When you first see the HR-V you will start to think ‘is it a coupe or an SUV’. That’s exactly what I thought when It arrived on my driveway, but I have been told that Honda wanted it to have the lines of a coupe, but also the robustness of an SUV and to be honest, they seem to have pulled that off rather well and now the HR-V is one of the better looking SUVs currently on the market.
Power and efficiency
The 1.5 Litre i-VTEC has130PS and155Nm of torque which is good and all thanks to Honda doing such a wonderful job of getting the best out of this fantastic little petrol engine that is so far, this year, one of the better ones I have come across for its size. I am also happy to report that the engine feels very refined and has bags of torque available when you need it most which makes motorway driving easy, quiet and unfussy.
The HR-V will also return a combined 42.8 MPG if driven with a very light right foot – and the emissions came in at a very respectable 130 g/km. Top speed will also stop at around 119 mph and 0-62 will come in at around 10.2 seconds.
On the road
The HR-V does not feel heavy or cumbersome at all - and you can sense that Honda has put in a lot of effort in setting up the suspension and chassis to help deal with the many different surfaces the HR-V will come across in its lifetime– be that the morning school run or that camping trip away with the family.
Design & technology
The interior is of a good standard and its controls are well set out and all the dials are clear. I did not like the driver’s seat as I found I just couldn’t get the seating position perfect for me – but then I am quite fussy. Space inside is also good – better than most, and you could easily fit in a very large amount of luggage.
Plus, everything inside the HR-V feels well put together because it’s a Honda and you know it will last till the end of time. Passenger legroom is also fine, as is the boot space with a seat up capacity of (431 litres) and seats folded flat capacity of (1456 litres).
Standard equipment on the S model includes; LED daytime running lights, Honda Connect with Garmin navigation, parking sensors, heated seats, LED headlights, smart keyless entry & start, rear-view camera, brake assist, DAB radio with USB and Bluetooth connectivity, automatic climate control and cruise control with speed limiter.
The list does not stop there either – you also get; magic seats, power windows, ISO fix points, alarm & immobilizer system, hill start assist and vehicle stability assist.
To sum up
A good buy if you are searching for one of the best looking compact SUVs currently on the market with the addition of some good specification even in basic trim and enough space to keep any large family happy, then the HR-V could be the perfect fit for you.
Price from: £19,795 not including fitted options.
