COMPACT SUV GOES ALL IN FOR EFFICIENCY
Model Honda e:HEV L Engine 1498cc 4cyl, dohc, 16V + hybrid Max power 96kW @ 4000-8000rpm Max torque 253Nm @ 3500rpm Transmission CVT Weight 1382kg 0-100km/h 9.8sec (claimed) Economy 4.3L/100km Price $45,000 (drive-away) On sale Now
HONDA’S HR-V is just one of two SUVs in the brand’s line-up at this point (though that should change in the near future), meaning it has to do plenty of heavy lifting in terms of sales. When faced with refined and impressive competition such as the Mazda CX-30, Kia Seltos and Toyota C-HR, that’s no small task.
From our first impressions of the new HR-V, Honda is able to stand tall against those popular rivals with a car that provides practical solutions to consumers along with a genuine step up in fit and finish compared to the outgoing model.
Making up the new HR-V range are just two variants. The non-hybrid Vi X at $36,700, and the e:HEV L for $45,000, both drive-away figures. It’s the latter – with its jumbled badging and hybrid powertrain – that we have driven.
Previously the HR-V had a fourmodel line-up, starting with the base VTi model grade with a $31,300 price tag, walking all the way to the rangetopping $41,000 drive-away VTI-LX. This means both the price of entry and ultimate flagship cost have risen.
All of the previous-generation cars utilised a 1.8-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine producing 105kW and 172Nm, which we were quite fond of. Both new variants utilise a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder at the core of their powertrains.
In the Vi X, it produces 89kW and 145Nm, while the addition of a 1.1kWh lithium-ion battery and electric motor allows the e:HEV L to claim a total system output of 96kW and 253Nm.
What does this mean day-to-day? Well, this isn’t a plug-in hybrid, which means you won’t be charging its battery from a wall socket or roadside charger. Instead, the lithium-ion battery gains charge via either regenerative braking or by the combustion engine, which acts as a power generator at low speeds.
This can sometimes result in a slightly odd driving experience where the combustion engine holds its revs at a steady state to produce energy for the battery, while the electric motor shifts you along by itself. It’s different to the norm but easy to acclimatise to.
Other than the noise of the combustion engine, it’s a clever way to keep the hybrid battery topped up so that it remains helpful in minimising fuel use.
While we were previously endeared to the gutsy-for-its-class engine, the outgoing HR-V was an overall loud and firm drive. Honda has reversed these criticisms for its newest generation small SUV.
The driving experience itself is as unremarkable as it comes, but the HR-V presents a cabin that you’d happily soak in for hours. The interior treatment feels remarkably upmarket for the price. Generous servings of leather abound, while the switchgear has a reassuringly slick movement.
Yes, prices have increased, but so has the quality of the product. Honda has clearly been peering at Mazda’s homework of late. And we mean that as a compliment.
It’s not just material choices that speak to this either, with the standard equipment list being generous: heated steering wheel and front seats, adaptive cruise control, Apple Car-Play and Android Auto, lane-keep assist, traffic-sign recognition, hill descent control, sat-nav with over-the-air map
and system updates, and a six-speaker sound system. No electric front seat adjustment, though, and wireless phone charging is a $640 option. You’ll spend most of your time in the HR-V controlling features through the central 9.0-inch infotainment touchscreen. During our loan, the system was easy to navigate and responsive to touch – which isn’t always the case at this price point. As it is so often said, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. But in this case, we can’t help but argue that Honda has penned a handsome, striking design that stands up as an alluring visual offering. Our only notes would be a soft tut-tut to the swooping coupe-esque fastback cut to the roofline behind the C-pillar. With such a strong shoulder line and an interior design so heavily biased toward practicality, this shave of rear boot space seems at odds with the HR-V’s fundamental premise. Official boot capacity is 304 litres with the rear seats in place, 956 litres with the rear seats folded and luggage loaded to the windows, and a total of 1274 litres of available space when loading to the roofline with the rear seats stowed. In the generational move, the HR-V has opted for external styling over interior capacity. Those figures are down on the previous model’s 437 litres of load capacity with the rear seats in place, or 1462 litres when folded. However, only focusing on the boot capacity somewhat undersells the HR-V’s party trick, which many will know as ‘Magic Seats’. Tug here, pull there, and the rear of the HR-V can be rearranged to suit your needs. There are plenty of smart cubbies and storage solutions hidden throughout the cabin. However, it must be noted that for all the benefits of the ‘Magic Seats’, Honda’s missed a trick opting for a four-seat interior treatment. The Japanese manufacturer isn’t entirely to blame, with Australia’s ADR regulations playing their part in limiting the HR-V’s people-hauling ability. Honda was forced to choose between engineering and homologating a rear centre seat to meet local guidelines or going with the four-seat layout. It’s not a major issue – few with regular five-up requirements are likely to be shopping for an HR-V – but the inability to squeeze in an extra passenger from time to time is certainly something to consider. On the plus side, even with the
You won’t be going anywhere too quickly off the line in the HR-V
fastback design, the HR-V offers ample headroom for adults in all four seats. There is enough legroom to carry adults in the rear seats without having to immediately end your friendship at the end of the journey, and in the e:HEV L, back seat occupants get a pair of air vents and twin USB-C ports. You won’t be going anywhere too quickly off the line in the HR-V. Even compared to rivals, the Honda feels lethargic on step-off. It’s not a major dealbreaker but feeds into our major criticism of this car, which is the sometimes uncouth way the combustion engine flares when you request some semblance of urgency from the HR-V in terms of forward motion. The HR-V is a car that works best when treated with an extremely deft right foot, unless you want your daily commute accompanied by a soundtrack of flared revs and CVT thrash. Driven softly, the electric portion of the hybrid system will do more of the heavy lifting than we have experienced in rivals. The ride is well-judged. Not a magic carpet, but it does an impressive job of smoothing out the harder edges of Australia’s often patchy road conditions. There are no adaptive dampers, and the torsion beam rear suspension has inherent compromises, but our experience in the HR-V on poor urban roads left us impressed. Vertical movement is well controlled, and there is little fore or aft pitching during urban driving. The steering is perennially light, and communicates very little feedback from the tyres, but is thankfully direct with a welljudged ratio. Impressive outward visibility in the HR-V is in part due to raising the driving position by 10mm between generations and moving the mirrors from the A-pillar to the door itself. A large glasshouse aids no end and even with the swooping boot, rearward vision isn’t hampered heavily. Our test wasn’t long enough to get a proper read on the HR-V hybrid’s real-world fuel efficiency, but Honda’s bold claims are worth noting. Officially the combined consumption is stated as 4.3L/100km, dropping to 2.9L/100km on the urban cycle. Given the HR-V has a 40-litre fuel tank, the small SUV is likely capable of real-world journeys in the upper end of 800km. But there is an elephant in the room. At the time of writing the HR-V is yet to be given a safety rating by ANCAP. That in and of itself isn’t the issue. However, Euro NCAP wasn’t impressed with the rear child restraints in the hybrid variant, dropping the small SUV to a four-star safety rating. “The new HR-V is an all-round performer but the restraint performance in crash tests, in particular for children seated in the rear, was not as robust as expected. This dropped its score in this part of the assessment into the four-star band,” Euro NCAP stated in its report. Honda’s update of the HR-V is a mostly impressive one. It won’t be suitable for everyone, but if you can live with the quirks of how its electric and combustion powertrain interact, the four-seat layout, and want a premium-feeling compact SUV that doesn’t scrimp on the interior versatility, the HR-V could be what you’re looking for.