Honda Vezel

[poundpuppy]

Start-stop is off.

 

Ah ok, so many combinations to save petrol in our rides :)

 

I managed to get about 17.2 km/l on my first tank, with start-stop and Eco both on - but I happened to do quite a bit of expressway driving that week. Will report as it averages out.

[LeonardoWong]

Hi fellow vezel owners,

 

My first post in this forum and was delighted to see a Honda Vezel thread.

 

I collected my white Vezel late Dec 2014 anf have been loving it. A lovely ride indeed.

 

I am looking out for car cams so any recommendations will be appreciated.

 

Look forward to more interactions with you all!

[Kennethwong]

 

Thanks bro!!! I will go explore :)

After driving for a week... I find that when move off from stop position... Need to step quite hard before the car move off at a decent speed... Btw, i was on eco mode... Is it normal?

It is normal and it supposed to work that way. The ECU control your throttle power output. I tested with my OBD reading on the throttle position. The torque reading is different on the same throttle position with ECO on and off. Edited January 4, 2015 by Kennethwong

[wkloh]

Collected my ride at 1100hrs today. everything thing went smoothly. Thanks to SHAWN from AUTOLUX. Any brothers here aiming for this car can give him a call at 81838289. Btw, I am not related to him or the PI but just want to provide an additional PI who are trustworthy & reliable for bros here to consider

Congratulations logic69 on your new ride..👍✌😃

How's the experience so far? 😉

[indulge]

Hi fellow vezel owners,

 

My first post in this forum and was delighted to see a Honda Vezel thread.

 

I collected my white Vezel late Dec 2014 anf have been loving it. A lovely ride indeed.

 

I am looking out for car cams so any recommendations will be appreciated.

 

Look forward to more interactions with you all!

 

iRoad V7 - http://www.navinc.co.kr/mall/en_index.php

BlackVue dr530w - http://www.blackvue.com.sg/

[wkloh]

 

Interested to know where did u install and how much did you pay for the side step? PM if inconvenient.

Hi lunalogica, PMed to u.. 😉

[wkloh]

Have been browsing through the forum for quite sometime, doing my research for a new ride which could be either a Kia Forte K3 or Toyota Altis or Mazda 3. I did not consider any Honda cars in my initial choice because I always have the impression that Honda made are usually more pricey. Happened to chance upon this thread and learned about the new Honda Vezel. It was love at first sight and after having read all the forum postings in this thread, I have more or less firmed up on my decision to go for a Honda Vezel 'X' model.

 

Like many others, I have never purchased any car from a PI before. After the Volks Auto saga, many people are like me more apprehensive about buying from PI. However, having seen so many success stories in this thread, I think the risk of a default is lower if we go with more reputable PIs.

 

Considering that the next COE bidding exercise will be conducted next week, it may be better to wait and see which way COE is heading; hopefully down...

 

Hi saysay, jaz to say that the COE for the next few rounds can be very volatile & not trustworthy.. due to CNY season.. so don too mind what gradient the COE arrow is pointing.. 😜

[wkloh]

Of all the good things with my lady, I must say that she does not have many pockets for me to keep small things that I may need now and then (like parking coupon).

 

Perhaps my good brothers and sisters could share their creative ways to store things in their vezels.

Hi Pokadot, I share the same sentiments as you. And I had some success stories can share.. picture u later wen i get in the car in the morning.. 😆

 

 

It depends on what kind of COE package you signed up with the dealer actually. But definitely nothing to do with inspection that they can't bid for COE.

 

Even if you don't know what car to buy yet, you can also bid for COE already.

 

100% Confirm, Chop.

CORRECT👍👍

[wkloh]

 

Yes, same experience on Eco mode. I want to try one tank driving with Eco mode off and see the difference in FC. Any bros tried this before?

So far i tried my 1st full tank with 100% eco mode & only gotten 12.1km/l (calculated, not by meter view). Not too spectacular against spec. But will be trying again on 2nd full tank on eco mode to confirm this reading. After that will be doing the same on 100% non-eco mode. Objective is to establish the effectiveness of eco mode on my driving style. 😉

[Niltrams]

Hi guys, just collected our White Vezel Hybrid and did a short objective review over the weekend over 200km of driving. As promised, I shall break it down into 3 parts for easy viewing, 1) Outlook, 2) Interior and 3) the Drive, and keep it short and sweet.

 

Before we start, here's our beauty!

 

 

1) Outlook

 

The Vezel Hybrid comes in a Pearl White paintwork which I believe is also available in the non-Hybrid versions. Going by usual Honda standards, the paint thickness is quite thin, so I might consider going for paint protection as most people do so.

 

 

The hybrid version comes with body colour wheel fenders, in contrast with the black finish of the non-Hybrid to differentiate the 2 modesl. Other than the obvious Hybrid tags all over the place, the only other exterior disparity are the rear brake light clusters, in which there is a slightly darker blue tint and LED lights instead of normal bulbs.

 

 

Wheels are decent looking 17" alloys, nothing much to shout out about. Tyres are Dunlop Sport Maxx 050 originating from Japan, size 215/55R17 94V, considered a decent OEM tyre. I shall touch on the impact on the Vezel's handling later, which is probably the most important aspect that needs to be shared.

 

 

The LED lights are BRIGHT. Really bright. Coupled with the high stance of our Vezels, you can literally blind lowered cars when behind them. Mark my words, these LEDs are brighter than ANY legal stock HIDs on the road and the throw is ridiculous. 4 lanes of expressway illuminated. I dare say these are around 7000-8500K temperature range. Its nuts that LTA didn't step in but La-La-La we enjoy bright roads while we can.

 

To sum it up, nothing much different from the Vezel non-Hybrids, so moving along to the interior..

 

2) Interior

 

 

This is where the greatest change manifests itself. Tan faux-leather appears in the front fascia and all 4 sides of the panels. I chose the black faux-leather fitment across the board as I personally find the full-tan interior look a little too "Conti-imitation", and our humble JDM ride need not fight its battles with the Europeans.

 

 

The Hybrid possesses a vastly different instrument cluster, in which the number of features are significantly more complex than the non-Hybrids. Japanese-only descriptions do nothing to help. From here, you can see your instant/average fuel consumption, engine/motor combination drive diagram, reactive-force pedal engagement and more.

 

 

The Hybrid comes with the usual magic seats but strangely, I could not get the "Refresh-Mode" arrangement to work. Does this work on our JDM Vezels? Its such a waste if Honda left out this feature. As you can see, the black interior blends quite well with the tan armrests.

 

3. The Drive

 

 

This part is intimate to me as I personally own a Honda Civic Type-R (FN2) and well... am a partner in a workshop. Another story but lets remain focused on the Vezel Hybrid.

 

Equipped with the 7-speed I-DCD (Dual-Clutch and DC motor encased within one unit), and having tested many VW DSGs over the course of a few years, I can say based on very preliminary testing of the system, it works beautifully. There is totally an absence of judder, which is prevalent in early VW 7-DSG drives prior to the recalls, mainly because of the DC motor which powers the car from standstill before the petrol engine kicks in above 15km/h with a distinguishable but slight vibration on load. In fact, most of the time I just simply let the car run on EV mode, which is where the electric motor takes over 100% of the propulsion, to move the car out of the carpark in total silence. An added bonus is the electric Aircon compressor, giving you cool air purely on battery power without the petrol engine kicking in.

 

On the move, the Hybrid can cruise at 40-50km/h on battery power EV-mode given the right circumstances, owing to battery charge and how you feather the throttle. Having driven a Toyota Camry Hybrid extensively in Australia over 4500km, I can say that our Honda i-DCD is less aggressive in terms of straining the electrical system as compared to the Toyota's HSD. There is no dedicated EV-mode button, and the petrol engine kicks in once u dab the throttle a wee bit more. On average, I could achieve 18km/l on 70% city and 30% expressway drive, with the engine mileage only at 250km. Hopefully it increases after the first few engine oil change.

 

Here's where it goes downhill.

 

The Vezel comes equipped with a Torsion Beam setup. If you are aware of the limitations of this setup, you would know this is a cost-saving feature for compact cars or sport hatchbacks that use this lifehack to achieve lightness and stiffness, with the advantage of cheaper manufacturing. Case in point my beloved FN2R and the Renault Megane RS.

 

However, on a tall car such as the Vezel, it is curiously uncomfortable. I'd be honest with you guys, I'd expect a much better comfort level from a new 2014 make, much more from Honda which is famous for putting the brilliant double wishbone/multi-link setup on the Accord CL7 and subsequent Accords. Going over average roads, while a comparable CUV with independent rear suspension (CX-3/5, Forester) will soak up the bumps fairly adequately, the Vezel sways left and right in a stiff way owing to how the Torsion Beam works. It is fine on the smaller Honda Jazz/Fits but not so on the higher CG Vezels. The ride is unsettled, uncomfortable and frankly, disappointing.

 

Happily, with a stiff suspension setup, the handling is superb for any SUV in its class (except for the Subarus). The car handled most high speed corners adequately, with the 17" Dunlop Sport Maxx 050 barely stressed in any of such situations. Trust me, I did cornering at 80 km/h and body roll was very well tamed and the car revealed flashes of the excellent Fit GK chassis its based on.

 

But, we don't buy our Vezels to corner fast, we buy them as a sensible family car. I hope that maybe its only my Hybrid that has this stiff ride issue due to the heavy battery pack at the back, and Honda had to put either stiffer shock-absorbers and springs to tame the extra heft.

 

 

In closing, I'm excited for this new Honda platform which has a lot of potential. I will do a short-mid-long term review of this vehicle as the most important aspect most Bros here are interested in will be the dual-clutch gearbox reliability, handling and of course, fuel consumption of the Hybrid.

 

Do share with me your thoughts and enjoy Vezeling!

 

 

 

 

[Niltrams]

By the way, anybody wanting to test the Hybrid, I would be happy to oblige, granted that you take very good care of it! Just PM me I can arrange :)

[Andyngps]

Bro just copy the whole url in taobao into the daigou page. They will auto load the item and convert to sgd when you check out your cart. When the item reaches their warehouse, they will calculate the shipping charges and ask you to confirm before shipping over.

 

After it reaches sg, you pay for the shipping charges and select collection mode. They have various self collect timings at mrts etc. Quite convenient i feel.

Bro, can comment on what are the differences between the two? I do realise taobao is darn slow in delivery.

[Dafansu]

Thanks for the detailed review Niltrams

[trajet2b]

Thanks Niltrams for the review. Enjoy!

 

this one below is so cool.

Edited January 5, 2015 by trajet2b

[Googoo]

saw a white hybrid park at the road side at Solaris there. belong to any bros here??

[Tak]

Bro, can comment on what are the differences between the two? I do realise taobao is darn slow in delivery.

I am under the impression taobao dont ship internationally so daigou is a forwarder service to buy their stuff.

[Dswm]

Collected our baby with my dad on 3 Jan! Ride is smooth, had a minor issue of accidentally immobilizing the engine but was sorted out within the hour. One thing we noticed was the engine roar when picking up speed is abit intrusive but tolerable. Drove almost 150km on the first day cargo hauling as we were moving house. The space with the rear seats down is really very very big.

 

Oh did i mention the LED headlights and DRLs are gorgeous? They are freaaking bright to the extent that it has so much range it illuminates all 4 lanes of the E'way.

 

The car is a head turner no doubt, feels like driving an advertisement board. Much thanks to cartimes and Robert for the service. It was rush but everything went smoothly in the end.

 

 

indeed, it's an eye turner! after driving for more than 2 months already, still getting looks and second-takes along the roads

 

[taykelvin69]

Hi,

 

I will be going to Shanghai for 2 days next week.

If any bro that needs help to hand-carry any light weight, dedicated items, do PM me.

But you have to find ways to bring the items to my hotel

 

Cheers...