seat designs with fabric upholstery on Comfort and Elegance models, while the range-topping RS interior gets leather upholstery.

    On the infotainment front, the new Honda Ballade gets a high-resolution eight-inch touchscreen display with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality. The unit also features Bluetooth and steering wheel controls, and comes standard on the Elegance and RS models.

    Electrically operated side mirrors and windows, cruise control, automatic air-conditioning and auto headlights are all standard features across the range.

    The flagship RS model gains a host of additional features and technology such as smart entry with walk-away auto locking, a rear-view parking camera, electric sunroof, and an all-new intuitive 7-inch TFT multi-information display replacing the traditional analogue instrument cluster.

    Safety

    The new Honda Ballade is offered with a number of active and passive safety features. These include advanced Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) with Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD) and Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA), rear parking sensors (Comfort model), reverse parking camera (RS), driver, front passenger, side and curtain SRS airbags as standard across the model range. In addition, all models are equipped with seatbelt pretensioners and ISOFIX child seat anchors.

    Engine and performance

    The new Ballade is powered by a 1.5L DOHC engine with i-VTEC technology. This engine makes 80 kW of power and 145 Nm of torque. Fuel economy is rated at 5.5l/100km for the 1.5L DOHC engine with i-VTEC technology.

    The Ballade ticks all the boxes in terms of power delivery, comfort and a smooth transmission. The car even holds its own in corners and other fairly challenging road scenarios. The slight issue is practicality in the RS model. The sunroof eats too much into the headroom and affects the driving position. This unfortunately affects enjoyment. Other than that, the Ballade is worth considering for a family that is looking for a practical sedan.

    Pricing

    The new Honda Ballade is priced as follows:

    Ballade 1.5 Comfort CVT                               R336,500

    Ballade 1.5 Elegance CVT                               R366,900

    Ballade 1.5 RS CVT                                           R396,900

    Prices include a five-year/200,000 warranty and a four-year/60 000km Service.

    Categories: Car Reviews, featured  /  Tags: 2020 Honda Ballade, Honda Ballade, Honda Ballade South Africa, New Honda Ballade
  • Comment

  • Leave a comment Cancel

    Leave a comment
  • Comment

  • Next articleKoleos Dynamique 2.5 CVT 4X4 driven

    By Khulekani Dumisa The SUV space is super busy and some decent options simply get over...

  • Previous articleNew Honda WR-V launched

    By Khulekani Dumisa Honda is growing its SUV offering locally. The latest offering is k...

  • More & Related Articles

    Renault Kiger launch review

    By Otsile Kadiege We recently attended the launch of Renault’s all-new Kiger. The Kiger is the French automaker’s compact crossover SUV based on the CMF-A platform it shares...

    Ferrari P80/C revealed but you can’t own or drive it

    By Staff Reporter Following a few teaser images yesterday of Ferrari’s new supercar, the Italian has finally revealed the P80/C, the sad thing is that it is a...

    Meet the 192 kW 2020 Toyota GR Yaris

    By Staff Reporter A few months after unveiling the all-new Toyota Yaris, Toyota has revealed its more potent version, the Toyota GR Yaris. This is not the first...

    Audi announces Audi A4 and A5 S Line Competition and Competition Plus appearance packages

    By Otsile Kadiege Audi has added two new appearance packages to the Audi A4 and A5 range. These cosmetic upgrades called Competition and Competition Plus boosts the sporty...

    Volvo XC40 T5 AWD R-Design driven

    By Khulekani Dumisa The Volvo XC40 has been around for a while now yet it still manages to impress every time we have an encounter with it. Recently...

    All-new BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe revealed

    By Staff Reporter After the successful story of four-door coupes in the BMW line-up which began with the 6 Series Gran Coupe in 2012 followed by the 4...

    Audi Q3 Sportback launched

    By Khulekani Dumisa Audi SA has expanded its SUV range by adding the new Audi Q3 Sportback to the line-up which comes in two flavours – a 110...

    Budget friendly Suzuki S-Presso gets new engine

    By Otsile Kadiege One of Suzuki Auto South Africa’s best-selling models is the popular S-Presso. The budget car recently received a mild update in India. It now features...

    COVID-19

    STAY INFORMED ABOUT THE CURRENT CORONAVIRUS IN SOUTH AFRICA AND VISIT THE OFFICIAL COVID-19 WEBSITE: WWW.SACORONAVIRUS.CO.ZA


    © 2023 Khulekani On Wheels - Managed by Tech Matters