Earlier this year, Honda announced that it was realigning its focus towards hybrids in the near term, with the powertrain set to play a key role in providing the brand with a broader multi-pathway approach towards its move to full electrification, something that was reiterated recently by its president and representative executive officer Toshihiro Mibe.
That push will be made with a host of next-generation hybrid electric vehicle (e:HEV) models, set to come about from 2027 onwards, with 13 models to be launched globally from then into the end of the decade. As you’d expect, a slew of new things will come with that directional move, and these include the introduction of a lighter, more stable next-gen modular mid-sized platform and a host of improvements to its e:HEV systems in their next generation form.
For the latter, advancements include an expansion of range where the engine operates most efficiently (by up to 40%) and an increase in efficiency, with fuel economy set to improve by more than 10%. While encompassing all size types (large, mid and small), the automaker highlighted the technological aspects largely through the middle path at its Automotive Technology Workshop held at the proving ground of its R&D centre in Tochigi last month.
We’ll get to the new hybrid innovations in a bit, but first, a closer look at the most visible element of the showcase, which is the new next-gen mid-sized platform. Shown in its bare chassis configuration at the event, this then is what the next Civic and CR-V, among others in the size segment, will be underpinned on.
The metal might not tell much in the photos, but the modular architecture – which the company says will enable a more diverse product line-up – is pretty much a full-spectrum transformation from that presently. For one, it’s lighter, with 90 kg shaved off compared to the current platform, accomplished by revising the body structure and adopting new engineering design methods.
Separating commonised modules, such as the engine room/rear underbody, and unique modules such as the rear cabin, the architecture employs three fixed dimensions at the front and rear to improve commonality across applications (by around 60%, so it goes), and these are from the centre of the front wheel to the firewall, the centre of the rear wheel to the junction of the rear seat and from the centre of the rear wheel to the front edge of the battery pack, which is housed under the rear seats.
Employing this approach allows size tailoring (longer mid-section for Accord, shorter for Civic, for example) and different configurations (SUV, sedan) via changes to the suspension. It also reduces the body cost by around 10% from that currently.
Interestingly, the brand has gone for a new approach to body rigidity management by reducing stiffness in a bid to improve vehicle dynamic performance. It may sound like a wrong turn, but the company argues that going more inert isn’t always better.
The logic behind adding flex, which is accomplished by selectively reducing aspects of lateral rigidity in certain areas of the front frame, is to improve the tyre contact load in relation to steering input into corners, improving performance.
Additionally, the platform also features improved NVH from the get-go, done by reducing road input through a series of measures. These include a newly-designed suspension system that controls vibration by cancelling out axial forces in both left and right arms, reducing the input on the rear trailing arm as well as by repositioning the rear brake caliper to a front-mounted position to bring it closer to the suspension’s centre of gravity.
The new platform also features a consolidation and distribution of load path routes, with the omission of a lower front subframe meaning the underfloor path is no longer relied on during a collision.
As for the powertrain equation, things are led by a heavily-redesigned 2.0 litre Atkinson-cycle mill. Now with direct injection, the mill’s higher rpm efficiency has been improved by 30% compared to the current engine. Also new to the mix is an integrated cooling system, which besides improving cooling performance also brings about a shorter front overhang.
While the two-motor (generator and drive motor) system remains familiar, the components that form the system are new. The front-drive unit (a single-stage parallel direct drive unit for sedan applications, and a two-stage for SUVs) has been made more compact by 25%, and output from the drive motor and response from the generator motor has been improved. A new high output battery pack is also to be found, and it has been designed to sit cleaner within the new platform’s skeletal structure.
Like all the other size applications, the mid-size gets the automaker’s new S+ Shift system, which made its debut on the Prelude. Essentially, the feature mimics the feel of a conventional transmission with virtual gear changes and rev-matched downshifts, providing the driver with tactile feedback, albeit manufactured, instead of one bland, continuous sensation across the speed spectrum.
The upcoming HEVs will also feature the automaker’s Motion Management System, which alongside the improvements in platform and power unit technologies, aid handling performance and cornering stability by managing yaw and pitch with the help of self-balancing tech.
A six-axis IMU, adopted from its robotics programme, aids electronics to provide corrective measures to improve cornering stability, applying regenerative braking from the motor as well as the brakes to tighten the vehicle’s posture and track. Additionally, a new pitch control technology will be added to the Agile Handling Assist feature to help the driver control the vehicle exactly as intended in all driving situations, unaffected by road conditions.
At Tochigi, there was the chance to sample all the new workings through a prototype, which was a heavily camouflaged left-hand drive unit wearing a current Civic skin as a top hat, complete with a massive front bumper and a rather sonorous exhaust, both of which felt a bit over the top upon first notice.
Not that it got in the way of the driving. While the time behind the wheel was limited to just three short laps around a relatively tight course containing quite a few reducing radius turns, it didn’t take long to note the workings of both system and platform. Of the new hybrid powertrain, there is much to like – its low level take up in Sport mode is smooth, and the pace improves into the midband very nicely, but it is under full load that the power delivery, or rather its sense of urgency, shines, feeling much more vibrant than the present system.
That aspect of improved breathability compared to the current application is of course aided by the S+ Shift, which offered what it advertised exactly as on the tin. You feel the shifts notch in progression as the speeds climb, artificially induced they may be with the absence of a gearbox, and it’s quite the trick.
Similarly, downshifts, or whatever you choose to call them given their manipulation, are accompanied by throttle blips and rev-matching, and there’s no denying that it does add to the driving allure. That prominent exhaust tone did its bit, adding further presence.
The induced shifts do come rapidly though, perhaps too fast in relation to speed up into the midrange, as evidenced from the aural notes while observing others putting the study through its paces. Nonetheless, there’s very little to complain about if you’re looking for the retention of some analogue charm in a digital world, and strangely enough, the actuation on the Civic mule felt that bit more organic in structure than that on the Prelude, which was also driven at the event (the report on this, in due course).
The question is of course just how many will appreciate it – talking to fellow journalists at the event, the feeling is that those who like driving surely will, but that is really a fast dwindling crowd in this day and age where most coming into vehicle ownership don’t value such provision or can even fathom it. It’s great that Honda thinks otherwise, choosing not to serve up tools, things that are devoid of colour and emotion, which is fast becoming the usual path these days. Whether that will work remains to be seen.
What impressed more was the new platform and the associated electronics assisting it. It is quite a leap from the current underpin, both in scope and delivery. Despite the lowered rigidity at the front, there’s nothing languid about the chassis. There’s plenty of mechanical grip, and the prototype never felt short in providing traction or fidelity in placement in relation to steering input, even on the fast switchbacks across the course. Supple would best describe it, and that it crossed my mind to tell the other half that we should perhaps wait for the seventh-gen CR-V (a long way away, yes) to switch from her fifth-gen says it all.
Away from the mid-size, the company is also set to overhaul its small-size 1.5 litre hybrid system as seen on the City/HR-V applications, with S+ Shift and electric AWD part of the kitbag in the next-gen offering. As it is with the mid-size, the new items include a new compact engine compliant to global environment regulations. Highlights of the redesigned mill include a higher rpm efficiency (up by 40%) and improved output.
Attention has also been paid to reducing engine noise and vibration, one of the not so pleasant aspects of the current unit, especially at full pelt, where it can sound raucous. The company says that optimisation of the unit’s structural rigidity, with an 8% improvement in its flexural rigidity, results in lower noise levels coming off the new engine.
As with its mid-sized powertrain, there’s a redesigned, more compact coaxial transmission, which the company says offers improved efficiency, as well as a new power control unit, which brings along S+ Shift. Like with the mid-size application, there’s also a new, thinner battery pack, positioned under the front seat. Meanwhile, an inverter-less rear-mounted electric motor brings AWD into the equation. The latter is also shared with the mid-sized platform in its AWD model configurations.
A short sampling of the new system was made via a Vezel/HR-V demonstrator, and there’s more willingness to go, especially from standstill, and take-up also feels a bit more coherent with the addition of the rear motor. Most importantly, from the few prolonged prods of the accelerator pedal until space ran out, the new mill does sound quieter and the system, more refined under full load. The penalty? Like all things, likely a higher entry price, but we’ll have to wait until the next-gen City comes along down the line to find out how it all stacks up.
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