The 2016 Honda HR-V. |
If you'd asked me if there was room or need for a Honda crossover smaller than the pioneering CR-V, I'd have said no.
I'd have been wrong.
2016 Honda HR-V. |
A lot of the underpinnings of the HR-V come from the sub-compact Honda Fit, but what meets the eye has been designed specifically for the HR-V. The impression is that Honda shrunk a CR-V. In fact, the HR-V is about six and a half inches shorter than the original 1997 CR-V, but riding on a wheelbase only 4/10ths of an inch shorter. With 19 years of progress in packaging, that makes the HR-V roomier and more useful than the first CR-V and even easier to maneuver and park.
A base 2 wheel drive HR-V can be had for as little as $19,115, but the Honda press fleet folks sent us a loaded one...the top-of-the-line all-wheel drive EX-L with navigation. The base price for that model is $25,840, but you will want for nothing.
2016 Honda HR-V interior. |
The 1.8-liter, 141 horsepower, 16-valve i-VTEC four-cylinder has decent power, and is connected to a Continuously Variable Transmission. which results in an EPA fuel economy estimate of 27 city/32 highway...about what the big brother CR-V gets .
You might be wondering how much utility there is in a crossover utility vehicle this size. I was wondering that, too. And then Navigator informed me that someone 10 miles from our home had just posted that they were giving away pea gravel...for which Navigator has a use in our increasingly drought-friendly back yard. All we had to do was bag it and haul it.
2016 Honda HR-V rear cargo area. |
If you're looking for a small crossover, the HR-V belongs at the top of your test-drive list.