Honda HR-V is pretty and practical

ROAD TEST

Honda HR-V 1.8 Elegance

By: Jason Woosey

Johannesburg - Being a small crossover can’t be easy these days. Some want you to look sporty, just as many hope to pack their growing family into you and others just expect your boot to swallow their bicycles and surfboards. But don’t worry, at least no one’s going to try and haul you over a rocky trail in the Maluti mountains.

Welcome to the life of the modern crossover SUV, something that Honda seems to have embraced wholeheartedly with its new HR-V. With its sharp lines, sloping roofline and hidden rear-door handles, it looks a bit more racy than your average kerb kisser yet it’s not outrageous or polarising like the Nissan Juke.

But where exactly does it fit into the crowded crossover picture?

By straddling the lines between the ‘B’ and ‘C’ segments, Honda has right-sized it if you ask me.

It has similar dimensions to the Suzuki SX4 and Mitsubishi ASX, so it’s ultimately closer to a Nissan Qashqai than a Juke in the tape-measure wars.

ROOM TO STRETCH

Despite the fact that its designers sought to create a coupé-like effect in the side profile, it’s actually quite roomy inside, with ample stretching space for rear occupants and if you complain about the headroom then you’re on the tall side.

Honda’s ‘Magic Seat’ design has found its way into the cabin too, allowing you to swing the rear seat bottom upwards to stow bulky items where the rear passengers usually sit. The normal boot, measuring 393 litres, is not the largest you’ll get at the price but it should meet most needs and if need be you can fold the rear seatbacks completely flat to create a 1002-litre mini panelvan.

Build quality is absolutely rock solid and the command centre has a smarter look than other small Hondas. While it stops short of looking truly premium, I’d say it’s more Accord than Jazz.

In the 1.8 Elegance model featured here, almost all of the buttons have disappeared into touch-screens. Thankfully the ventilation system has a separate lower screen so one doesn’t have to dig through a thousand menus to change the fan speed but it’s still more distracting than a simple rotary control.

Ditto for the volume button, although you do at least get controls on the steering wheel. Simple tasks like changing the radio station also require a bit more screen massaging than I’d ideally like but other than that it is a relatively intuitive system and there’s an eco section that allows you to compare your current fuel consumption to that of previous trips. This on-board tablet doubles as a handy reverse camera and incorporates a six-speaker sound system as well as Bluetooth phone pairing and audio streaming.

All versions of the HR-V come with cruise control, multi-function steering wheel and powered windows and mirrors, while the Elegance range-topper adds leather seats (heated up front) as well as keyless push-button start and automatic climate control, albeit without friendship-saving dual-zone functionality.

DRIVETRAIN NOT THE BEST

More importantly, perhaps, the Elegance gets a bigger engine, swopping the entry-level Comfort model’s 88kW/145Nm 1.5 for a 1.8-litre unit that pushes 105kW and 172Nm. As you’d tell by the figures, these motors are normally-aspirated, which does blunt performance a bit on the Reef, even in the case of the 1.8 that I spent a week getting to know.

Both engines are mated with Honda’s latest CVT gearbox that incorporates what Honda calls ‘Earth Dreams’ technology, complete with updated software designed to simulate the experience of having seven forward gears. While it’s far from the nightmare that many of the earlier continually variable boxes were, at times you’ll still miss the more natural driving experience afforded by a conventional auto.

The biggest annoyance is that the drivetrain becomes extremely loud, revvy and droning when you suddenly accelerate to overtake at higher speeds, to the point where it feels like you’re subjecting the engine to a slow and painful death.

Though the HR-V delivers reasonable-enough performance when you ask, it still feels happiest trundling around town at a medium pace, where the CVT tends to get on with its own business without too much fuss. In either scenario, it’s fairly economical. My car sipped 7.9 litres per 100km in a mixture of city avenues and highways, although it was over a weekend when the traffic was light.

What really impressed me above all was how solid and planted this Honda feels on the road and its steering is communicative and nicely-weighted. Furthermore, the suspension soaks up most of the bumps with ease and gives a comfortable-enough ride on most surfaces although it felt a touch too stiff over larger speed humps if I have to nitpick.

VERDICT

Practical, rock-solid and easy on the eye, this Honda shapes up really well in the demanding world of front-wheel-driven crossovers. Yet while it ticks an awful lot of boxes, it could do with a better drivetrain and its price tag of R354 900 puts it into contention with some turbocharged options such as the Ford Kuga 1.5T and Nissan Qashqai 1.6T.

FACTS

Honda HR-V 1.8 Elegance

Engine: 1.8-litre, 4-cylinder petrol

Gearbox: CVT

Power: 105kW @ 6500rpm

Torque: 172Nm @ 4300rpm

0-100km/h (claimed): 10.1 seconds

Top speed (claimed): 188km/h

Consumption (claimed): 6.8 litres per 100km

Price: R354 900

Warranty: 3-year/100 000km

Service plan: 4year/60 000km