The HondaJet Elite is the Honda we most want but can least afford
In addition to being the fastest and most efficient jet in its category, its toilet has seat belts.
If you're not super rich or a big nerd, you could be forgiven for not even knowing that Honda makes airplanes in addition to motorcycles , cars, generators and like 9,000 other things. Honda's plane-making subsidiary is called -- appropriately -- HondaJet, and it just released its coolest plane yet, the Elite.
Calling a private plane "Elite" seems kind of on-the-nose, like "Delicious Pizza," but in a lot of ways, it is pretty dang elite. For example, it's super efficient. Honda was able to work its wizardry and extract 17 percent more fuel economy out of the Elite, compared to previous models. That works out to a little less than 250 additional miles of range and gives the Elite a cruising range of around 1,650 miles.
It's also apparently the fastest, highest-flying and quietest jet in its class, which is cool, but where things get interesting is in the cabin features. For instance, you can get your HondaJet Elite with a "Bongiovi Audio System" -- the laughs write themselves on that one. Also available is a belted lavatory, so you can be strapped in when you're doing your business, and a galley with a coffee maker.
On the technology front, most of the cool upgrades for the Elite are in its avionics system. It gets a fancy new autopilot system, performance management software, takeoff and landing distance management, and a system that will help prevent any silliness from happening when you have some hotshot rookie on the stick, trying to do barrel rolls and Immelmann turns.
Honda hasn't provided any pricing information, but let's face it, it's a jet, and if you have to care how much it is, you can't afford it.
