HR-V – a small SUV with style

Damien O’carroll reviews the Honda HR-V – and finds it a roomy, practical and stylish SUV.

make a lot of sense – they are mechanically simple and sometimes more efficient than traditional automatics – they are particularly irritating when paired with lowtorque engines that need to rev to deliver decent acceleration. The HR-V’S 1.8-litre engine is, unfortunately, an ageing unit that lacks torque and needs to be revved, meaning that while the CVT is acceptable around town, anytime you need more than gentle acceleration it tends to get quite noisy. Inside the HR-V is typically ergonomic and spacious – as most Hondas are – and nice touches like the faux leather arm rests and dash padding and the chrome highlights are all classy. The only downer is the centre console lid that doubles as an armrest and creaked loudly every time you rested an elbow on it. The HR-V’S real point of difference in the segment out the back, with a capacious boot paired with Honda’s excellent “Magic seats”. Just as clever as they are in the Jazz, the trick rear seats turn an impressive 437 litres of cargo space when fixed in place into 1,032 litres (or an even more impressive 1,462 litres if loaded to the roof). While it’s not perfect (a newer, torquier engine would make it close), the HR-V is easily one of the most practical, roomy and stylish vehicles in the segment. Honda’s signature excellent build quality (except for that annoyingly creaky centre console) only adds to the appeal of the company’s newest SUV.