Honda WR-V is a practical crossover

Honda SA has just launched the new WRV, which is a crossover hatch based on the popular Jazz model from this Japanese car maker.

The WR-V joins the crossover hatch party a bit late, since most manufacturers have long ago developed a vehicle for this sub-segment.

Currently, Ford owns this category, its Ecosport crossover outselling all others, while VW and Hyundai are also doing well with the T-Cross and Venue respectively.

But Honda is a brand with a healthy following, especially here in Zululand, so there will be interest in the WR-V, and with its sporty look and dimensions, this newcomer will also catch the eye of the younger generation.

If you are interested in this new Honda, read below what Autodealer thinks of the WR-V after driving it.

As mentioned above, the WR-V is based on the Jazz, but thank goodness it looks nothing like the mommy’s taxi the Jazz is.

Honda did more than just slap on a set of roof rails and garnish the wheel arches with black plastic, they gave the WR-V its own bodywork.

About the only place you can see a resemblance between the crossover and the donor vehicle is at the A-pillars where the little triangular windows in front of the side mirrors are still present.

The WR-V has its own, more robust nose with new headlamps, its own rear end also with new lights and the overall look is not that of a MPV, but a sporty crossover.

Honda even lifted the WR-V from the Jazz’ 135mm above ground, to 173mm.

The WR-V is also slightly shorter than the Jazz (3.99m vs 4.05m), but strangely the crossover has a longer wheelbase (2.65m vs 2.53m).

Regardless of the numbers, Honda did a great job in giving the crossover wellbalanced dimensions and it really looks the part.

Inside, however, there’s a lot of Jazziness in the WR-V, which is a good thing, especially behind the two front seats.

The Jazz has what no other hatch has, what Honda calls ‘Magic Seats’.

It refers to an ingenious stowage system which makes the whole rear bench ‘disappear’ in to the hatch’s floor just behind the front row, making for a massive, level load bay.

The ‘Magic Seats’ feature has always been one of the Jazz’ biggest selling points and is now also that for the WR-V.

Further up front, the new car also sports a lot of Jazz as the whole centre console and dash have been carried over - also not a bad thing because the Jazz looks good and modern inside.

Honda SA currently offers only two WR-V models; one in Comfort spec and the other, Elegance.

The Comfort, being the cheaper option at R289 900, lacks the seven-inch touchscreen, reverse camera and cruise control of the Elegance, which is priced at R319 900, but that’s about as far as the differences go between the two cars.

Both have cloth seats, a steering wheel with audio and telephone buttons, USB ports, rear park sensors and keyless entry.

They also run the same engine and transmission set-up; a 66kW/110Nm 1.2-litre linked to a five-speed manual box.

The WR-V’s ride is very sturdy, like the Jazz, with no hint that Honda has cut corners down below.

It’s a car which is comfortable and stable in town, as well as on the open road.

The only objection here is that the first and second gears tend to over-rev if you push the WR-V hard, and that the engine is a tad noisy, but apart from that there’s nothing to complain about.

In fact, the WR-V’s drivetrain as a whole feels refined and the ride is smooth.

Autodealer likes the WR-V’s solid build, interior quality, generous standard feature list and refined drive.

It looks good on the outside and is very practical inside.

Honda’s five-year/200 000km warranty and four-year/60 000km service plan make the WR-V look even better.

The range-topping Elegance, especially, is a good deal because it comes with many nice luxury features like an eightinch touchscreen infotainment system which is Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatable, while undercutting direct rivals by quite a lot.

All that’s missing at this stage is an automatic transmission, but Honda said that will be coming soon.

But in the meantime, if you like shifting your own gears, visit Tangawizi Motors and take this fine new Honda for a test drive.