Three models are available in the 2021 line-up of the Honda Ballade:
Ballade 1.5 Comfort CVT R336 500
Ballade 1.5 Elegance CVT R366 900
Ballade 1.5 RS CVT R396 900
The new Ballade looks and feels decidedly premium, it's more spacious on the back seat, visibility is better, infotainment is greatly enhanced, and the Ballade itself feels more dynamic to drive. In short — it's better in every way. Here are the key features you should pay attention to:
More comfortable seats
The seat design has been enhanced to offer more support, and it does. This may not seem that important at first, but on longer journeys your backside and lumbar region will be grateful. Comfort and Elegance models have a new type of high-quality seat material while the flagship RS model has a full leather interior.
Related: Launch report - the polished and refined 2021 Honda Ballade
A new, 8-inch, high-resolution infotainment touchscreen display
It's neatly integrated into the dashboard, and angled in such a way that every occupant in the cabin can clearly see the screen. The extra-large icons (thanks to Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality) make it easy to find the app of your choice, and having the freedom to let Siri or Alexa take care of business while you take care of driving is rather relaxing. Available only on the Elegance and RS models.
New LED headlights and fog lights on the RS model. (All models have daytime running lights and LED taillights)
Comfort and Elegance models are equipped with projector-type halogen head lamps. Viewed from the rear, the new tail light combination reminds me of the BMW 3 Series. Styling wise, it's a huge improvement over the previous model.
All models feature electrically-operated side mirrors and windows, cruise control, automatic air-conditioning, and automatic headlights, while the RS model has walk-away auto-locking, a rear-view camera, electric sunroof, and an "all-new intuitive 7-inch TFT multi-information display replacing the traditional analogue instrument cluster. This allows the driver to easily adjust the contents displayed on the instrument cluster via controls on the steering wheel", says Honda.
More power from the engine and better fuel efficiency
The 1.5-litre engine has been uprated too — the previous power plant was of the SOHC variety while the new one is the DOHC i-VTEC kind with a slightly higher power output of 89kW and more grunt earlier on in the rev range. It's perfect for the city and performs well on the highway too. There is not really much point in having a fast but thirsty car when there are speed cameras everywhere and (some) traffic officials who can't wait to slap you with a fine.
Fuel economy is great - we put it to the test on a mini (150km) road-trip from Hermanus to Napier in the Overberg and attained an excellent 5.8 litres per 100 km. Harder driving increased our figure to 6.4 which is also very impressive. The new Ballade is also a wonderfully smooth and composed car to drive and it's remarkably refined for its price.
A revised gearbox
Honda loves their CVT (continuous variable transmission) 'boxes, as the brand believes it plays a large part in conserving fuel. The new Ballade is fitted with a revised CVT which now features ‘G-Design’ shift control. "This creates the sense of driving a traditional automatic transmission through the integration of artificial gears during acceleration, but with the enhanced efficiency of a CVT", states Honda. There are even gearshift paddles in the Elegance and RS models. And, while CVTs can be a bit noisy, I found that the enhanced CVT is somewhat quieter, unless you slip it into sport mode, but the plus side is that acceleration feels slightly sharper.
Comprehensive safety features
On the safety side, you can rest assured that you and your loved ones will arrive at your destination in one piece, thanks to a host of passive and active safety systems such as Honda's ACE body structure, 6 airbags, and stability control, as well as the aforementioned rear-parking sensors and rear-view camera. (Please note that the rear-view camera is only available on the RS model.)
Source: Honda SA
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