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We’ve simply spent a day at Honda’s Tochigi proving grounds, ostensibly to drive the brand new Prelude hybrid coupe and the tiny Tremendous-One electrical hatch. Each are coming to Australia and you’ll learn our first-drive opinions of the Prelude and Tremendous-One now.
However these automobiles had been the dessert. The principle course was a sequence of deep-dive technical workshops and prototype drives to offer us with an perception into Honda’s next-generation hybrid techniques.
That is the tech that issues. It’s what’s going to lastly give Honda a correct, no-compromise rival to the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid, and – extra excitingly – it offers us our first real-world style of what’s going to nearly definitely be the powertrain for the next-generation Civic Sort R.
And for the primary time, the phrases “hybrid” and “thrilling” can be utilized in the identical sentence with out irony.
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The ‘pretend’ gearbox that saves the efficiency hybrid
Let’s be sincere. Honda’s e:HEV hybrid system is intelligent however, for an fanatic, it’s uninspiring. The 2-motor ‘e-CVT’ design, which primarily drives the wheels with an electrical motor, is environment friendly however ends in that droning, elastic-band-on-ketamine feeling beneath arduous acceleration.
It’s high-quality for a Jazz, however it might be a travesty in a efficiency automobile.
Honda is aware of this. And its answer, which we drove in a camouflaged ‘Subsequent Era Hybrid Examine’ (a Civic with a face solely a mom may love), is a brand new energy unit management expertise referred to as ‘S+ Shift’.
That is the breakthrough.
S+ Shift is a purely software-based digital gearbox. While you put the automobile in Sport mode and pull a paddle, it transforms the e-CVT’s character into that of an aggressive eight-speed dual-clutch computerized transmission.
Beneath acceleration, the system makes use of the engine to drive the generator motor, which powers the primary 135kW/315Nm traction motor. As you construct velocity, as an alternative of a single, soul-crushing drone, the S+ Shift programming does one thing sensible: to simulate an upshift, it momentarily lowers the traction motor’s output whereas utilizing the generator motor to create a shift notch, completely syncing a drop in engine revs.
The result’s a crisp, optimistic thump by the chassis, a change within the exhaust word, and a sense of a bodily gear change. It’s not simply an audio gimmick; the facility supply really punches with every shift.
Brake arduous for a nook, and it’s even higher. The system delivers excellent, rev-matched ‘downshifts’, blipping the engine and elevating the revs to maintain the two.0-litre Atkinson-cycle mill in its energy band, prepared so that you can get again on the throttle.
It’s the primary time an e-CVT has felt genuinely participating to drive.
Right here’s the kicker. After I requested the lead engineer if this S+ Shift system could possibly be utilized to a turbocharged engine, he simply smiled and mentioned: “It’s doable”.
That is the important thing. The most important drawback for a future hybrid-powered FL5 Civic Sort R is methods to deal with the transmission. That is the reply. By pairing a turbo-four with this S+ Shift e:HEV system, Honda can use the electrical motors to fill in any turbo lag immediately, whereas utilizing the digital gears to ship an aggressive, tactile driving expertise that lovers demand.
We’ve simply pushed the way forward for the Sort R, and it’s really rattling good.
Honda’s hybrid future: From 1.5L effectivity to V6 towing
Whereas the two.0-litre S+ Shift system was probably the most thrilling, Honda additionally detailed its plans for the remainder of its hybrid vary, exhibiting this isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer.
The 1.5L Workhorse (Subsequent-gen HR-V)
We additionally drove a ‘Subsequent Era Small-size Hybrid System’ prototype, constructed right into a current-model HR-V (or ‘Vezel’ in Japan).
That is arguably an important engine for Honda’s quantity gross sales. It’s a newly-developed 1.5-litre direct-injection engine centered solely on effectivity.
In line with Honda’s technical charts, the important thing achievement right here is an enlargement of the high-efficiency vary by 40 per cent in comparison with the present 1.5L hybrid engine.
In easy phrases, the engine can now function at its best level (referred to as stoichiometric combustion, or the best air-fuel ratio) throughout a a lot wider vary of speeds and hundreds. This was achieved by new engineering for fast combustion, permitting it to be extra frugal with out sacrificing response.
Honda has additionally centered on NVH, becoming a extra inflexible crankshaft and cylinder block to cut back the thrashy, tinny noise that small hybrids are identified for. On the observe, it was noticeably quieter and smoother than the present HR-V e:HEV, with a much less strained really feel beneath acceleration.
The V6 Towing Rig (For America)
On a show stand was the ‘Subsequent Era Massive-size Hybrid System’ – a newly-developed V6 engine mated to Honda’s e:HEV system and an e-axle on the rear.
Don’t get your hopes up; this isn’t for a brand new NSX.
That is aimed squarely on the North American market, designed for Honda’s giant, heavy SUVs and utes (assume Pilot, or a future Ridgeline). The objective right here isn’t S+ Shift sportiness; it’s about delivering the low-end electrical torque wanted for towing, whereas utilizing the V6 for environment friendly freeway cruising.
Honda claims this setup shall be 30 per cent extra environment friendly and supply 10 per cent higher acceleration than its present V6-only fashions.
It’s an vital piece of the worldwide puzzle, however you’re unlikely to see it in Australia.
Lastly, a hybrid that matches within the automobile
The S+ Shift system will debut within the Honda Prelude when it lands in Australia subsequent yr. It’s operating the two.0-litre e:HEV system from the Civic, with official specs confirming the electrical motor’s 135kW/315Nm outputs.
However the Prelude isn’t only a fairly face. Honda has raided the Sort R elements bin, equipping it with the identical dual-axis strut entrance suspension and adaptive damper system. It is a severe chassis, and the S+ Shift offers it the powertrain character it deserves.
However whereas the Prelude is the halo automobile, the actual cash is in SUVs.
Let’s have a look at the numbers. I’ve dug into the official October 2025 VFACTS information, and the figures are stark. 12 months-to-date, Australians have purchased 160,766 conventional hybrids.
Within the essential SUV section – the place Honda lives – that quantity is 127,763 hybrid SUVs offered.
Honda’s hybrid gross sales? A rounding error. The present CR-V e:HEV, whereas a superb drive, is a packaging dilemma. Its battery is stuffed beneath the boot ground, ruining the cargo house – the one factor an SUV should get proper.
The ‘Subsequent Era Mid-size Platform’ we had been proven on the Tech Day proves Honda has listened.
The one largest change is that the battery and power-control unit have been moved from the boot and at the moment are built-in right into a single, slim unit beneath the rear seats.
This lastly offers the next-gen CR-V e:HEV a full-size, flat-floor boot. It’s a easy change that lastly offers Honda a preventing likelihood towards the RAV4.
This new platform additionally will get a ten per cent weight discount and a simplified physique construction that, cleverly, is designed to flex in a managed option to “management load on every tyre throughout cornering”, with the purpose of bettering steering really feel. It should even be paired with a brand new, extra compact electrical all-wheel drive (E-AWD) unit.
The EV future: A mixture of genius and… questions
Honda’s electrical car (EV) future was additionally on present, and it’s a research in contrasts.
The Tremendous-One, a tiny electrical kei automobile turned scorching hatch, is confirmed for Australian launch in 2026. It has flared blister fenders, a Enhance Mode, and pipes pretend engine noise into the cabin. It even makes use of a motor to create vibrations to simulate an engine. It’s a hilarious gimmick, and on the tight cone-course, it was a hoot.
Nevertheless it’s a novelty. If Honda Australia costs this EV considerably north of $30,000, it would doubtless be a distinct segment, cult mannequin moderately than a volume-seller in a market being flooded by low-cost Chinese language EVs.
The true EV future is the Honda 0 Sequence, constructed on a brand new ‘Skinny, Gentle, and Sensible’ devoted platform. The engineering is spectacular, with a “skinny” battery pack permitting for a super-low ground and a smooth design.
However Honda has made a head-scratching omission: the 0 Sequence fashions won’t have a frunk (entrance trunk).
After I confirmed this with engineers, the reasoning pointed in direction of prioritising the ‘Skinny, Gentle, and Sensible’ philosophy – particularly, a low, aerodynamic bonnet and a cab-forward design that maximises inside house. It appears parts just like the e-axle, steer-by-wire, and HVAC techniques are packaged the place a frunk would go.
It’s a perplexing resolution that prioritises aerodynamic purity over the daily-use practicality that Tesla, Kia, and Hyundai EV house owners have come to count on. It seems like a missed alternative.
CarExpert’s Take
This tech day proved Honda is aggressively fixing the 2 largest issues with its current-generation fashions: boring hybrid transmissions and compromised hybrid packaging.
The S+ Shift system is a superb piece of software program engineering, saving the e:HEV system from the fanatic’s scrap-heap and offering a real, thrilling pulse to the upcoming Prelude and, nearly definitely, the following Civic Sort R.
And the brand new 1.5L engine and the redesigned mid-size platform will lastly repair the effectivity and packaging woes in Honda’s volume-selling SUVs.
Whereas Honda’s EV future is a combined bag of intelligent platforms and questionable packaging selections, its rapid hybrid future is sharp, centered, and – for the primary time in a very long time – genuinely thrilling.
MORE: Discover the Honda showroom
