The secret to bestselling car success is often in obvious and simple things. One can only wonder why obviously unattractive models are still being produced. It would seem that it’s enough to develop a concept that meets the needs of the target audience, conduct a marketing campaign and periodically make adjustments during planned restyling. In practice, manufacturers are faced with a host of technical nuances, most of which interfere with the implementation of the plan. And vice versa: the Korean car “Honda Solaris” shows an example of how masterly a manufacturer can create an almost ideal model of a budget class. At least, this is how it looks in the eyes of the army of many thousands of Russian motorists.
Model Overview
The complexity of the task that faced the developers of the model boiled down to endowing an inexpensive car with tolerable handling qualities, a pleasant design and a modern set of options. Of course, in this list of advantages of the car "Honda Solaris" should be added and power, which in many respects determined the success of the compact. The exterior of the model, which the Koreans themselves consider one of the key factors of attractiveness, was carried out with the expectation of the brand's home philosophy.
But as the experience of many renowned manufacturers shows, the most beautiful and stylish car will not interest the buyer without the appropriate content and suitable performance. And in this regard, the model also did not disappoint the consumer. Compact and maneuverable, the Honda Solaris provides ample space for the owner to use, is distinguished by decent power for a public sector employee, and at the same time, it pleases with economical fuel consumption.
Specifications
In the history of the creation of the model, the fact that it was designed practically from a new platform is also noteworthy. Perhaps this saved the car from "hereditary" problems, which are often encountered when using the old base. Official indicators, of course, do not give a complete picture of all the design capabilities, but already they can be used to judge the balanced approach of engineers to the development of the Honda Solaris car, the technical characteristics of which look like this:
- Length - 437 cm.
- Height - 147 cm.
- Width - 170 cm.
- Wheelbase - 257 cm.
- Ground clearance - 16 cm.
- Front track - 149.5 cm.
- Rear track - 150.2 cm.
- The capacity of the luggage compartment is 465 liters.
- The capacity of the tank is 43 liters.
- Gross vehicle weight - 1565 kg.
- Transmission - 4-speed automatic.
- Drive - front.
Characteristics of the power "filling"
On the example of the motor range, the original approach of Korean designers from the point of view of a budget manufacturer is especially visible. The company refused to use cheap low-power engines, forming a modern line of Gamma units. The initial engine installed on the Honda Solaris, the technical characteristics of which can be represented by a 1.4-liter volume and a capacity of 107 liters. with., corresponds in status to a traditional golf class. For those who do not have enough basic supply, the manufacturer has provided a 123-horsepower 1.6-liter engine.
There is nothing supernatural in these engines, if not for one nuance. Still, the model refers not only to maneuverable city cars, but is positioned as a subcompact. Obviously, the power potential of more than 100 liters. from. excessive for a car level “Honda Solaris” in the back of a hatchback. But the point is not even in technical and operational compliance, but in economic feasibility. Budget cars rarely provide a powerful power filling precisely because of the increasing price tags.
Performance
By and large, the decision to use powerful engines benefited the car. True, the advantages of powertrains are evaluated differently. Despite the return of 107 liters. pp., the standard version of the “Honda Solaris” quickly loses its confident course behind the bar at 100 km / h. But in the city, the younger engine optimally reveals the advantages of the model.
More powerful equipment, rather suitable for trips outside the city, but there are some nuances. In particular, a suspension that is softly tuned by caring Koreans during transitions to different levels of coverage can behave rather unpredictably. Often there is a skid of the rear part, from which, however, the stabilizer helps to get out. In the dynamics of the Honda Solaris, the characteristics are also not impressive - the speed maximum is 175 km / h, and acceleration to hundreds occurs in 13.4 seconds. For a small compact sitikar such data correspond to the average.
Updated version
One of the components of the success of the modern automaker is a reasonable approach to the implementation of updates. There are many examples when changes turned away from the model of the most devoted fans. But this does not apply to the Korean Honda Solaris. The new device has noticeably changed not only externally, but also in the technical stuffing. As for the exterior, you can notice the updated optics and more elegant forms of the bow and stern. Soft armrests appeared in the cabin, as well as pockets for bottles and other small things. If you wish, you can also notice the use of better quality finishing materials, which indicates the desire of the manufacturer to raise the status of the model.
The 1.6 power unit in the new device is complemented by a 6-speed automatic. True, the 107-horsepower engine, which is also supplied with the Honda Solaris, was not affected by this update - it works in tandem with a 4-speed mechanism. Otherwise, the technical parameters remained the same.
Positive feedback about the model
The car has a lot of advantages, which are noted by the owners of the first copies, and users of the updated version. Most of the positive reviews agree on decent ergonomics, a stylish and attractive design, thoughtful power "stuffing", reliable design and good handling. Actually, there are a lot of models with similar qualities, but everything is decided by the price. The fact is that a Honda Solaris car with mileage in Moscow can be purchased for 300-400 thousand rubles. For the most part, European models with similar advantages are estimated at 2-3 hundred thousand more. And this is taking into account the fact that the element base of Solaris is extremely high quality for a budget car, which inspires confidence even in copies of the secondary market.
Negative reviews
There are only two serious problems that many users have noted. In the first case, this is the suspension at the rear of the car. Its weak design does not cope well with the load in the trunk and has little control over cornering - as noted above, the stabilizer, which is on the Honda Solaris option list, saves. Reviews regarding the second drawback note the lack of isolation. More precisely, it is present, but made so that its effectiveness is almost not felt. This also applies to noise reduction and heat insulating materials. However, this problem was slightly corrected when updating the car. In part, new finishing materials helped.
Conclusion
If you forget about the market position of the Korean model and just look at it, and then do a little test drive, then the idea of a budget segment will even try to sneak into your head. Both in appearance and interior, the Honda Solaris car deserves a higher status. The creators who expand the range of configurations, launching versions with a more respectable price tag, also understand this. How justified this investment is is an individual question, but for those who strongly associate the purchase with the initial level of the car market, this option should be considered first. However, the lover of European comfortable sedans does not make sense to lower the bar. You can win in price, practicality and even driving performance, but safety and reliability are not at all the features that made the Korean subcompact a bestseller.