Pre-orders for the Afeela, the electric vehicle born from the unlikely alliance between Sony and Honda, opened yesterday. The price tag sits at £89,000. That puts it squarely in the luxury bracket, competing with Tesla's Model S and the Mercedes EQS. But the Afeela has a trick up its sleeve: an in-car entertainment system powered by Unreal Engine 5.

I drove the prototype last month at a closed event in Tokyo. The first thing you notice is the screen. It stretches from pillar to pillar, a panoramic display that replaces the traditional dashboard. Sony’s PlayStation credentials are evident. The graphics are sharp, the interface smooth. But is this enough to justify the price?

The car itself is a joint venture. Honda provides the chassis and drivetrain. Sony brings the tech. The result is a sedan that looks like a concept car from a sci-fi film. It has aero-optimised curves, hidden door handles, and a glowing grille that displays animations. The production version loses some of the concept’s edge, but it still turns heads.

Under the skin, it rides on Honda's new e:Architecture platform. The battery pack is 91 kWh, offering a claimed range of 300 miles. Dual motors provide all-wheel drive and 480 horsepower. That gets you from 0 to 60 in 4.5 seconds. Not blistering, but brisk.

Inside, the Unreal Engine 5 integration goes beyond mere aesthetics. The cockpit can render real-world data: navigation maps are overlaid with 3D models of landmarks. The system can simulate weather conditions, showing rain on the windshield of the display. It’s immersive. Almost distracting.

I asked the lead engineer, Tetsuya Ito, about safety concerns. He pointed out that the UI is designed to minimise driver distraction. The ambient mode dims graphics while driving. The game-like visuals are reserved for when the car is stationary. But the temptation to fiddle with the settings is real.

Sony is positioning the Afeela as a mobile entertainment hub. You can play games via Remote Play on the main screen. There’s a 360-degree spatial audio system tuned by Sony’s music division. The seats are designed for long journeys, with massage functions. It’s a lounge on wheels.

The question is whether customers will pay premium pricing for an unknown brand. Honda has a reputation for reliability. Sony has a reputation for innovation. But the Afeela badge is new. Pre-orders are limited to select markets: Japan, the US, and Europe. Deliveries start in 2026.

I spoke to Karl Bromley, an automotive analyst at IHS Markit. He said, “Sony and Honda are gambling that consumers will value the entertainment experience over traditional luxury cues. It’s a bold move. But the Afeela will struggle to win over buyers who care about brand heritage.”

The car also features Level 3 autonomous driving, using Sony’s image sensors and lidar. In traffic jams, the driver can legally take their eyes off the road. The system monitors attentiveness with an in-cabin camera. It works well in my test, although the legal framework is still patchy.

Final thoughts: the Afeela is a statement. It says that the car of the future is a computer. Whether that future sells remains to be seen. For now, it’s a fascinating experiment. A £89,000 experiment.