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First Drive: The 2016 Honda HR-V Justifies The Small Crossover Class

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    First Drive: The 2016 Honda HR-V Justifies The Small Crossover Class


    Honda can't help but build practical, simple cars. In making the 2016 Honda HR-V, the company admits to spicing things up with curves and a splash of tech on the inside. For their effort to make the HR-V look impractical, it ends up being one of the most sensible cars you can buy today.

    The HR-V could’ve just been a Honda Fit made less practical and more expensive, pandering to the explosive demand for small crossovers based on small hatchbacks. But Honda's little Fit is already a lot more useful than cars of its type. The HR-V may claim a “coupe-like” roofline and ride up higher, but the Fit's sensibility shines through. And a Fit already accommodates just about every lifestyle you could throw at it.

    Better still, the HR-V isn't just for young people or young families or old people. Priced from $20,000-$26,000, it's cheap enough so you can still afford to do other things with your life. Its smart packaging makes it great if your only car needs to accommodate people or pets or bikes or furniture or double as a guest room.

    The Honda HR-V is the perfect car for people who want to look like they have a life.

    Getting emotional

    Honda’s best products have often been ones that didn’t look like they were actually styled. And the ones that try new things are often underwhelming in reality – the CR-Z and now-dead Crosstour spring to mind. While Honda insists the HR-V marries “coupe emotion” with “tough functionality,” I see a little SUV desperately trying to prove it has a sense of style.

    The deep front grille isn’t quite as jarring in person, and the hidden rear door handles are a nice touch. But ultimately, it’s an attractive little hatch on stilts.

    What’s really appreciated, however, is that even base LX models get 17-inch alloy wheels and body-color details like the EX and EX-L Navi models. That means you won’t look like you cheaped out if you get the LX, as half of HR-V buyers are expected to do.



    Space exploration

    The HR-V is a pleasant surprise when you first sit inside. This is the Honda brand’s best interior effort in recent memory. The EX-L is rather classy, with stitched and padded surfaces on the dash, doors and lower console. It would pass for an Acura.

    EX and EX-L trims replace the LX’s manual air conditioning and knob-driven radio for the now-typical Honda touchscreen radio and automatic climate control with touch-sensitive buttons. The HVAC screen seemed more responsive than many in the industry, although being in Florida meant I didn’t try adjusting the temperature with gloves on. But making it all touch-sensitive adds fingerprints, not class, to the interior.

    The touchscreen radio continues to frustrate. While it paired to my phone OK, it requires too much poking and prodding of the screen to get what you want and it's a struggle to do it on the move. There are steering wheel-mounted controls, but your passenger will curse the touch-sensitive volume control on bumpy roads.

    A Honda engineer beamed about the brand’s first electronic parking brake. Making the handbrake a little button allows for that tall center console with good cupholders up top and storage underneath. Great in theory, but Honda decided to mount the USB and HDMI ports at the very bottom of the high center console. And when it was plugged in, flopped around in the cubby provided down there. It also made using the shifter awkward. Perhaps it’s just my orangutan arms, because the tilt-and-telescopic wheel stuck out too far for me.

    Surprisingly, the fashionable upswept beltline doesn’t impact visibility too severely. It’s not like the upright and glassy Fit, but it’s better than a lot of modern crossovers. EX and EX-L get the Honda LaneWatch camera, but it’s displayed in the radio screen and the second it takes to switch on after you signal for a right turn hobbles its usefulness. I rarely used it.

    As with the Fit, the Magic Seat split rear seat folds in multiple ways and make a tall, flat cargo area I would’ve considered renting out just after graduating college. With up to 59 cubic feet of cargo space, it's much more than little crossovers like the Jeep Renegade, Chevy Trax and Nissan Juke offer. And it’s not far off larger SUVs like the Mazda CX-5.



    Plucky, but not powerful

    The HR-V gets a 1.8-liter four, producing all of 141 horsepower and mustering 127 lb.-ft. of torque. And in the EX-L with the standard CVT and optional all-wheel drive, it has just enough power. In “D,” the CVT lets the engine behave like a spiteful teenager being repeatedly asked provide more power and then barking a response. Dropping the gear lever into sport or using the paddles to manually select one of the seven "gears" gets on-ramp or passing jobs done faster. Your parents, coming out of their '99 CR-V, shouldn't complain though.

    But I'm truly delighted Honda offers the HR-V with a manual on LX and EX trims. The six-speed unit is slick in the wonderful Honda tradition and brings out a character in the car the CVT and AWD manage to smother. The gearing is a bit short for driving smoothly around town, but fourth and fifth gears are reasonably flexible for keeping noise levels down.

    And this reveals the best surprise of all: the HR-V with a manual isn't a dull crossover, but a rather plucky thing instead. The steering is a good effort for an electrically assisted setup and it handles much more like a car than a crossover. It all feels pretty solid, even in lightweight 2WD manual form. The HR-V begs for one of those turbo VTECs we’ve been hearing so much about.



    It’s all the CR-V you’ll need

    Prices start at $19,995 for a base LX with the manual, including Honda’s $880 destination charge. EX starts at $22,045 and the EX-L kicks off at $25,470. Going for the automatic adds $800 to the LX or EX (it’s standard on EX-L), with AWD adding $1,250 on top of that.

    A bit more than $26,000 for the top-level EX-L Navi AWD in Honda-speak is a good deal, as most rivals with similar equipment cost at least $1,000 more. And the top HR-V is about $5,500 less than a CR-V EX-L Navi AWD. The CR-V is by far more cavernous and boasts more power. But do you need need all of that extra space? I wonder how many people will go into a Honda showroom and think the HR-V is enough CR-V for them.

    Honda should have no problem selling 70,000 of these in a full year. I’d go for the EX with manual, because it’s better to drive than several other $22,000 cars out there and plenty functional for the day I take up surfing or cycling or extreme composting or something.

    In the meantime, however, I could make it look like I do all of those things.

    http://www.carscoops.com/2015/04/fir...justifies.html
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    #2
    2016 Honda HR-V Priced, Starts At Less Than $20,000



    The 2016 Honda HR-V will slide in right under the $20,000 mark for a base model that isn't really that basic. Honda announced Thursday all of the pricing for the HR-V.

    The LX trim with front-wheel drive and a six-speed manual will start at $19,995, including the $880 destination charge. That gets you 17-inch wheels, Bluetooth and a backup camera, along with the usual power windows and locks and mirrors and air conditioning. Doing away with the shifting in favor of the continuously variable transmission adds $800. All-wheel drive comes only with the CVT and adds an additional $1,250.

    EX trim adds a more elaborate backup camera, the touchscreen radio and automatic climate control, and starts at $22,045. The top EX-L Navi models – which add leather seats and navigation, obviously – come only with the CVT and kick off at $25,470.

    We've driven the HR-V and it's a good amount of car for the money. It's going to undercut the Fiat 500X that goes on sale in May, and it's better equipped than the Jeep Renegade that's already on sale.

    Honda says the HR-V will go on sale at its U.S. dealerships on May 15.



    http://www.carscoops.com/2015/04/201...s-at-less.html
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      #3
      2016 Honda HR-V Review

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82L2ZX_Z7a4

      You know, Honda’s been around for quite some time and it isn’t every day that they move into a new part of the market. But that’s exactly what’s happening this year with the new 2016 Honda HR-V.

      By now you might have heard of the HR-V, but let me make things simple. It’s a new crossover from Honda that sits below the CR-V.

      It actually uses the same platform as the Fit, but it comes with the same engine as the Civic and subsequently, it comes with more of pretty much everything than Honda’s city sized hatchback.

      It has more power, more cargo space, more ground clearance, more weight. See? More everything, which is a philosophy we’re fond of in America.

      FAST FACTS
      • Engine: 1.8L four-cylinder with 141 hp, 127 lb-ft of torque
      • Transmission: six-speed manual or CVT
      • Fuel economy: 28 MPG city, 35 MPG highway, 31 MPG average (AWD with CVT)
      • Price: $19,995 to $26,720 including delivery


      An Engine Used to Doing its Civic Duty

      Except the fact that it has “more power” than a Fit doesn’t mean that it feels powerful under acceleration. The 141-hp 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine is the same one you would find in the base Civic, but with a curb weight of roughly 3,000 lbs, it teeters right on the brink without seeming underpowered. Right foot buried, the HR-V doesn’t exactly struggle to carry two adults up to speed, but it won’t do it in a hurry either.

      There are both front- and all-wheel drive models available, although the latter necessitates a continuously variable transmission. If you can do without power to all four wheels, there is also a six-speed manual transmission on the table.

      Most people will probably buy one with a CVT and, frankly, it’s the right one to take. The manual gearbox is smooth, but it isn’t as effective at massaging the most potential acceleration out of the powertrain as the CVT is.

      The experience of shifting manually is only incrementally more entertaining in the Honda HR-V because the clutch engagement point is vague and there isn’t really enough torque (127 lb-ft at best) to rock back and forth by teasing the engagement point. That means dodging across traffic, climbing hills and trying to accelerate quickly can be a lot of work. It’s just simpler with the CVT and when you’re navigating busy traffic with a low horsepower vehicle, that’s an advantage.

      The CR-V is the next of kin in Honda’s crossover hierarchy. By comparison, it feels reasonably powerful out of the gate. It’s nothing overwhelming, but it can still scoot. So why bother with a smaller and less powerful vehicle?

      Pricing:

      Well, the CR-Vs range from $24,325 including delivery to $33,775 and that might be more than you want to spend on your first new vehicle. Alternatively, the Honda HR-V might make a nice step down if you need to carry larger items from time to time, but otherwise have little need for a larger crossover. It starts at $19,995 including delivery and runs up to $26,720 for the EX-L with Navigation model, which means it’s only a squirt more expensive to start than a Civc.

      The subcompact crossover segment is still burgeoning in North America where bigger is traditionally viewed as being better. After all this is a big place with wide roads and inordinately low gasoline prices where buying in bulk is generally a savvy choice.

      Consequently, we developed an addiction over the past several decades to utility vehicles. But the Tahoes and Explorers we grew up riding around in aren’t practical for the Gen Y demographic as we crowd into cities and settle into new careers. Even the Honda C-RV, Toyota RAV4 and Ford Escape might be overkill at this stage.

      In more mature segments, manufacturers have decades of market research and sales data that paints a vivid picture of what their customers want. That isn’t the case with sub-compact crossovers.

      The Other Guys

      Nissan’s Juke strays away from practicality, but offers a relatively powerful 1.6-liter turbocharged engine and by extension, a thoroughly engaging product to drive.

      Chevrolet’s Trax is practical for city driving, but its interior feels cheap and it isn’t any fun to drive. The Jeep Renegade is available as a bona fide off-roader that out to do its badge proud, even if it is built in Turin, Italy.

      Point being, sub-compact crossovers are beginning to look more like a stamp of brand identity, almost like how you might choose one neck tie, but your best friend would go for another. The Jeep is – for lack of a better term – Jeepy. And so the same applies to the Honda HR-V.

      It’s practical, relatively conservative and packaged to hit average people right in the sweet spot all of that without a thrilling powertrain.

      Instead, it offers some of the most pragmatic pieces of automotive engineering in the industry.



      If You Believe in Magic…

      Regardless of which trim you take, the HR-V comes with the same innovative “Magic Seats” that the Fit gets. Basically, the second row seat cushions can flip up to accommodate taller cargo while the seatbacks can fold flat to create a large load floor.

      With the seats folded up, you have 24.3 cubic feet of carrying capacity, or 30 percent more than the Chevrolet Trax. Perhaps best of all, the second row is still large enough to fit adult passengers. There is enough space to fit a six-foot passenger behind a six-foot driver in relative comfort.

      Once you start folding seats, that grows to a segment-busting 58.8 cubic feet that I can’t imagine many of the HR-V’s competitors topping. The Kia soul is a larger, but arguably comparable vehicle and it does offer a maximum 61.3 cubic feet of cargo volume, but it also belongs to the next largest segment.

      Watch It!

      If you pay for the mid-level EX trim, Honda throws in its LaneWatch camera. It offers a wide-angle view from the right hand side that activates at the touch of a button, or when you signal a right hand turn.

      If you live in an area where cyclists are common, it makes spotting them before a right-hand turn much easier. Oh and it doesn’t matter anymore if your front seat passenger is blocking your view of the right side mirror anymore.

      At that trim level you also get heated front seats, a touch screen and Honda’s display Audio system, which gives you the option to have navigation powered by your smartphone without paying for the top-tier EX-L with navigation trim package.

      But if you do step up to that package, the HR-V comes with leather seats, built-in navigation and roof rails along with everything else.

      Finally, it’s probably worth pointing out that the Fit was one of a tiny group in its category that passed the IIHS small overlap crash test. Given the fact that the HR-V uses the same platform, it’s probably safe to assume it will return similarly favorable results.

      The Verdict: 2016 Honda HR-V Review

      The HR-V is basically the automotive equivalent to buying term life insurance in your 20s. It’s not the most stylish thing to do with your money, but the premiums are relatively cheap and it’s a sensible choice that’s likely to be beneficial in the long run.

      If you’re in the market for an affordable crossover do yourself a favor and put the HR-V in the must-drive column.

      LOVE IT
      Unparalleled cargo versatility
      Affordability
      Fuel economy
      LaneWatch camera

      LEAVE IT
      Middling power & driving engagement


      http://www.autoguide.com/manufacture...da-hr-v-review
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        #4
        God damn that thing looks and sounds boring as hell...

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          #5
          what else is new? lol
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