To the letter

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 17/06/2023 (1219 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The 2024 Honda HR-V is an updated model in a crowded segment, where Mazdas, Toyotas, Nissans, Chevrolets, Jeeps and Subarus all compete for buyers desperate for fuel economy at a time the car is dead and the crossover is king.

For its latest model, Honda has given the compact crossover a spiffy new body, tidy interior design — complete with a honeycomb mesh hiding the air vents — and decent fuel economy that even a car struggled to achieve just a few years ago.

Available with one engine, a 2.0-litre four-cylinder, and offered only with a continuously variable transmission, the HR-V starts at $31,080, incl. $2,120 delivery.

For that price, Honda is doing its best Henry Ford impersonation: you can have it in any colour you want, as long as that colour is modern steel metallic. Black and pearl white are extra and sexier colours are simply not available for the base model. A move up to the Sport B trim brings red and a couple silvers into play. The topline EX-L Navi loses red but adds a blue.

Honda seems to be using colour as an incentive to move up in trim levels rather than selling colour as an option unto itself. It’s an interesting strategy, but seems to risk losing customers to brands selling the colours buyers want at the prices they want to pay.

The base model is a front-driver, all-wheel drive is a $2,300 upcharge on base models and is standard on Sport B and EX-L Navi models.

Honda might be the latecomer to the continuously variable transmission game, but seems to be playing it the best. Enthusiasts still won’t be entirely enamoured, but the CVT here and in the Civic are pretty decent, with snappy acceleration. The usual drone of a constant engine speed while accelerating is still present, however.

Gone in the latest generation is the first-generation’s weird rear door handles, which were flush-mounted levers reminiscent of former Nissan Pathfinders or the current Toyota CH-R. It’s a good call on Honda’s part.

As for cargo space, I did mention it’s a compact, right? That said, compared against the Mazda CX-30, the HR-V wins, with 691 litres of space with the rear seats up and 1,559 litres with the seats folded. The Mazda has 572 litres seats up and 1,280 litres seats down.

While the ride quality and handling of the HR-V are excellent, a few quibbles found their way into my notebook. The tester was the topline EX-L Navi ($40,030, incl. that $2,120 delivery fee). It’s a bit high of a price to be able to complain about plasticky touch points, but that’s exactly the problem with the interior door panels. They’d be right at home in the base model, but north of $40k seem out of place.

While the dash incorporates the same honeycomb mesh trim panel as the Civic stretching the breadth of the dash and disguising the air vents nicely, the snazzy toggle levers (to direct air flow) from Civic are missing, replaced with cheaper looking paddles that aren’t nearly as attractive.

Although it’s a compact crossover, passengers aren’t stuffed in like sardines: there’s decent legroom, even in the rear.

Honda does not specify towing capacity, nor does it offer a trailer hitch option. Indeed, Honda specifically recommends against towing with the HR-V.

As for fuel economy, Honda quotes 9.1 litres per 100 km city, 7.4 highway and 8.3 combined for the two-wheel-drive model, and 9.4, 7.8 and 8.7 for the all-wheel-drive models. My time in the vehicle beat those numbers, with an average of 8.4 litres per 100 kilometres in mostly city driving.

While the Mexican-made HR-V pricing is competitive set against that slightly smaller Mazda CX-30, the Mazda comes with all-wheel drive as standard at a lower starting price. The HR-V is similar in pricing to a Chevrolet Trailblazer, its most immediate domestic rival.

kelly.taylor@winnipegfreepress.com