Honda’s HR-V compact SUV is likeable and mercifully free of sporty pretensions
Billed as “The Joy Machine”, Honda’s first HR-V was an ugly little device seen as a concept at the 1997 Tokyo motor show and on sale from 1999. It was based on the Logo supermini and came in four- or two-wheel drive. Honda’s market positioning (no fleet sales) meant this was a reliable car for dog-walkers rather than a car to lust after. Its main fault, however, was that it took the “wacky car” slot in Honda’s UK line-up at the expense of the more meretricious Element, a larger SUV that captured American hearts between 2003 and 2011.
The HR-V was selling in microscopic numbers by the time it was pensioned off in 2006 and in January 2013 there was its replacement at the Detroit show with the strangely verminous name, Vezel. Based on the Jazz/Fit supermini, this was called an “Urban SUV/Crossover”, a sector Honda claimed to have invented. By this time, however, there was stiff competition in this emerging sector from Nissan’sJuke, the Vauxhall Mokka and Mini Countryman, as well as Ford’s EcoSport, Peugeot’s 2008 and Renault’s Captur.
So when the HR-V goes on sale this September you will see a chunky-looking car that’s bigger than it appears. At a whisker under 4.3m it’s longer than the Juke, or the Jeep Renegade, with a heavily sloping roof, five doors and a lifting tailgate. It’s built in Honda’s new and somewhat troubled factory in Celaya, Mexico, where its introduction was delayed by quality problems, suppy delays and the in-transit theft of parts. Since this car is mainly aimed at American markets, European (and particularly UK RHD) supplies are going to be limited.
Honda UK’s take on its new car is that it has the lines of a coupé, with the robustness of an SUV and the space of an MPV. It can also be compared with larger cars, such as Nissan’s Qashqai, Hyundai’s ix35/Tucson,Mazda’s CX-5 and maybe even a Scania, but that’s just confusing and not good marketing. This is a high-cube, compact SUV and that’s enough.
To drive, the HR-V is soft, with a good ride and forgiving handling
The standard S trim has 16in alloys, CD and DAB, Bluetooth, air-con and city automatic braking. SE, the most popular option, adds 17in wheels, leather trim, automatic headlamps and wipers and forward collision warning, lane-departure warning, traffic-sign recognition and cross-traffic monitoring. EX adds a snazzy panoramic sunroof, rear-view camera, leather upholstery, heated seats, roof rails and LED headlamps.
Being a jacked-up Jazz, the suspension is MacPherson strut front and a twist-beam rear. The steering is electronically assisted rack and pinion and the fuel tank sits under the front seats, just as with the old Willys Jeep or Renault 5 Turbo.
The cabin feels spacious, but cosseting. The seats are big and comfy, and there’s room on the rear bench for three adults. At 470 litres, the boot is large and the rear seats cantilever up to give an additional load space for taller loads and dogs. It’s mostly well made, but there was poor assembly and finishing in places and the upholstery fabrics are so horribly artificial that touching them is like chewing silver foil. Vistas from the driver’s seat are panoramic, but there’s no sense of where the corners are, so you need those parking sensors and the EX model’s rear camera is more than useful.
Dashboard
The dashboard is a mix of the familiar and horribly confusing. There’s a new Euro-spec piano-black finish and a credible attempt to redress the traditional Honda approach to controls, which is to throw switches at the facia until it cries mercy. But with just five buttons to control the Garmin satnav, its operation is as complicated as a game of Mahjong. Also the steering wheel controls are confusing and, with no fewer than five separate menu buttons on the facia, finding a particular sub-menu is like equally complicated.
