Previously a subcompact utility vehicle, the HR-V will venture into compact utility vehicle territory for the 2023 model year. Based on the Civic, this fellow is - obviously enough - more spacious than ever before.
“Your Weekend Getaway SUV” is how the Japanese automaker from Minato City describes the newcomer in the following clip. Only the EX-L is featured, as in the best-equipped specification currently available in the United States. Honda further brings the point home by opening the trunk to demonstrate how much cargo space is behind the 60/40-split rear seats.
Sporty and versatile are used to describe the 2023 model as well. Honda targets the young and active. It’s only natural from a crossover from this particular segment, right? Honda also makes a case for the “Simplicity and Something” interior design language that debuted on the 11th-generation Civic, which is a genuine step up from the previous generation’s cockpit.
Honda further promises more standard features. Reading between the lines, prospective customers will be presented with a higher price tag. For future reference, the LX starts at $21,870 for the 2022 model year. The Sport, EX, and EX-L are $23,820, $25,070, and $26,670 sans the destination charge.
Because of the Civic’s platform, we can also guesstimate that Honda will improve the suck-squeeze-bang-blow department with a higher-displacement engine. The outgoing HR-V flaunts 141 horsepower and 127 pound-feet (174 Nm) at 4,300 revolutions per minute from a 1.8L four-pot lump. By comparison, the compact sedan’s 2.0L boasts 158 horsepower and 138 pound-feet (187 Nm) at 4,200 revolutions per minute. The Toyota Corolla Cross, which is the closest rival for the redesigned HR-V, packs 169 horsepower and 151 pound-feet (205 Nm) at 4,400 rpm from a 2.0L mill.
On that note, bear in mind that North America’s HR-V is a different beast from Europe’s HR-V. The crossover that Honda sells in the Old Continent features different exterior styling and a two-motor hybrid system that includes a 1.5L engine that runs on the Atkinson cycle. Total system output is rated at 131 ps (129 horsepower) and 253 Nm (186 pound-feet) of torque.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News