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You may’t purchase a Honda Jazz or Odyssey anymore, however there’s a bevy of SUV choices on the Japanese model’s showrooms – all of which have not too long ago been redesigned.
Along with new generations of the small Honda HR-V, as featured right here, and the mid-sized CR-V, Honda has a ZR-V that slots in between them – and confusingly known as the HR-V in North America.
In top-spec hybrid e:HEV L guise, the HR-V is priced proper within the thick of the ZR-V vary and on the very backside of the CR-V vary. However to get a hybrid ZR-V or CR-V, you’ll be paying hundreds extra.
The HR-V has a particular look of its personal, with slab sides, a body-colour grille, a full-width tail gentle meeting, and hidden rear door handles.
It arguably appears higher in particular person than it does in photographs, and it has a extra upright, SUV-like look than the ZR-V, sloped rear window apart.
It has loads of showroom enchantment, however it’s controversially lacking one function taken as a right on this section. Extra on that later.
How does the Honda HR-V fare vs its opponents?
View an in depth breakdown of the Honda HR-V in opposition to equally sized automobiles.
Honda
HR-V
How a lot does the Honda HR-V price?
Honda retains it easy with the HR-V vary: you may have a petrol-powered mannequin, or you may go for the hybrid and get a number of further package within the course of.
It’s priced at $47,000 drive-away, although Honda is at present providing it for $45,200 drive-away till March 31; it’s additionally providing $1800 off the bottom Vi X, for a price ticket of $34,900 drive-away.
There’s a spread of hybrid choices out there within the small SUV section. Probably the most inexpensive is the GWM Haval Jolion Lux Hybrid at $36,990 drive-away (with a brief $34,990 D/A promotion for the time being), with even the top-spec Extremely Hybrid ($37,990/$40,990 drive-away) undercutting the HR-V.
The mid-range Toyota Corolla Cross GXL Hybrid will be had in front-wheel drive guise for $40,230 earlier than on-roads or $44,309 drive-away based mostly on a Sydney postcode, whereas a top-spec Hyundai Kona Hybrid Premium is $43,500 earlier than on-roads or $47,256 drive-away.
There are extra small hybrid SUVs coming, too, with the Nissan Qashqai e-Energy and Jeep Compass e-Hybrid due quickly.
What’s the Honda HR-V like on the within?
The Honda HR-V might not really feel fairly as premium inside as its ZR-V large sibling, however it nonetheless avoids feeling cut price basement.
Along with a easy, elegant dashboard design, there are some elegant touches. The local weather controls are the identical because the ZR-V, with beautiful knurled dials with crimson or blue backlighting whenever you modify the temperature.
The instrument cluster, which neatly integrates analogue and digital components, is a category act.
It even consists of the standard Honda-style chunky warning lights, however the execution is lots nicer than previous clusters from the model, whereas we like how turn-by-turn directions from smartphone mirroring navigation seem up right here.
There’s leatherette padding on the perimeters of the centre console, however exhausting plastic abounds on the dashboard and on the rear doorways.
And but, it’s not a budget, scratchy-looking sort you could discover in different inexpensive SUVs. As a substitute, all the things has engaging graining and is assembled with care.
The one trim piece I took exception to was the centre of the sprint, which bows barely in the event you press it… however who’s going to be doing that?
The HR-V doesn’t have the distinctive honeycomb mesh trim present in different Hondas just like the Civic, however there are some slim metal-look components on the sprint and doorways for distinction.
The seats might function black upholstery, however there are pops of distinction to cease all of it wanting too low-cost… or funereal. There are leatherette bolsters, whereas the material upholstery has a gorgeous diamond sample and a speckled impact to it.
The look is engaging, and the seats gained’t have you ever pining for leather-based. They’re cozy, too.
The infotainment system has an identical model of consumer interface to older Honda items, however it appears sharper and feels extra responsive, although we did discover a slight, occasional lag with Android Auto.
Reversing digital camera readability is common, falling wanting rivals just like the GWM Haval Jolion. The footage additionally seems virtually black and white at evening time. Nonetheless, we’ve seen worse.
Cleverly, the air-conditioning will flip down whenever you’re utilizing voice prompts.
Talking of intelligent particulars, check out the air vents. As a substitute of simply having the ability to be opened and closed, there’s a tactile knob subsequent to them that lets you both have air despatched immediately forward or cut up into three instructions. It’s an uncommon but neat function.
I’m normally fairly simple to please on the subject of seating, however I discovered the HR-V’s driver seat at all times felt somewhat too excessive. The perfect seating place I might get nonetheless resulted in my legs feeling a bit tight after a protracted drive. There’s no energy adjustment for the seat, both.
The entrance seats are heated and heat up shortly, whereas the automotive will keep in mind your heated seat settings whenever you subsequent begin it up.
The rear centre seatbelt within the HR-V wasn’t compliant with Australian Design Guidelines, so Honda merely threw its toys out of the pram and declared the automotive a four-seater.
Is it ridiculous Australia has so many particular laws, which regularly power corporations to spend cash making modifications that apply to just one market? It certain is!
However is it additionally disappointing to see an organization supply a automobile in one in every of Australia’s highest-volume segments with simply 4 seatbelts? You wager.
You mightn’t end up carrying 4 passengers typically, however in only a few weeks with the automotive the shortage of a centre seatbelt proved mighty inconvenient for me.
What makes this particularly irritating is the actual fact the HR-V has a spacious again seat. Okay, so sitting three abreast isn’t going to be as cozy as a Kluger. Nonetheless, there’s loads of headroom, ample legroom, and a largely flat flooring.
There are two USB retailers again right here, plus somewhat cubby and a fold-down armrest – properly, that centre place must be helpful for one thing!
The door handles – located within the C-pillar – are a bit plasticky. I realise that is an HR-V design cue, however Honda isn’t fooling anyone because it’s fairly clear it is a five-door SUV and never some form of coupe. The doorways themselves are well-weighted and don’t want a slam to close correctly, although.
Then there’s the HR-V’s load-carrying functionality. This can be a severely sensible little SUV, lack of a centre seatbelt apart.
Whereas there’s a comparatively common 304L of boot area behind the rear seats, dropping these sees the seat base slide ahead to make a very flat load bay.
Honda calls them Magic Seats, and so they flip the HR-V right into a veritable van. All up, there’s 956L of boot area measured to the home windows, or 1274L measured to the roof.
Beneath the boot flooring, there’s a helpful storage compartment, although you’ll solely discover a tyre restore package and never a spare wheel.
What’s beneath the bonnet?
Energy within the HR-V e:HEV L comes from a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder petrol engine working the Atkinson cycle, paired with two electrical motors and a small lithium-ion battery pack.
Drive is shipped solely to the entrance axle through what Honda calls a fixed-gear transmission coupled to a ‘energy management unit’, one thing in any other case known as an e-CVT.
The hybrid powertrain has whole outputs of 96kW of energy between 4000 and 8000rpm and 253Nm of torque between 0 and 3500rpm. In earlier testing, we recorded a 0-100km/h time of 10.16 seconds.
I had this HR-V for an prolonged reserving over the Christmas/New Yr’s interval, and whereas petrol wasn’t the costliest it had been in latest reminiscence, it wasn’t low-cost both.
So it was a nice shock when the HR-V was constantly averaging 5L/100km. It briefly went as much as 5.2L/100km, and over a loop comprising inner-city, suburban and freeway driving it managed 4.5L/100km. However over the course of some weeks, it sat constantly at 5L/100km.
The official declare is 4.3L/100km, 1.5L/100km thriftier than the bottom petrol HR-V.
How does the Honda HR-V drive?
Begin the HR-V up and you could hear a grumbly sound from its hybrid powertrain that feels like your fridge is overheating.
This subsides, nevertheless, and when you get on the highway you’ll discover the automotive working quietly on electrical energy at low speeds, leading to a serene cabin. Push that accelerator pedal a bit additional, and also you then hear one in every of Honda’s beautiful four-cylinder engines.
The engine sings, and it’s mated with a transmission that isn’t like some CVTs and e-CVTs. It simulates gear ratios, thereby avoiding the droning, rev-flaring sensation you could expect.
The HR-V feels punchy and responsive round city, with the mixture of petrol engine and electrical motors working properly collectively.
It feels somewhat out of its component out within the hills, nevertheless, as we discovered it may very well be fairly breathless on steeper grades.
Even with our foot planted to the ground, nevertheless, the HR-V by no means sounds too raucous, as noise suppression is excellent for the category.
At freeway speeds, there’s little or no in the way in which of wind noise, with just some tyre roar disturbing the silence. By the requirements of the section, nevertheless, this degree of tyre roar is completely regular.
The journey is refined, too. You’ll really feel issues like growth joints, and but these impacts are quelled fairly shortly, and general the HR-V feels very comfy to drive.
With a torsion beam on the rear, the HR-V might really feel ever so barely unsettled at instances, however for essentially the most half it’s composed together with over unsealed roads.
It doesn’t really feel fairly as car-like because the bigger ZR-V, with a contact of physique roll within the corners, however it’ll dangle in there. We wouldn’t name it sporty, however it’s greater than aggressive inside this section.
The steering has a superb quantity of really feel, too, although the brake pedal doesn’t.
The HR-V has two completely different lane help techniques, each of which work at speeds between 72km/h and 180km/h. One is activated through urgent a button on the steering wheel, and gives extra energetic intervention to cease you from leaving your lane.
I discovered it labored higher than the identical system within the ZR-V, whereas even the usual lane-keep help proved well-tuned and never overly intrusive.
The presence of energetic cornering lights could be very a lot appreciated when turning or following a winding highway, whereas we like how the automotive remembers in the event you’ve turned on auto maintain.
As with many hybrids, you can even carry up an vitality circulate metre that exhibits whether or not the petrol engine or electrical motors are in operation.
What do you get?
HR-V e:HEV L highlights:
- LED energetic cornering lights
- LED entrance fog lights
- Heated, power-folding exterior mirrors
- Palms-free energy tailgate with walk-away shut
- Rain-sensing wipers
- Heated entrance seats
- Heated leather-wrapped steering wheel
- Leatherette/cloth upholstery
- 6-speaker sound system
- Twin-zone local weather management with rear air vents
- Paddle shifters
There are some attention-grabbing inclusions and omissions there. A hands-free energy tailgate and heated steering wheel are removed from widespread on this section, and but there’s no energy driver’s seat.
That is over and above what you discover on the HR-V Vi X:
- Computerized LED headlights
- Computerized high-beam
- 18-inch alloy wheels
- Hill descent management
- Rear privateness glass
- 9.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system
- Wired Android Auto
- Wi-fi Apple CarPlay
- Satellite tv for pc navigation
- 7.0-inch instrument cluster display screen
- Keyless entry and begin
Is the Honda HR-V protected?
The Honda HR-V has a four-star security ranking from ANCAP, based mostly on testing performed in 2022.
It acquired an grownup occupant safety ranking of 82 per cent, a toddler occupant safety ranking of 77 per cent, a weak highway consumer safety ranking of 72 per cent, and a security help ranking of 69 per cent.
Normal security gear consists of:
- Adaptive cruise management
- Autonomous emergency braking
- Lane-keep help
- Visitors signal recognition
- Entrance, rear parking sensors
- Reversing digital camera
- Entrance, front-side and curtain airbags
HR-V e:HEV L provides:
- Blind-spot monitoring
- Rear cross-traffic alert
- Clever pace limiter
How a lot does the Honda HR-V price to run?
The HR-V is backed by a five-year, unlimited-kilometre guarantee, although Honda is at present providing a seven-year guarantee for a restricted time.
Honda has among the many most cost-effective servicing within the business, with the HR-V’s first 5 companies capped at $199 every. Intervals are 12 months or 10,000km.
CarExpert’s Tackle the Honda HR-V
It’s not the most cost effective small hybrid SUV or essentially the most well-equipped, however there’s lots to love concerning the Honda HR-V.
Its cabin is spacious, and people Magic Seats make carrying bigger hundreds lots simpler. What a pity Honda couldn’t engineer an answer for Australia that will see the HR-V be greater than only a four-seater.
The HR-V is quiet and refined, and the powertrain is a candy factor even when it runs out of puff on steeper grades.
With distinctive styling and a top quality really feel, the HR-V makes for a compelling possibility within the small hybrid SUV section. Simply be sure to try its more and more giant flock of rivals earlier than you signal on the dotted line.
Click on the pictures for the total gallery
BUY: Honda HR-V
MORE: Every little thing Honda HR-V
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