After 11 years of absence, the Honda Ballade is back in South Africa. Actually, if we're talking in strict genealogical terms here, the Honda Ballade never really left us.
Ballade was South Africa's name for the Civic in the days when Mercedes-Benz was assembling them in East London and when Honda entered the country as an independent importer at the turn of the millennium, the Civic simply got its rightful name back.
Over the years this Civic has grown into a bigger, more sophisticated and consequently more expensive machine, in the process leaving a wide open gap for a smaller sedan to slot beneath it.
The Honda City, which is built in Thailand and sold in 25 global markets, fits this bill perfectly and Honda South Africa has decided to evoke some potentially lucrative warm and fuzzy feelings among old Honda fans by slapping on the Ballade name for our market. That's a real no-brainer if you ask me.
While it's hard to determine exactly how the new Ballade compares to its forebears in terms of exact measurements, a Honda representative estimated that it's bigger than the earlier Ballades but smaller than the later models. Either way, it's a natural rival to the latest compact sedans on the market, like the Mazda2 and Ford Fiesta four-door models.
The new Ballade is in fact built on Honda's latest 'Compact Platform' that also underpins the Jazz, CR-Z and Insight. It's a very space-efficient layout that places the fuel tank in the centre of the car to liberate boot space - and they've done a fine job of that in the Ballade, its boot capable of swallowing 506 litres and that's with a spare wheel.
Thankfully they've also given it a clean sheet exterior design - it doesn't resemble the Jazz in any way. It's quite a pleasant design in the flesh. Sure, it's not going to activate your salivation glands or bowl you over in any way, but it's crisp and pleasing to the eye. That wedgy Civic-hatch-like front end gives it a muscular presence and the rear end is chunky and elegant.
Let's take a quick walk through the range: All models are powered by the same 1.5-litre i-VTEC 16-valve petrol motor that powers the Jazz. It puts out 88kW at 6600rpm and 145Nm at 4800, with Honda claiming a 0-100km/h sprint time of 9.8 seconds at the coast in manual guise and combined fuel consumption of 6.3 litres per 100km.
You then have a choice between two specification levels, each available with either manual or automatic transmission - and both are five-speed 'boxes.
The Comfort spec kicks off the range at R184 900 and is well appointed with the things you'd expect, like aircon, remote central locking, i-pod compatible four-speaker sound system and electric windows and mirrors. It also includes some things you don't expect at entry level, like a multi-function steering wheel and cruise control.
The flagship 'Elegance' model starts at R193 900 and adds 16-inch alloy wheels, front foglights, chrome door handles, leather-trimmed reach-adjustable steering wheel, Bluetooth hands-free functionality and curtain airbags (in addition to the front and side bags that you also get in the base model).
Step inside the new Ballade and you're greeted by a design that's fairly sporty by segment standards and I particularly liked the overlapping layers on the dashboard. The build quality is impeccable in typical Honda fashion but if I must nitpick, many of the surfaces appear to be from the low-budget catalogue.
The cabin is spacious enough by segment standards and getting comfortable behind the wheel is a cinch. Once moving, I was impressed by the solid feel of the short-throw gearstick as well as by its smooth operation. In fact, everything feels that way and it's a very effortless experience all round.
A glance at the engine specifications initially brought a few concerns to mind, like relatively short gear ratios and the high power band, in typical VTEC fashion. Yet despite the former concern, it didn't feel too under-geared on the open road, the rev needle moving a smidgen beyond the 3500rpm mark at 120km/h, and it was also pleasantly quiet at that speed.
As for the steep power curve, it's not something you feel too much driving through town and pouncing between robots it felt brisk and effortless. However, you do need to work this engine hard on the open road, with hills and overtaking manoeuvres requiring a change down to fourth or third but if you work the gearbox the Ballade delivers more than ably on the performance front.
The car also delivered a comfortable and otherwise nondescript ride quality and although our driving route didn't present much in the way or twisties, a few blasts around an empty traffic circle left me rather impressed with the feeling of stability and lack of body roll.
Judging by these first impressions, the new Ballade seems like a well-rounded package but it's not going to be an instant winner, with the highly competent Mazda and Ford rivals running it close in price. Subjectivity will likely determine your purchase decision.