Honda’s new compact takes step forward
HR-V offers fuel economy and family-friendly versatility in bite-sized package
The hottest segment in the business in Canada is the crossover market. Not wanting to miss out on a prime opportunity, Honda has released a running mate for its well-respected CR-V — the new Fit-based HR-V. It joins a new niche that’s set to include the Mazda CX-3. In simple terms, if you are shopping for flexible versatility in a city-friendly package, the HR-V fits (pun intended) the bill.
The first impression of the new crossover is one of substance and style.
In this regard, it takes a marked step forward for Honda, a company that’s typically overly conservative when it comes to looks. In this case, it is the front end and side profile that grab the onlooker’s eye, specifically, the way the expressive lines catch and play with the light.
That step forward is equally evident inside. The cabin is very polished, especially in the EX-L Navi model tested. It arrives with rich materials and Honda’s typical attention to detail. The exception was the recycled-pop-bottle look of the carpeting. That aside, the front seats are comfortable, the gauge package uncluttered and there’s a large seven-inch touch-sensitive screen that looks after everything except climate — those controls sit neatly below and are also touch-sensitive. The top-line tester also arrived with all the desirable toys, including a power moonroof, navigation and a host of high-end technology, including forward-collision and lane-departure warnings.
The real upside, however, is Honda’s Lane-Watch. This is clever simply because it uses a mirror-mounted camera to put the view of the right side of the car closer to the driver in the centrally mounted screen. It is much easier (and quicker) to glance at the screen than the mirror, which means your eyes spend less time away from the road ahead. It is a technology I would mandate for all cars if I were given the power to do so.
Slide rearward and the back seat has a surprising amount of leg room, enough head room for someone 6-foot-2 and just enough width to accommodate three adults (said somewhat tongue in cheek). As with all crossovers, the HR-V has split/folding rear seats. With the seats upright, it delivers 657 litres of cargo space and 1,583 litres when folded flat. In this position, the floor is flat and the area nicely squared off, so just about all the space is functional.
The ace up the HR-V’s sleeve is the ability to lift up the rear-seat bases and lock them upright against the rear-seat back. This opens a central tall cargo area.
The HR-V is powered by a 1.8-litre i-VTEC four-cylinder engine that’s good for 141 horsepower. It’s a smooth operator that loves to rev, which is just as well because the full 127 pound-feet of torque does not arrive until 4,300 r.p.m. It powered the HR-V from rest to 100km/h in 10.8 seconds and ran the 80 to 120 km/h passing move in 7.7 seconds. Neither seems very quick as read, but in practice the HR-V feels faster than the stopwatch says. It has ample pulling power off the line and on through the mid-range.
The engine was married to a continuously variable transmission. Normally, I would launch into a rant about the vagaries of the CVT and the annoying motorboating that deafens the riders whenever the driver takes a deep stab at the gas and holds it there. In this case, however, Honda’s CVT proved to be, well, surprisingly good at all it did. It slipped through its near-infinite number of ratios smoothly and had manual and sport modes. The seven pre-determined manual ratios work seamlessly. They also brought engine braking into play at a tug of the steering wheel-mounted paddle shifter. In the end, I would take Honda’s CVT over the truculent nine-speed ZF automatic many manufacturers are adopting — Honda included.
The bonus is the powertrain returned pretty good fuel economy during the test — an average of 8.2L/100km in mostly suburban driving.
That came as a pleasant surprise.
The HR-V’s other likable trait is the manner in which it drives its way through a corner. Unlike many crossovers, which tend to favour the ride side too much, the HR-V’s suspension and steering makes it feel more like a Fit than a CR-V relative. As such, the amount of body roll is limited and the steering delivers decent feedback. This made a mundane drive a lot more fun than is the case with some of its peers — think Nissan Juke.
The HR-V is a city-friendly crossover with more than its fair share of comfort, convenience and versatility. It has, if you will, family values. The HR-V does everything almost as well as its larger CR-V sibling, but delivers better fuel economy at a more affordable price.