Honda Vezel Hybrid (Parallel Imported)

A handsome ride which is very practical, the magic seat can do wonders to load all sorts of items as they are very flexible with configuration. The boot is very spacious and usable even without dripping down the seat.

The suspension of this car is crazy stiff in my opinion. The rear seats doesn't feel very comfortable and the brakes feels really harsh at times. Sound system is mediocre and noise insulation is very poor.

Do let the engine warm up well before moving off as the car jerks when transitioning between electric and petrol engine when it's cold.. There's a few times the car "Lags" In responding when trying to get out of a filter lane which I feel is really dangerous.

Hybrid fuel saving is too little with this vehicle to make any sense.. The premium price is likely to outweigh any fuel savings over the ownership period.. Do your math properly before investing in the hybrid version.

Decent low cost budget car that you won't feel too painful to abuse as parts and maintenance is cheap.

This Car seems to attract many 1st time car buyers and young people.

Notice the young crowd love to dress up their Vezel with wings, oversized tires, stripes, etc that looks cartoonish. All looks and no spunk!!

This is a great car for running around. The Singapore equivalent to the proton saga in Malaysia.

Can't go wrong with this car if your are budget conscious.

Just don't go Ah Beng and dressed up the ride in stripes, oversize tires, wings and bodykits, and crazy looking lights like a float.

Bought the RS Hybrid in June 2017. Previously was driving an Audi A3 1.4T. IN comparison, there's a lot of differences;

1. Ride and handling is that of a SUV with a higher centre of gravity, thus don't expect it to drive like a hot hatch.

2. Higher view of the road in front, makes for easier ingress and egress out of parking lots.

3. Does not have the same european suspension where it can be perceived as "Hard". Heard a lot about the hard suspension of the Vezel but after taking delivery of the RS, found it surpringly a good ride provided you have good tyres with the right pressure.

4. NVH is decent and surprisingly competitive with the A3 I used to own. This car is relatively comfortable to be in.

5. Excellent fuel economy.

6. Lower cost for maintenance

7. With Honda sensing pack, makes for a much safer car.

However to be honest, if I need to get a second car, I'll still buy a continental car. No regrets in getting this but purchasing fromn PI did not allow me to have a test drive. Hence went in with fingers crossed and lots of research!

This is the first car I purchased that is below 2,000cc. Previous rides had been a RX300, Harrier 2.4, Odyssey 2.4 and a BMW 7-series 3 litre.

Based on power to weight ratio, this Hybrid is by no means a sloth, thus the reason I had expected a lot more out of it. At 150BHP for a small car 1,300kg versus 160BHP on my 2.4 Odyssey and Harrier at 1,680kg.

Very unfortunate that the car kicks up a huge fuss when pushed hard. Engine is rough and noisy and penetrates the carbin all too easily probably due to the small displacement and super thin metal.

Japanese really lacks behind the Europeans when it comes to building small CC cars with decent refinement and handling. On the larger cars like Accords and Camry, Japanese do give the conti a good run for the money.

If you are changing cars from either a continental or driving an above 2,000cc to this Hybrid, fair warning you won't be happy unless you set aside at least $3,000 to do proper and good soundproofing and insulation against outside road noise, tire noise and the engine's cry for help.

Comfort

For a BnB car, it is pretty average, suspension setup is abit hard, harder than my previous Subaru impreza which is quite stiff for daily usage. However insulation is pretty decent. Tried both petrol and hybrid, the latter is quieter. Size wise is pretty good for this segment, 3 adults are able to sit at the back comfortably with ample legroom and headroom, no center hump too.

Exterior styling

Looks great! Handsome front and back ends. Coupe style silhouette with hidden back door handles. Bright and functional LED headlights and LED backlights (hybrid).

Interior design

Looks great too! Front passengers are cocooned inside a comfortable space within the car, partly due to the high center console, allowing you to place your barangs barangs there. Lots of storage areas.

Features

Honda Sensing is a must! Adaptive cruise control, lane departure assistance and automatic braking to avoid collision. You can totally set your car on cruise control and your car will automatically keep its speed and distance with the front car. It will also keep you inside your own lane and brake for you when needed. There is brake hold too, useful for traffic jams where the car presses the brake for you when you stop, so that you can relax your right feet. Lots of airbags (8 for petrol and 6 for hybrid). There is also sports mode and econ mode to suit different driving styles.

Performance

Reason why I choose hybrid over petrol after testing both for 15 minutes each. Petrol has ample of performance for a basic BnB car but the hybrid has 150+ bhp, similar to a 2.0l engine. Pickup for petrol and hybrid is around 11 seconds and 8.5 seconds respectively. Power is ample and more than sufficient even when car is fully loaded with passengers. Performance on par with Civic Turbo and Swifts Sports. FC is around 16 to 17km/l for 80% Or more city driving.

I used to drive the non-hybrid version for Uber but I recently switched to the hybrid and I'm loving it!

The fuel economy is so much better on this one and even though my rental per day is slightly higher, I am able to save on my petrol costs (which equates to more income :P).

My passengers have told me they're loving the aircon in the front seat, especially on a hot sunny afternoon. That thing blasts you with cool air and really cools you down fast.

Driving for this baby for almost 3 months. The driving experience and feeling are great and no regret to get this baby at all. For exterior, I like mostly the hybrid LED tail lights; They make it look like high-end car. For interior, I like mostly the spacious back leg room and my family members are happy now to sit comfortably compared to my previous car. No doubt, with the price range I pay, the most important factors to make this Vezel Hybrid outstanding are the engine power where it equips with dual-clutch semi-automatic 7-speed gearbox (sport mode with cruise control) to provide 150bhp horse power, net torque 190Nm and acceleration of 8.1s. The bonus points are better sound proofing compared to the normal Vezel and can get 21 to 24 km/l of fuel consumption with 30% Expressways and 70% City driving. Also, today Li-ion battery technology has progressed significantly and the cost is not expensive as previous, so I not worry about the Li-ion battery reliability and maintenance cost.

The ride is pliant and smooth. Engine is smooth as start off is electric and then followed by engine. For cruising and traffic acceleration, ride never sounds strained. Is quiet, too quiet in fact. Sound proofing is much better compared to model S or X of the petrol version.

Switched to sports mode and you can feel the full effect of the 150 BHP through the idcd gear set up. Tried it once only as SUV is meant for comfort cruising. You will be surprised at its acceleration.

Interior features for model Z is the highest tier you can get for the Honda Vezel range. Everything inside is poshly done up, for a budget car segment, this is as good as it gets.

I am averaging 650 - 680 km for every 37 L of fuel. 15% Expressways and 85% City driving. For that mileage, I never rev the engine hard. Just smooth cruising and within speed limits at all roads.

At this price point, the Vezel Hybrid is one of the most value for money Crossover SUVs in Singapore. Nissan Qashqai, Koleos and most others don't come close. Peugeot 2008 Diesel - perhaps. However, you can't bring that to Malaysia nor can it survive long enough. Subaru XV Cross & Suzuki S Cross are cheaper, but lack the advanced interiors.

I hate 1.5L engines, especially Japanese ones. They struggle under heavier speeds and have this disgusting cry that makes you want to wash yourself off these cars, be polite to the telemarketeer who sells you credit loans and get yourself a Jaguar. It kind of reminds you of how fat you have become since NSF days - now running 2.4km in 15mins makes you so breathless.

Why do 1.5L engines seem to struggle to maintain 90km/h? My 1.8l revvs under 2000rpm at that speed and still sounds so peaceful.

Vezel Hybrid, however, is perhaps one of the top of the mind vehicles for many new car owners like me who want an unstruggling yet frugal car. It doesn't sound like a 1.5l car at all. It's quiet, it feels promising, reliable and gives you that oomph when you want to cut off a torquey taxi.

The closest vehicle I've considered prior to this was the Prius C. Now I may be a big guy loving big cars, but that tiny hatchback with its electric motors had enough torque to keep me zippy on the streets of Japan. As much as i loved it, the size just did not fit my image and that kept me away from buying. The Vezel Hybrid took care of that.. thank god.

While Honda Hybrids used to fall back behind Toyota, some of the main fallbacks were fixed in this generation of Honda Hybrids. It doesn't look dull, it wasn't made with an electric assist motor that you can fancifully call "Rex" and attach to a bmw i3, the engine actually turns off when you are slacking in traffic and finally comes with an electric A/C compressor.

A whole lot of new features also take care of nasty SUV body roll, cornering confidence,