Honda Ballade

Honda Ballade: which version to buy and why

If the choice is between Honda Ballade versions in this catalogue, the split is simple: 1 generation (1980-08-01–1983-08-31) is the lightest sedan (770 kg kerb on every listed version) with 72 or 80 hp; 2 generation (1983-07-01–1987-08-31) is the stronger sedan, with 80 hp on 1.3 MT / 1.3 AT and 100 hp on 1.5 MT. There is no 1.5 AT in 2 generation.

If the choice is between Honda Ballade versions in this catalogue, the split is simple: 1 generation (1980-08-01–1983-08-31) is the lightest sedan (770 kg kerb on every listed version) with 72 or 80 hp; 2 generation (1983-07-01–1987-08-31) is the stronger sedan, with 80 hp on 1.3 MT / 1.3 AT and 100 hp on 1.5 MT. There is no 1.5 AT in 2 generation. Acceleration to 100, top speed, fuel consumption, CO2, eco class, gross weight, wheel size, rear suspension, and rear brakes are not measured on every version here, so the buying comparison is power, torque, weight, ground clearance, fuel system, gearbox, and dates — not claimed mpg or a 0–100 time.

Honda Ballade AMG, Honda Ballade Sports CR-X, pop-up lights, Cape Town / Johannesburg / Pretoria / Durban listings, 1998 cars, Gumtree ads, and prices are not in this dataset. The versions that exist here are named exactly as in the catalogue: 1.3 MT, 1.3 AT, 1.5 MT, 1.5 AT.

Honda Ballade generations in order (what actually changed)

1 generation (1980-08-01–1983-08-31), Sedan, 4 versions. Every version is FWD, Gasoline, 4 Inline cylinders, 2 valves per cylinder, nadduv No, Front transverse engine, Carburetor, 92 fuel, 46 L tank, Independent spring front suspension, Disc front brakes. Ground clearance is 165 mm. Kerb weight is 770 kg on all four. The 1.3 engines are 1335 cc; the 1.5 engines are 1488 cc. Compression is 8.8. Bore × stroke is 72 × 82 on all four.

2 generation (1983-07-01–1987-08-31), Sedan, 6 listed versions (three names, two date windows each). Still FWD, Gasoline, 4 Inline, 2 valves per cylinder, Front transverse, 92 fuel, 46 L tank, Independent spring front, Disc front. Ground clearance drops to 160 mm (−5 mm vs 1 generation). Kerb weight is 795 kg on the 1.3 pair and 840 kg on 1.5 MT. Compression is 10. The 1.3 engines grow to 1342 cc (74 × 78). The 1.5 engine stays 1488 cc but stroke lengthens to 86.5 mm (74 × 86.5) and the fuel system becomes Distributed injection (multi-point). Boost is not measured on 2 generation (it is No on 1 generation).

Restyling is not a third generation in this data. 2 generation simply lists the same three names twice with overlapping calendars: 1.3 MT, 1.3 AT, and 1.5 MT from 1983-09-01 to 1986-10-31, and the same three names from 1983-07-01 to 1987-08-31. Horsepower is identical within each name (80 hp on 1.3, 100 hp on 1.5), so the two listings of 1.3 MT are not two power levels; they are two production windows.

Honda Ballade specs table (engine, gearbox, drive)

Honda Ballade horsepower, engine capacity, and weight per hp

Power per litre (hp ÷ displacement in litres) on 1 generation:

• 1.3 MT / 1.3 AT: 72 ÷ 1.335 ≈ 53.9 hp/L
• 1.5 MT / 1.5 AT: 80 ÷ 1.488 ≈ 53.8 hp/L

The 1.5 does not extract more power per litre than the 1.3 in 1 generation. What it buys is +8 hp and +13 Nm (121 − 108) at the same 770 kg.

Power per litre on 2 generation:

• 1.3 MT / 1.3 AT: 80 ÷ 1.342 ≈ 59.6 hp/L
• 1.5 MT: 100 ÷ 1.488 ≈ 67.2 hp/L

Moving from 1 generation 1.3 MT (72 hp) to 2 generation 1.3 MT (80 hp) is +8 hp (+11%) on only +7 cc (1342 − 1335) and +25 kg (795 − 770). Torque rises +3 Nm (111 − 108). Peak power rpm moves from 5500 to 6000; peak torque rpm from 3000 to 3500. Compression goes from 8.8 to 10.

Moving from 1 generation 1.5 MT (80 hp) to 2 generation 1.5 MT (100 hp) is +20 hp (+25%) and +8 Nm (129 − 121) at the same 1488 cc. Kerb weight rises +70 kg (840 − 770). That extra mass is more than offset in kg per hp:

• 1 generation any version at 72 hp: 770 ÷ 72 ≈ 10.7 kg/hp
• 1 generation any version at 80 hp: 770 ÷ 80 ≈ 9.6 kg/hp
• 2 generation 1.3 MT / 1.3 AT: 795 ÷ 80 ≈ 9.9 kg/hp
• 2 generation 1.5 MT: 840 ÷ 100 = 8.4 kg/hp

1.5 MT in 2 generation is the lightest car per horsepower in this file. 1.3 MT / 1.3 AT in 1 generation is the heaviest per horsepower.

Same-generation 1.3 vs 1.5 in 2 generation: +20 hp, +18 Nm (129 − 111), +146 cc, +45 kg (840 − 795). You pay 45 kg for 20 hp, or 2.25 kg per extra hp. In 1 generation the 1.5 vs 1.3 costs 0 kg for +8 hp — kerb is 770 on both.

Honda Ballade vs Civic — what this file can and cannot say

Honda Ballade vs Civic is a common search. Civic is not in this dataset. Within Ballade, every version is Sedan, FWD, Gasoline, Front transverse, 4 Inline, 2 valves per cylinder. There is no all-wheel-drive Ballade here and no second body type.

Performance and economy (mpg is not measured)

0–100, top speed, city / highway / combined consumption: not measured on 1.3 MT, 1.3 AT, 1.5 MT, and 1.5 AT in both generations. Do not treat a missing 0–100 as “this car has no acceleration figure in the real world”; it is missing from this catalogue.

Tank is 46 L on every version. Fuel is 92 on every version. That does not tell you oil type; oil type is not measured.

Honda Ballade dimensions, weight, ground clearance

Length, width, height, wheelbase, and wheel sizes: not measured.

Kerb weight:

• 770 kg — all four 1 generation versions
• 795 kg — 2 generation 1.3 MT and 1.3 AT
• 840 kg — 2 generation 1.5 MT

Gross weight: not measured.

Ground clearance: 165 mm (1 generation) vs 160 mm (2 generation). The later sedan sits 5 mm lower. If clearance is the buying filter, 1 generation wins by that 5 mm on every version.

Manual vs Automatic — what the extra ratio buys

In both generations, 1.3 MT and 1.5 MT (where it exists) use Manual 4; 1.3 AT and 1.5 AT use Automatic 3. Engine output is the same within a generation and displacement: 1 generation 1.3 MT and 1.3 AT are both 72 hp / 108 Nm; 1 generation 1.5 MT and 1.5 AT are both 80 hp / 121 Nm; 2 generation 1.3 MT and 1.3 AT are both 80 hp / 111 Nm. Kerb weight does not change with the gearbox in this file (770 vs 770; 795 vs 795). The automatic does not add kilograms here; it subtracts one gear (4 → 3).

2 generation has no Automatic 1.5. If you want 100 hp, the only gearbox in the data is Manual 4 on 1.5 MT.

Carburetor vs Distributed injection (multi-point)

1 generation: Carburetor on 1.3 MT, 1.3 AT, 1.5 MT, 1.5 AT.

2 generation: Carburetor on 1.3 MT and 1.3 AT; Distributed injection (multi-point) only on 1.5 MT.

The 100 hp figure and the 67.2 hp/L figure sit on the injected 1.5 MT, not on the 1.3 carburetor pair. Bore stays 74 mm from 2 generation 1.3 to 1.5; stroke grows from 78 mm to 86.5 mm (+8.5 mm).

Honda Ballade reliability, problems, oil type

Common problems, reliability scores, engine mounting, and oil type are not measured. Engine for sale / engine price / AMG specs / AMG engine are not in this file. The engines that are here: 1335 cc or 1488 cc (1 generation), 1342 cc or 1488 cc (2 generation), all Gasoline, 4 Inline, 2 valves per cylinder, Front transverse.

Which Honda Ballade version to choose

Want the lowest kerb weight and the highest ground clearance: any 1 generation version at 770 kg and 165 mm. 1.3 MT and 1.3 AT are 72 hp / 108 Nm / 1335 cc. 1.5 MT and 1.5 AT are 80 hp / 121 Nm / 1488 cc at the same 770 kg — the 1.5 is the better 1 generation buy on paper because the extra 8 hp and 13 Nm cost 0 kg.

Want an automatic 1.5: only 1 generation 1.5 AT (80 hp, Automatic 3, 770 kg). That combination does not exist in 2 generation.

Want an automatic at all in 2 generation: only 1.3 AT (80 hp, Automatic 3, 795 kg), in either date window (1983-09-01–1986-10-31 or 1983-07-01–1987-08-31). Same 80 hp as 2 generation 1.3 MT.

Want the most horsepower and the lowest kg/hp: 2 generation 1.5 MT at 100 hp / 74 kW @ 5800, 129 Nm @ 4000, 1488 cc, Distributed injection (multi-point), Manual 4, FWD, 840 kg (8.4 kg/hp). That is +20 hp versus 1 generation 1.5 MT and +28 hp versus 1 generation 1.3 MT. It is also +70 kg versus 1 generation and +45 kg versus 2 generation 1.3 MT.

Want 2 generation without the 840 kg 1.5: 1.3 MT (Manual 4) or 1.3 AT (Automatic 3), both 80 hp / 111 Nm / 1342 cc / Carburetor / 795 kg / 160 mm. Versus 1 generation 1.3 MT, that is +8 hp and +25 kg. Versus 1 generation 1.5 MT, power is the same 80 hp, but you are 25 kg heavier (795 vs 770), 5 mm lower (160 vs 165), and on 1342 cc instead of 1488 cc, with 111 Nm instead of 121 Nm. So a 2 generation 1.3 does not beat a 1 generation 1.5 on torque or weight; it only matches the 80 hp and adds later production dates.

Date windows on 2 generation duplicates: 1.3 MT, 1.3 AT, and 1.5 MT appear twice with the same hp. The longer window is 1983-07-01–1987-08-31 (aligned with the generation stop). The shorter window is 1983-09-01–1986-10-31. Specs inside each name do not change; only the start/stop dates do.

What “extra money” can mean here without prices: prices are not measured. In numbers, the step from 1 generation 1.3 MT (72 hp, 770 kg) to 1 generation 1.5 MT (80 hp, 770 kg) is the cheapest power step in kg. The step from 2 generation 1.3 MT (80 hp, 795 kg) to 2 generation 1.5 MT (100 hp, 840 kg) is the largest power step (+20 hp) and the only injected engine. The step from 1 generation 1.5 MT (80 hp, 770 kg, Carburetor, Automatic available as 1.5 AT) to 2 generation 1.5 MT (100 hp, 840 kg, injection, no automatic) trades 70 kg, 5 mm of clearance, and the automatic option for +20 hp, +8 Nm, and multi-point injection.

If the question is Honda Ballade review in one line from this catalogue: buy 1 generation 1.5 MT or 1.5 AT when weight, clearance, and a 3-speed Automatic option matter; buy 2 generation 1.5 MT when 100 hp and 8.4 kg/hp matter and a manual is acceptable; buy 1.3 AT in either generation only if Automatic is required and 72 hp (1 generation) or 80 hp (2 generation) is enough.