Honda’s great new crossover
THE Honda HR-V is a great family car with a wide range of abilities and, in the 1.6 diesel form I drove, manages an excellent 55mpg in real world driving.
It uses the same 120bhp diesel as the Civic hatch – the first car I ever drove that managed 70mpg out on the road – and I believe is based on that car’s chassis.
Oddly, I remember this engine being refined and quiet in the Civic but, at slow speeds, it seems a little noisier and more noticeable in this one.
That said, it provides good performance, with 0-60mph in just under 10 seconds and great pull in the gears, making fourth and fifth best for overtaking. Sixth is pretty much just for cruising.
In the lower gears, it is pulling hard from just 1,500 revs, which is very impressive. It will also pull from just above tickover in higher gears, but is slightly grumbly under 1,500.
Like most higher vehicles, it rolls a little in the corners, but road holding and grip are brilliant. It’s also well balanced and very, very safe.
The ride is a little unsettled on poor surfaces but improves the faster you go. It does have the same slight sideways rocking motion as many other crossovers, but it’s not uncomfortable.
There’s good left foot space, a very good driving position and the range topper I drove came with leather faced seats, lots of controls on the steering wheel, voice activation, cruise control, trip computer, Bluetooth and aux-in for the stereo.
Annoyingly, the screen that controls satnav and stereo goes black at night and I could not find a way to stop this happening.
It also came with lane departure warning, parking sensors, stability control, heated mirrors, climate control and a very good size boot.
And of course, it is a Honda, so reliability comes as standard.
The Honda HR-V SE Nav costs £23,250.