Would you believe it has been 30 months since Honda last had its compact HR-V on sale? It’s back at any rate, this time as a lone Sports hybrid e:HEV model.
This isn’t a brand new model per se; it’s the facelift of the third-generation 2021 model that Kiwis never got. How come? It was rejected on a compliance undercoating protection technicality. Evidently it was good enough for Australia which must have different compliance criteria.
So it’s the facelift we’re getting and it obviously suffered no such entry fate because we’ve just driven it. HR-V, Honda’s compact SUV, has always been and still is based on Jazz mechanicals. Bigger sibs like ZR-V and CR-V ride on Civic’s platform. That’s why the HR-V has the magic seating in the back with 18 different variations whereas the others don’t. It remains a brilliant luggage solution.
And on things in the back, this is arguably one of the strengths of the new HR-V. The latest iteration is a bit longer than the second-gen HR-V at 4345mm. As a result there’s a simply unbelievable amount of rear seat leg room, up by 35mm on its predecessor. Same for footroom. Okay, so there’s only seating for two back there, in which case slightly less overall width doesn’t matter, but it’s like an EV for space in the back. Even with the driver’s seat set in a regular position, there’s still generous legroom available. And headroom is good too, not always the case in vehicles with a coupe-style roof design. That’s perhaps because there’s a small amount of extra tilt (two degrees) to the rear seat backrest.
The extra leg- and footroom is mainly because front seat passengers are perched higher than before; that’s noticeable from the driver’s seat. Honda says it is all about maximising visibility and indeed the all-round view is exceptional. Not that we could see much of it on the drive. I drew the short straw driving the newcomer from Taihape to Taupo up the SH1. This is essentially a 100km/h straight line drag except when it’s hosing with rain and no-one can see past the multiwheeler trucks ahead. So then it’s 80 kays per hour for what seems like 80 kays before there’s a passing lane. A four-lane expressway from Auckland to Wellington cannot come soon enough. It will have a major impact on the road toll.
The stint in the new HR-V was preceded by a delightful dry and sinuous drive in the second-generation model through the mesmerising stretch of road that connects Kimbolton to Mangaweka. What a twisted test this is. Our HR-V had done nearly 80,000km and felt tight as a drum. Its 1.8L IL4 produces 105kW and 172Nm. With CVT and natural aspiration it proved quick to rev and performed surprisingly well. It was really great fun to pedal along such a tortuous road, steering and sticking surprisingly well.
Next day we got a much better drive in the new HR-V, through more interesting and flowing roads that join Wharepapa South to Lake Karapiro. They were a mix of wet and dry, and there the Michelin Primacy 4s shone. Helping with open road driving is a four-step regeneration system that largely avoids the need for braking. Just pull back on the left paddle a few times or select the B shift lever position; both give max regen that helps set corner speed. Then you only need to make use of the brake pedal for hairpin bends. There’s the usual trio of drive modes too. Normally, you’ll use Normal, or Eco if you’re a hypermiler.
This new GenIII variant features the e:HEV two-motor/one engine powertrain. We drove the ZR-V version with a similar set-up prior to jumping in the new HR-V Sport which was interesting because we’d never sampled that vehicle before. There’s a $10k price difference between them (HR-V Sport is $45,800, ZR-V Sport is $55k; a 131kW/240Nm ZR-V Turbo variant is $47k). The slightly larger ZR-V also has a 2.0L engine (making 104kW/182Nm) for a system total of 135kW and 315Nm. By contrast, new HR-V has a 1.5L Atkinson cycle engine good for 78kW and 127Nm combining with a traction motor that produces 96kW and 253Nm. System total isn’t stated.
The ZR-V is a bit stroppier on the go, dealing better with overtakes, but there’s not much in it as HR-V is rather lighter. For dynamics, the ZR-V is set up a little firmer and feels just a touch better planted. But we preferred the ride and handling balance of the HR-V Sport; there’s a bit more compliance at open road speeds. Contributing to improved ride comfort and NVH levels are significant increases in torsional and bending rigidity, up by 15-20 per cent, and the use of acoustic glass. An increased rear damper stroke also helps with ride comfort.
You get a bit more space in the ZR-V, and another seating position if those are important. Meanwhile luggage capacity is 370-866L for the ZR-V, 335-956L for HR-V.
HR-V we bet most folk will find just fine, especially if they’re town folk looking for something that sips fuel in easy fashion. On the open road you can eke out a bit better economy in the HR-V than ZR-V, but that’s not where this type of hybrid works best. We saw a worst of 7.2 after some hectic driving on empty country roads.
Both go into EV mode on downhill runs but their engines are on most of the time. The HR-V has a small battery pack, around 1kWh and will EV when setting off and under low load during suburban driving. At open road speeds, the engine and motor work together, though the engine sometimes direct drives alone at higher speeds. An overall fuel use figure of 4.3L/100km is the WLTP claim (98g/km CO2), and you should see this in town running. The engine drinks 91ULP and you can expect a cruising range of around 800km. That’s without the need to plug in – this self charges – and no RUCs either. Fuel capacity is 40L, so expect a refill to cost under $100. The ZR-V Sport mean fuel use figure is 5.5L/100km.
The styling is a far cry from that of the previous HR-V, in what Honda describes as “more Simple, more Clean” and what us scribblers would probably suggest is Simpler, Cleaner. With acoustic glass it’s more quiet too!
Inside HR-V there’s still a fair amount of hard plastics (versus ZR-V at any rate) but many are disguised as soft ones. We missed not having lumbar adjust, although ZR-V doesn’t have this either. Both could use it, though seat comfort in both is otherwise good. We like that the on-off power button is visible in HR-V.
The infotainment screen is not huge, just big enough for good reversing resolution. AC controls are down on their own. Where the old HR-V had cruise, this upgrades to the active variety, and it has low speed following and auto restart.
Other standard items include smartphone integration, sat nav, dual-zone air with a novel air dispersion system, heated seats and steering wheel, a powered tailgate that self-closes as you walk away and the full Honda Sensing safety suite (includes top-down camera, HDC, RCTA, BSM, AEB, and LKA amongst other acronyms.)
HR-V comes in a choice of five colours and with a three-year/unlimited km warranty, expanding by two more years if servicing is done by the book at an authorised Honda outlet. It’s on sale now. A full review awaits the October issue of NZ Autocar.
