Here’s a little behind-the-scenes info for you members. David is about to drive something incredibly cool. Just, damn, a vehicle that makes me insanely jealous. Not only is it something sweet, it’s something that is seemingly affordable for a large percentage of the population.
Any guesses? Ok, the topshot should give it away. It’s the Honda Motocompacto, a folding electric scooter that’s the spiritual successor to the briefcase Motocompo that fit in the Honda City’s hatch area.
What do you want to learn about it? What do you want to know? David might literally be on it right now so fire away with your questions.
He’s not the only one driving a car, though what I’ve currently got in the fleet is a little less interesting. I asked members of our Discord what I should drive from what was available this month and, to my surprise, they picked this:
That’s the Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid and, I’ll be honest, I don’t hate it. Full review coming later, but what do you want to know about it?
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Also, the image at the top of this post is from a Honda City commercial for the Japanese market featuring the British ska-adjacent band Madness:
I want to know if I can fit the Motocompacto in my Honda Civic FK. It has this big hidden box underneath the trunk floor where normally a spare wheel would fit. It would be awesome if it could fit in there!
Another less serious question: of you’re shooting a video of David driving the Motocompacto, can he make the “hondahondahondahonda” sound whilst driving it? ???? (That’s what madness sings in one of the Honda City ads)
Heresy! Madness was part of ska’s second wave, centered in England.
I encourage you to listen to this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOJSM46nWwo 🙂
I’ve noticed a few people recently saying that Madness aren’t ska, and I don’t really get it. Some of their tunes are ‘ska-adjacent’, but their name is taken from a Prince Buster song, and they started out covering Ska tunes.
Sure, they took their music in a different direction from the original first-wave Ska, but so did the bands who created 3rd-wave Ska.
(Also, 4th wave when?)
Saw some of those Corolla Cross’s on the road in Malaysia this summer. Looked nice.
These are interesting vehicles and I’m looking forward to reading about them. Even more interesting to Mr. Tracy, perhaps, is the cream colored J10 in ridiculously good condition sitting behind a fence on the northeast corner of Moorpark and Whitsett. No relation to the vehicle, just happened to see it yesterday. Somebody might want to motocompo on over there.
I want to know:
Does Motocompacto has solid tires?
What type of brakes it has (i.e. Hydraulic disc, cable actuated drum, etc.)?
How much does it weigh/how hard is it to transport by hand in its folded form?
What type of suspension (if any) does it have? (The more specific the description the better)
Are the batteries easily removed? And if so is there storage room in the bike for spare batteries?
How much parts support will it have, do you have to order parts and or have it serviced through a Honda dealer (tying into right to repair)?
Will you have to buy it from a dealer or could you have it shipped to your front door?
Any plans for a longer range and or higher top speed version?
Any Plans for a 2wd Variant?
Any plans Full Size “Mini-Moto” variant?
Off Road Variant? 😉
How fun is the motocompacto? does the 15 mph top speed feel slow for running around town? I’m seriously considering one but mainly for the relationship to the OG motocompo. For the price there are probably better ebikes or scooters.
I’d be curious how the Corolla Cross Hybrid stacks up against the Maverick Hybrid. Both appear to target compact car owners who want to upgrade to something bigger (but not too big) while still getting good MPGs.
It stacks up quite well. I was considering a Maverick Hybrid for my next car and now I have to add the Corolla Cross Hybrid to the list, which is a shock to me. From a value proposition and from style/form factor I like the Maverick better. The CCH, though, offers AWD and has a better hybrid system so it might be worth the cost. Both are comfortable and both trade a little rear seat room for cargo storage.
I wanna see that Motocompacto and his Leaf in a side-by-side endurance race!
Yeah, which has more range? David needs a Motocompacto now for the trunk of his Leaf..
Drive the car halfway to the his “friends”, take the motocompacto the rest of the way and back to the car for a half trip back.
How’s the noise in the Toyota? One of my main criteria for my next car is that it has to be QUIET.
Sorry, I know that’s probably not cool for an enthusiast, but dammit I am usually on a work call while my kids scream in the back. I don’t need a bunch of road noise on top of it.
Quite good. Better than my Subaru. The motor is a little whiny, but once you’re cruising along I’m fairly impressed.
Thank you!
the difference of a well insulated car is unreal once you experience it. The entire drive and feel changes. The stress and fatigue the extra noise causes is very apparent on longer trips.
Noise cancellation can really help too. Circa 2014 CMAX reviews concentrated on the fact that it was a noisy tin box.
My wife’s 2016, which is the same basic car, has electronic noise cancellation. It’s still a tin box, but it’s a quiet one.