2017 HONDA HR V REVIEW
Channel: Auto Today
Date: 2017-01-01

The HR-V draws deeply on past and present. In many ways, it’s a throwback to the best things 20th-century Honda ever did, such as elegant interiors, sweet suspension tuning, and well-considered details. And then it goes all Kendrick-Lamar-pimpin’-butterflies for its power­train, electronics, even its very concept: This Honda is merely the latest to join the growing ranks of 21st-century micro-utes.

What exactly constitutes a crossover is elusive when shrunk to twerp size. Nissan’s Juke is self-consciously quirky; the Chevrolet Trax is handsomely uncomplicated; Jeep’s new Renegade mixes rugged heritage with adorable details; what exactly Fiat is doing with the 500X is, uh, interesting; and the upcoming Mazda CX-3 looks unpretentiously promising. But even if this is a messy newborn segment whose rules await discipline, the baby crossover is clearly the economy car of right now.

The biggest kid in this space is the exceedingly precious Kia Soul, which sells about 10,000 units a month in the United States, doesn’t offer four-wheel drive, and is marketed with anthropomorphic hamsters. In contrast, the HR-V proffers elegance: restrained interior and exterior design that doesn’t court attention yet manages to be good-looking and substantial anyhow.

Honda hadn’t announced pricing for the HR-V as this was written, only promising that it would start under $20,000 and peak somewhere in the mid-to-high 20s for a loaded EX-L like our test vehicle. The HR-V should be on sale at dealerships as you read this.

Based on the Fit platform and built alongside it at Honda’s plant in Celaya, Mexico, the HR-V is conventional in most of its mechani­cal details. There are struts up front and a torsion beam in the back, and the engine sits transversely under the hood. Like the Fit, the HR-V cleverly tucks its fuel tank under the driver’s seat, where it’s surrounded by protective steel plating.

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