Cheers and welcome back Ballade

A good choice for if you won't - even for a second consider wearing your cap the wrong way around or chatting loudly on a cell phone in a crowded restaurant.

Amazing how the original Ballade, which was first launched in South Africa way back in 1982, rocketed from practical, inexpensive family car to iconic boy-racer status and is still revered, pampered and souped up by wannabe Lewis Hamiltons.

Well boykies, time to get your tails down to your local watering hole and to lift a glass or two to welcome the reincarnated Honda Ballade back into South Africa.

Yep, that's right, the Ballade is back, but before you pop the first frosty, you need to know and understand that this is NOT the same VTEC that some of us spent all our spare cash on to make it faster and flashier, mainly to impress our mates and to attract dates for the Saturday-night drive-in movies.

Looking to the sort of driver who cares...

Nope, the new Ballade (which the rest of the world knows as the City) is aimed at a more sedate market looking for a Honda that slots in somewhere between the Civic and the Jazz and as an alternative to the Mazda2 and the Ford Fiesta.

It is a little light, almost over-sensitive on the steering, but it does make for easy parking.

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Honda hopes to sell between 150 and 200 of them per month, mainly, one suspects, to small families, company fleets, car rental companies and the sort of driver who cares less about performance, excitement and dynamics than safety, purchase price, service plans, warranties, low running costs and practicalities such as boot space.

Because, although a pleasant enough to look at and to drive, the new Ballade's emotional appeal is not overwhelming. However, the pricing is competitive, the safety features are impressive and it has lots of high-tech stuff you will not usually find in a car in this category.

Four versions coming soon... for you

Although I drove only one model at the Cape Town launch recently, four versions of the Ballade will become available fairly soon.

All four models will be powered by the same i-VTEC engine that powers the Jazz and the recently launched South African Car of the Year finalist, the sexy CR-Z (although the stylish two-door also has an electric motor).

Young families - and golfers - will love the vast 506 litres of boot space.

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The engine churns out a rather moderate 88 kW and 145 Nm and you need to get the revs up to get the full power benefit which means that the claimed combined cycle fuel consumption of 6.3 litres/100km for the two manual models and 6.6 litres/100km for the automatic version might not be easy to maintain.

Both the manual and automatic transmissions have five gears.

The four models eventually on offer will be a Comfort manual and automatic and an Elegance manual and automatic varying in price from R184 900 to R205 900.

Easy parker, easy...

On the road the Ballade does the job quite quietly and comfortably. Although it doesn't exactly scar the tar when you stomp down on the loud pedal, it gets up to legal maximum speed without too much hard pedalling and it cruises happily along without the need for constant cog-swapping (although this situation might change noticeably up in the thin air on the Reef).

The safety features are impressive and it has lots of high-tech stuff you will not usually find in a car in this category.

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It is a little light, almost over-sensitive on the steering, but it does make for easy parking. I also fear the old Cape Doctor might give new Ballade drivers a bit of extra work when it really pumps like it has been doing these past few months.

What is immediately noticeable about the car is its comfortable, spacious living quarters which actually have the feel of a bigger, more expensive car.

Standard kit is also way above average and even the entry-level model shows off with electric windows and mirrors, power steering, aircon, alarm, remote central locking, cruise control, multi-function steering wheel and an RDS-compatible radio with USB and MP3 functionality.

Love the boot

The fancier Elegance models have all of this, plus sexier alloys, Bluetooth connectivity, underseat storage, leather steering wheel and fog lamps.

Peace of mind features include ABS with EBD and EBA, vehicle stability assist and airbags (four in the lower-specced model and six in the Elegance versions).

Standard kit is way above average and even the entry-level model shows off with - amongst other things - cruise control and an RDS-compatible radio with USB and MP3 functionality.

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Young families that have mountains of baby kit such as prams, carry cots, toys and a zillion other things to lug around will love the vast 506 litres of boot space. (Moreover, so will golfers who will have no problem lobbing two golf sets into the back for a round with a mate).

Overall, a pleasant four-seater that oozes Honda quality and with all the right boxes ticked for it to go bumper to bumper against its main competitors, although it might not be the sort of car that will become the same iconic dream as the old Ballade.

It's a good choice

A good choice for drivers who have grown a little wiser, have a little more money than the fourth, fifth and even sixth owners of the original Ballade suburban dragsters and who won't ever even consider wearing his cap the wrong way around or chatting loudly on a cell phone in a crowded restaurant.

The models are prices are:
1.5 Comfort manual - R184 900
1.5 Comfort auto - R196 900
1.5 Elegance manual - R193 900
15. Elegance Auto - R205 900

The prices of all four models include emissions tax, a four-year/60 000km service plan and a three-year/100 000km warranty.

Specifications

Honda Ballade TV Commercial