Honda HR-V review ~ station of gear

For:

Stylish design, roomy cabin, clever folding rear seats

Our Rating:

Against:

Dated sat-nav, no four-wheel drive option, appears expensive against chief rivals

2015

The Honda HR-V is the brand's return to the compact crossover class - but it's as practical as cars from the class above

There’s a fair amount of regret from Honda in leaving the supermini-SUV segment back in 2005. Its HR-V, launched in 1999, used the Honda Logo supermini underpinnings but had a quirky body that combined a sporty hatch and a practical estate with a ride height more akin to an SUV’s. Since axing the model in 2005, the segment has exploded with countless models like the Renault Captur and Vauxhall Mokka, and leading the way, the Nissan Juke.

This brand new HR-V aims to capture ground lost to rivals. It’s still based on a supermini – the Jazz this time around – and the quirky styling has made way for something far more conventional but nonetheless stylish. Despite dimensions that are similar to a Renault Captur, the HR-V has interior space that rivals the Nissan Qashqai, and it pinches the Jazz’s and Civic’s clever ‘Magic Seats’ system too.

In the UK the HR-V is offered in S, SE, SE Navi and EX trims with all models coming with climate control, cruise control and auto headlights. But there is a smaller choice when it comes to engines as the HR-V is only offered with a brand new 128bhp 1.5-litre i-VTEC petrol or a 118bhp 1.6-litre i-DTEC diesel. The petrol comes with six-speed manual or a new CVT transmissions; the diesel just comes with the manual box.

Our choice: HR-V SE 1.6 i-DTEC

24 Jul, 2015

The HR-V may well use the Jazz supermini’s platform, but with a length of 4,294mm it’s 159mm longer than a Nissan Juke, despite rivaling the Juke in terms of market positioning. It’s also larger on the inside than the Juke and matches up to the Nissan Qashqai – so the HR-V then sits in the strange middle ground between Juke and Qashqai, Captur and Kadjar and CX-3 and CX-5.

In difference to the Tonka toy-like styling of the Jeep Renegade and the cutesy curves of the Fiat 500X, the HR-V goes for more of a high-riding sporty look, just like the Mazda CX-3. The curved window area and arching roof line all give the HR-V a jacked-up coupe style – a look helped by the lack of rear door handles. To the rear the styling is plainer apart from a pair of boomerang shaped lights meaning the Mazda CX-3 and Renault Captur are better buys if you fancy a distinctive SUV. That said, the HR-V is a welcome change from the CR-V’s slightly awkward styling.

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Inside there’s an upmarket look with sophisticated looking piano black trim and a simply designed dashboard. There’s even a sporty flair too thanks to the high central console and stubby gearlever.

Honda is only offering front-wheel drive in the UK, citing sales of four-wheel drive small SUVs being small. In keeping with making things simple, there are just two engines available too – a brand new 128bhp 1.5-litre i-VTEC petrol and a 1.6-litre i-DTEC diesel.

Unless you do very few miles, the diesel is the better option – while it is noisy and with 118bhp it’s not tremendously powerful, it does reward your wallet – claimed figures are 68.9mpg (on the top-drawer EX model) and road tax is just £20.

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Behind the wheel the steering is light, the suspension supple and if you opt for the six-speed manual, you’ll get a smooth-shifting box that’s also great to change gear thanks to a stubby gearlever.

Along with practicality, the HR-V has another key advantage over its rivals and that’s reliability. Honda has a good reputation for building reliable cars – the company was placed 18th out of 31 car manufacturers in our 2015 Driver Power survey.

The HR-V has yet to be tested by Euro NCAP but with a full suit of safety kit available, Honda is aiming for a full five-star rating. Entry-level S models come with Honda’s City-Brake Active System as standard, while SE or EX models feature Honda’s Advanced Driver Assist System, which uses radar sensors, plus forward- and rear-facing cameras. It includes Forward Collision Warning, Traffic Sign Recognition, Intelligent Speed Limiter, Lane Departure Warning and High-beam Support System.

The HR-V is based on the Jazz supermini, but with a length of 4,294mm it’s 159mm longer than a Nissan Juke. However, it has the interior space to rival the likes of the larger Nissan Qashqai rather than the Juke.

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The boot measures 470 litres, which is 40 litres bigger than the Qashqai. Fold the rear seats down and there’s 1,533 – that’s around 50 litres down on the Qashqai but around 250 more than the CX-3 and nearly 350 more than the dinky Juke.

The HR-V’s trump card is its Magic Seats; pinched from the Jazz the rear seat squabs can be folded up against the seat backs allowing tall items to be carried inside the car as opposed to rolling around in the boot.

Honda is only offering two engines in the HR-V - a new 1.5-litre petrol and a 1.6-diesel from the Civic hatchback.

Depending on trim the 1.5 will return between 49.6mpg and 57.6mpg when fitted with the six-speed manual gearbox. Upgrade to the CVT auto for £1,100 and this rises slightly, while the diesel returns between 68.9 and 70.6mpg.

CO2 emissions are nothing to shout about with the petrol – between 125 and 134g/km – meaning road tax is £110 or £130 a year. The diesel is far cheaper in this regard – with CO2 emissions of 104-108g/km, you can expect to pay £20 a year.

The HR-V is only available with two-wheel drive – this helps to keep down running costs, but it won’t appeal to everyone.

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