Honda HR-V
REPORT 2
£32,260 OTR/£36,035 as tested/£443pcm
WHY IT’S HERE
Does Honda’s eco-champion stand out from the crossover crowd?
DRIVER
Sam Philip
BEFORE HANDING THE HR-V’S KEYS OVER TO TG’S VIDEOGRAPHER Charlie Rose I wanted to send it off in style Time for a big family road trip to the Alps
Good car for a big family journey the Honda It’s a proper Tardis somehow way bigger on the inside than it looks from the outside Long story short the HRV happily swallowed a family of four and their associated holiday paraphernalia and dispatched everything from autoroutes to high Alpine mountain tracks with ease
Economy? A tale of two halves For stopstart mph stuff the HRV is fabulously frugal Approx mpg is easy prey mpg achievable by going gentle on the throttle and heavy on the regenerative braking However on the flattish empty roads of eastern France cruise control fixed at kph economy dropped close to mpg With only a litre fuel tank that means miles between motorway refills Suboptimal
The motorway also shows up the bad side of the HRV’s eCVT transmission Attempt say a spirited overtake on an uphill stretch of motorway and the engine offers a disgruntled moo that seems to bear little relation to what’s going on with either the throttle or wheels
The suspension setup which occasionally feels a mite oversporty on the UK’s tragic tarmac is perfect in the French mountains firm enough that the HRV doesn’t loll through the hairpins but cossetting enough not to jiggle the breakfast out of its rearseat passengers
And speaking of cossetting as a longterm sufferer of SALBS Slightly Achy Lower Back Syndrome I found the HRV’s seats fabulously comfortable Good car for a big trip especially if you can give the motorways a swerve