Together in electric dreams

The electrified trio from Honda Cars Philippines Inc. combines superb efficiency and fun driving dynamics. —CONTRIBUTED

When The Human League frontman Phil Oakey and composer Giorgio Moroder (famous for his collaboration with the late Donna Summer) released “Together in Electric Dreams” in 1984, hybrid cars weren’t yet mainstream.

In the era of big hair and leotards, synth-pop music was played in vehicles fueled by carcinogenic leaded gasoline that was fed through inefficient and temperamental carburators.

40 years down the line, the song is now a classic and hybrid-electric vehicles are no longer an expensive niche in the local car market.

To maximize government incentives on electrified cars, Honda Cars Philippines, Inc. (HCPI) returned to the hybrid game in September 2023 with the launch of the CR-V e:HEV. This was followed by the Civic e:HEV exactly a year later and the HR-V e:HEV last March.

These three models were what we drove when HCPI took members of the media to an overnight getaway in Baguio City this month.

Honda HR-V RS e:HEV snakes through the zigzag road enroute to the ‘Summer Capital’ —CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS

Effortless cruiser

Jumping off from Solaire North in Quezon City, I was behind the wheel while Zigwheels video man Ash Mahinay rode shotgun.

Our first steed was the CR-V e:HEV painted in the particularly fetching (and variant-exclusive) Ignite Red Metallic. At low speeds like parking lots and bumper-to-bumper traffic, the e:HEV runs on Electric Vehicle mode for totally quiet and fuel-free running.

This powertrain was also a boon as we traversed the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX), Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) and Tarlac-Pangasinan Expressway (TPLEX) – the electric motor worked in tandem with the 2.0-liter, twin-cam, 16-valve inline-4 gasoline engine to provide good oomph at speed.

That’s because combined output is 181 horsepower and 335 Newton-meters of torque. As I had written in my January review of the CR-V e:HEV, low-to-midrange acceleration is strong, but an additional 30 to 40 horsepower would make it as delightfully peaky at full throttle as the non-hybrid CR-V.

But it was the CR-V e:HEV’s palatial cabin that really made a mark on me, especially the soft leather upholstery, powerful air-conditioner and generous room for five passengers – I appreciated all these even more, together with the supple suspension, when Ash took his turn behind the wheel.

The Honda CR-V e:HEV offers palatial space with hybrid-electric economy.

Canyon carver

Eventually, we arrived at the Clean Fuel gasoline station in Rosales, Pangasinan for a car change ahead of our climb up Kennon Road.

And we really couldn’t have asked for a better car to do this leg in – a Platinum White Pearl Civic RS e:HEV. Given that I had called the non-hybrid Civic one of the most perfect cars on sale as of press time, I had very high hopes when I slipped behind the driver’s seat.

The hybrid Civic uses exactly the same powertrain as its crossover cousin. But because it weighs 350 kilograms less, the performance was much livelier as we snaked up the mountain pass to the City of Pines.

The Honda Civic e:HEV loses none of its sparkling handling with the advent of electrification.

It also helps that all Civic RS e:HEV models get sticky 235/60-series Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tires (a compound that I have long used when I race my BMW) – combined with the well-tuned suspension and the quick, well-weighted steering, both me and Ash were grinning massively as we took turns driving to Mt. Camisong Forest Park and Events in Benguet for lunch.

The picturesque compound, built on a mountainside property in Loakan, is around 30 minutes away from Baguio City. Touted as an eco-tourism destination, Mt. Camisong has numerous footpaths that let visitors get closer with nature, along with a massive glass viewing deck that reiterated my aversion to heights.

After our sumptuous meal at the in-house restaurant, which opened just last February, I got to enjoy the Civic e:HEV some more on the mountain roads as I drove the leg to Forest Lodge.

HCPI Communications department head, Rex Yap Decena, enjoys a friendly banter with the media.

Frugal but fun

After a rather intense night of merriment and singing, we departed our hotel the next day.

The crisp, fresh and gentle mountain air belied the ongoing political storm sweeping across Camp John Hay – the popular and highly lucrative tourist spot was turned over to the government last January amid much controversy. Nonetheless, it was still a welcome respite from the searing summer heat in Metro Manila that we would return to in a few hours.

This time, Ash took the first leg down Kennon Road in the latest of the Honda Cars hybrid trio, the HR-V e:HEV. Although I have a separate story on this crossover, I can say that the ride, handling and performance were all excellent, whether on winding mountain roads or when I was behind the wheel on the expressway.

This is a world apart from the rather bouncy ride that earlier versions of the current HR-V had. But perhaps the most amazing metric from this little crossover was the average fuel consumption – with regenerative braking and conscientious driving, we got an astounding 31.5 kilometers per liter in our 165-kilometer trip to Tito Boy by Chef Bong in Clark, Pampanga.

That incredible figure means Ash and I won the fuel-economy challenge against the other HR-V e:HEV. This goes to show that these Honda hybrids aren’t just great at going up Baguio, but even better at going down it, too.

And given that Honda Cars’ global slogan is “The Power of Dreams,” these latest e:HEV models prove that even electric dreams do come true – their theme song was just 40 years ahead.