Notice to the collective of SUV tire deflators: do not touch the Honda HR-V if you see one parked in town. Because with its full hybrid engine, this SUV consumes less than many sedans! It thus comes to compete with the Renault Captur E-TECH, or the Toyota C-HR.
Design: a complete renewal
The least we can say is that Honda has succeeded in renewing the HR-V with a particularly attractive design. If the previous generation was wise and classic, the new manages to establish itself as one of the most attractive urban SUVs in terms of design. From the front, the grille without chrome strapping with its thin body-colour strips is reminiscent of the very latest electric models. Well seen ! Honda still offers a grille with black rods as an accessory for those who prefer a more classic grille. Which would be a shame…
We would almost expect to see the Honda logo light up on this very modern front face.
In profile, the very marked inclination of the rear window gives the model a coupé SUV effect, which is also accentuated by the rear door handles hidden in the pillars. This model is now 4.34 m long, a slight increase of 5 cm compared to the outgoing model.
Honda has not forgotten to take care of the details, with, for example, wheel arches painted in glossy black, classier than tinted plastic! On this level of finish, the 18″ alloy wheels are also very successful, and without the need to check options as with some competitors.
The stern has not been forgotten, with horizontal lights which are linked by a very trendy light strip.
Overall the style is less all-purpose than for the previous generation of the HR-V, and becomes one of its strengths.
Life on board: volume and well-designed features
We would have liked the exterior style to be in tune with the interior: but once inside, it’s not the same atmosphere.
The dashboard is designed in a minimalist style, but some elements deserved to be more high-tech. A larger central screen, for example, and fully digital instrumentation in front of the driver would have been perfectly in their place. The commodos behind the steering wheel and some controls are a bit dated: a shame because for the rest, the features are present. The infotainment system includes Apple Car Play and Android Auto, navigation, and Honda apps. Its 9″ screen is obviously tactile, and allows you to navigate between the different features easily.
The ergonomics are indeed well thought out, with, for example, real controls directly accessible to adjust the dual-zone automatic air conditioning. For its part, the multifunction steering wheel also has numerous controls for infotainment but also for safety equipment such as the cruise control.
For the finish, no assembly fault or furniture noise to report. The quality of the plastics is in the average of generalist models, without however playing the card of foamed plastics to the heart for the cover of the dashboard.
In the front seats, the seats are comfortable and offer good support. Small bonus in autumn-winter: they are heated, and standard!
The rear passengers have plenty of legroom, one of the best in class B SUVs. No complaints about headroom either, despite the 2cm drop in exterior height. They will also appreciate the air conditioning outlets, the USB sockets and the various storage spaces.
The space will also be suitable for installing a rear-facing baby seat, for example.
Honda remains very focused on rear modularity, with a folding seat in two parts, but also liftable in order to free up space at the level of the rear seats on the living height of the car. Enough to allow, for example, to accommodate a bicycle! This magic bench seat is well known to Honda owners, and one wonders why the competition still doesn’t get started…
The space also benefits from the absence of a prominent transmission tunnel at the rear.
Opening the trunk is motorized, and can be done from a control located on the dashboard, or by the opening control, by the tailgate or by making a movement of the foot under the rear bumper! The closure also benefits from an original function where the boot locks on its own as soon as you leave the car. All of this is of course linked to hands-free access to the vehicle.
If you need to fold the rear seats, you will have a perfectly flat floor and therefore very practical to load. The volume then goes from 312 L to almost 1300 L.
To drive: a unique and innovative hybrid offer
For this new generation, Honda has therefore chosen to no longer offer a hybrid offer. The older generation was it, available in gasoline and diesel. But the need to reduce the polluting emissions of the ranges of each brand has prompted the Japanese brand to focus on electrification. A bet that is also attempted on the new Civic, and on the next generation of the CR-V.
Honda has taken over for its new HR-V the full hybrid engine of the Jazz e:HEV, a model which is characterized by very great sobriety. (read our Honda Jazz Crosstar e:HEV review )
Fortunately, to compensate for the increased weight, the designers of the model have increased the power level as well as the battery capacity. The cumulative power is thus up with 131 hp and 253 Nm of torque, against 109 hp and 131 Nm for the city car in question. This allows this SUV to go from 0 to 100 km / h in 10.6 s. The gasoline engine is thus aided by two electric motors: they can operate in series or in parallel.
At the front, the four-cylinder DOHC i-VTEC 1.5 liter is heard when revving up. This Atkinson cycle block is designed to reduce its consumption as much as possible, sportiness is not its forte. The driver will therefore rarely have the desire to activate the sport mode, and rather to let the Eco mode activate, as much to favor consumption at the bottom…
Despite the presence of paddles on the steering wheel, it will be futile to want to pass a higher fictitious report on the eCVT transmission. They are used to increase the level of regeneration of the battery, when you have opted for mode B.
The battery has 60 cells, 25% more than the Jazz. The capacity remains modest and will allow electric driving over short distances, and at low speed.
Despite its weight and greater power than the Jazz, the HR-V does wonders in urban areas with fuel consumption contained between 5.0 L and 5.5 L. A compact gasoline engine with automatic transmission consumes 3 L more in the same conditions than our test: the consumption balance is therefore very favorable to the HR-V.
Consumption will remain reasonable on the road, but will tend to increase on the highway. It is on this ground that hybridization is the least impactful: the absence of energy recovery and cruising speed do not allow electricity to drive the car. Everything is reflected at the pump… Appetite can climb to 9L if you don’t respect the authorized speeds.
No criticism to make for braking, which uses 293 mm ventilated discs at the front and 282 mm solid discs at the rear.
The running gear of the HR-V manages to achieve a good compromise between handling and comfort, with priority given to comfort. But given the power of the machine and its urban destination, this is obviously not a problem.
We finish the driving part with the driving aids, and here again good news: everything is in series. The driver can thus be assisted by the blind spot detector, the adaptive cruise control, and the lane departure warning.
Budget
Prices for the new Honda HR-V start at 32,910 euros at the time of writing. The range is built around a single engine, so buyers will just have the choice of trim levels: Executive, Advance or Advance Style.
This intermediate Advance finish is already very well equipped at a price of 35,410 euros, with standard: Honda Connect with 9″ screen, navigation, Android Auto and Apple Car Play, reversing camera, front and rear radar, heated front seats, steering wheel in leather and heated, Honda Sensing security systems, and keyless entry and start.
The top version adds the contrast roof and roof rails.
In France, its direct competitors are the Renault Captur E-Tech 145 hp, and the Toyota CH-R. The Renault is displayed at 34,450 euros if you opt for the E-TECH engineered finish and add the heated seats and the advanced driving pack. Either a price relatively close to the Honda, but a little cheaper.
The C-HR is for its part displayed at 35,200 euros with the 122 hp hybrid engine and the Design finish. By adding the Techno pack, the price increases to 36,400 euros. Our Honda falls between the two, with no significant difference.
On the warranty side, Honda goes far with 3 years on the car, 5 years on the hybrid system battery, and up to 10 years for the engine!