Image Credit: Captain Electro.
I've been stuck in Scotland for "family reasons" and let me tell you, the weather here is a special kind of miserable. It doesn't rain. Mother Nature attacks you from sideways, underneath, and probably from within your own soul. I was sitting at my desk, watching a highland cow get blown past my window, when a ray of electronic sunshine hit my inbox. Honda is bringing the Super-N to the UK and Europe this July. It is a tiny, electric box of madness that thinks it's a legendary 1980s hot hatch. Honestly, it's so small I'm worried it might get stuck in a deep pothole and never be seen again.
The Super-N is basically a Japanese "Kei car" that's been hitting the gym and watching old rally videos. It's based on the Japanese Super-One - a pumped-up version of their N-Series city cars. But Honda didn't give it a battery and called it a day. They went full retro. The Super-N looks like a City Turbo II that's been shrunk in a hot wash. You get chunky arches, aggressive bumpers, and a face that looks like a very angry toaster. It's got more personality in its left headlight than a Dacia Spring has in its entire body.
Image Credit: Honda.
Personality? Check. What about the "muscle" under the hood? Right… The "mild annoyance" under the hood is a front-mounted motor that produces 63 horsepower. I believe my electric toothbrush has more kick than that. But if you find yourself in a real hurry, you can engage Boost Mode. This unleashes a terrifying 94 horsepower. It's not going to win any drag races against a Tesla, or even a speedy lycra-clad cyclist, but since it's one of the lightest EVs on the planet, it should be quite perky.
The best part of this little gadget is the theater of it all. Honda has clearly been looking at the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N and thought, "We want some of that nonsense." The Super-N comes with simulated transmission shifts and fake engine noises. When you're in Boost Mode, it pretends it has a seven-speed gearbox. It's completely fake, of course. There are no gears. It's just software pretending to be mechanical for the sake of our nostalgia. It's a digital watch that makes a "tick-tock" sound. Ridiculous… And you probably guessed it by now - I absolutely love it.
Image Credit: Honda.
Size-wise, this thing is microscopic. It measures 141.3 inches long. You could probably park it in your hallway if the front door is wide enough. It's designed for the narrow, winding streets of Edinburgh or London, not the wide-open Interstates. Honda says they've stiffened the suspension for European roads, which is code for "it'll rattle your teeth out over a cobblestone street." But that's all part of the hot hatch experience. If your spine isn't compressed by the time you reach the coast, were you even driving?
Range is where things get a bit... "city-focused." If you stay in town and never go above 20 mph, Honda claims you'll get 199 miles. But let's be real. If you're driving it properly - which means pretending you're in a 1985 rally - the combined range is 128 miles. That's enough to get you to the next town and back, provided the next town isn't actually that far away. It's not a motorway cruiser. If you take this on a 500-mile road trip, you're either a hero or a complete numpty.
Image Credit: Honda.
Inside, the cabin is a bit of a laugh. You get supportive seats with blue accents and ambient lighting that turns purple when you hit the Boost Mode button. It literally is a tiny, 80s-themed nightclub. There's enough room for four people, as long as two of them don't have legs. But for a sub $27,000 price tag, you really can't complain. That's cheaper than most "real" cars, and it's infinitely more interesting than the new Renault Twingo that's also heading our way.
Is it practical? Not really. Is it fast? Absolutely not. But is it the kind of "pure barry" fun we need? You bet your life it is. It's a car that doesn't take itself seriously, and in this gloomy Scottish rain, that's exactly what I need. It's a tiny electric toy with big dreams, and I can't wait to see if those fake gears actually make me feel like a racing driver or just a man having an electric midlife crisis.
Image Credit: Honda.
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