Honda’s smallest crossover in their lineup just received a makeover. It dropped its sleek styling for a mature, bulked up look, a new engine, and a suite of safety features to help you in your everyday drive. The best thing about it is the two variants share a lot of similarities in their core features that you might not be enticed to get the top of the line model anymore. Of course, that remains to be seen. Let’s dive into the all-new HR-V.
The most obvious change is the new exterior. Honda dropped the Solid Wing Face motif from before and now employs a new hexagonal grille with two designs – mesh for the V, and horizontal bar-type for the S trim. It’s flanked by automatic LED headlights with DRLs that’s standard for both trims. They also have 17-inch wheels that have the same design but different finishes for each variant, and an all-LED taillight assembly featuring a lightbar that runs across the tailgate. The V separates itself by having two functional exhaust pipes with chrome finishes, a few aesthetic flairs in some areas of the car, and by having power folding side mirrors.
Under the hood is another big change. They’ve done away with the 1.8L VTEC and now have a 1.5L DOHC VTEC for the S trim that makes 119 horsepower and 145 Nm of torque. The V variant gets a 1.5L DOHC Turbo VTEC engine that has 175 horsepower and 240 Nm of torque with both paired to a CVT.
In terms of size, the all-new HR-V is longer by at least 36mm, wider by 18mm, shorter by 15mm, but has the same wheelbase as before at 2,610mm. The additional numbers in the dimension may not be much but the new HR-V has a significantly bigger cabin. This is most apparent in the second row where legroom is now very generous for 5’6 me. There’s also better horizontal room but headroom remains just enough for average Filipino height, up to 5’8 maybe.
The cabin has a new look that’s more conventional. No more triple air vents in front of the front passenger. They also didn’t bother putting the chrome strip that’s seen in the all-new Civic and instead utilized usual dash materials with the 8-inch touchscreen breaking the layout into two. What’s different are the side air vents on each corner of the dashboard, allowing front passengers to direct the air to the rear occupants. Also, the head unit can now be accessed by the USB port below the air controls; no more hanging USB cable by the glove box.
Amenities for the interior include electronic parking brake with auto brake hold, 8-inch touchscreen with Apple and Android, ULTR seats, 6 speakers, single zone automatic climate control, rear air vents, and push start button. The V trim has additional leather upholstery including the shifter and steering wheel, 7-inch digital gauge display, auto-dimming rear view mirrors, and 2 USB ports under the rear air vents.
Even the cargo area was changed in the all-new HR-V. The tonneau cover is now attached to the tailgate itself and not hanging above the cargo area. There’s no official figure for its capacity but in visual checking it seems bigger than the outgoing model that has 431 liters of space with the second row up.
In terms of safety features, the two variants share the same amenities. 4 airbags, agile handle assist, hill start assist, hill descent control, speed sensing door locks and keyless entry system. Safety has been emphasized as the all-new HR-V has Honda Sensing Technology. This includes adaptive cruise control, low speed follow, collision mitigation braking system, lane keep assist, road departure mitigation, auto high beam, and lead car departure notification. These are on top of standard safety features like 4 airbags, ABS with EBD, agile handling assist, hill-start assist, and hill descent control among others.
The all-new Honda HR-V starts at P1,250,000 for the S trim, while the V Turbo is at P1,598,000. No RS variant this time around for Honda’s relatively smallest crossover. Colors include Ignite Red and Meteoroid Gray, with Platinum White Pearl available for an additional fee. Opal White Pearl is exclusive to the V Turbo trim for an added cost.