If you’re looking for a cut-rate price on a pint-sized SUV (sport-utility vehicle), forget it. Eye-popping offers are not to be had.
2016 Honda HR-V.
Flexibility is the HR-V calling card. You can flip and fold seats in different ways to accommodate different types of cargo.
These little wagons are flying off dealer lots with almost nothing to sweeten the deal at the negotiating table. The likes of Honda’s HR-V and Mazda’s CX-3 are all selling on merit alone. Sales are up 155 per cent this year, and that’s on the heels of last year’s 65.5 per cent gain. If you want a subcompact SUV, you’ll pay something very close to full price in all but two instances,
Indeed, Unhaggle.com reports zero – that’s $0.0 — in the way of a cash incentive on the HR-V, CX-3, Buick Encore, Chevrolet Trax, Jeep Renegade, Fiat 500X and Mini Countryman. You might be able to bargain for a dealer discount of perhaps $1,400 here and there, but that’s the extent of what you can expect to sweeten the deal.
With a couple of exceptions. Nissan has $3,500 on the Juke and Mitsubishi $1,000 on the RVR, reports Unhaggle.com. But neither is among the five most popular in this segment. The Juke has a love-it-or-hate-design that is more hated than loved. And the RVR has simple gotten lost in the mix.
The space under the floating centre console can be used for storage.
The best-selling HR-V tops the charts because it’s a wonderfully useful little wagon with a relatively affordable starting price of $20,790. At the top of the range, Honda wants $30,090 or more if you opt for 17-inch alloy diamond cut wheels ($1,755) all-season floor mats ($243) or a few other odds and ends. Discounts? The best you can hope for on the HR-V is a $500 dealer spiff.
The dashboard is handsome, but to get the best design features, you’ll need to sped close to $30,000 or more.
The HR-V is terrifically versatile and pleasing to drive. It’s also fuel efficient (8.8 city/7.2 hwy in litres per 100 km) and adequately powerful (141 horsepower from the 1.8-litre four-banger).
This rig has comfortable seating for four adults (five in a pinch) and a big, boxy cargo area
twist-your-hips, no-bend-down, affair. The hip point is level with an adult hip. Arthritic Baby Boomers will love it, as will young parents loading up child seats and the youngsters sitting in them.
The HR-V’s infotainment interface is okay, but not best in class. The readouts are big. That’s good. But simple things like syncing a mobile phone are more difficult than they should be.
Plenty of room here for camping gear or golf clubs.
What really separates the HR-V from its rivals is its usefulness. The secret, says Honda, is a centre-mounted fuel tank and reconfigurable second-row seat. Owners can flip and fold things to create different seating and cargo configurations. The total space inside – and the cargo space available with the second seat flat – is on par with some compact SUVs like Honda’s own CR-V.
The cabin’s look and feel is typically Honda – nice, but not rich, though the soft-touch materials are welcome. To dress things up, Honda’s designers have gone with little design flourishes such as stitch lines, bezels, brushed chrome trim and piano black highlights (in more expensive versions). The instrument cluster is clean and to make you a more efficient driver, the speedometer lighting glows from blue to green whenyou refrain from lead-footing around.
You won’t be tempted to race about, however. The 1.8-litre four-cylinder is not a racy mill; it delivers just enough power, no more. All-wheel-drive HR-Vs get a decidedly un-sexy CVT (continuously variable transmission), while front-drive models get a six-speed manual.
The HR-V is a terrific car, one big enough to do all sorts of chores, but small enough to park in the city. Honda has successfully gone back to the future by creating a
2016 Honda HR-V.
subcompact HR-V that is about the same size as the very first CR-Vs of about two decades ago.
The HR-V is a screaming, no-incentive success because it’s an excellent old formula made new again.
THE LOOK: The designers made this box a little more interesting by hiding the rear door handles in the trailing edge of the rear doors. The sheetmetal has shapes and contours intended to make the look interesting – and they do, to a point.
The 1.8-litre four-cylinder isn’t particularly powerful, but it is fuel efficient.
THE DRIVE: The HR-V is light, so the 1.8-litre four-cylinder engine delivers enough power. But if you load up with five passengers and their gear, don’t expect to race up hills. Balanced handling is a plus. A relatively aerodynamic shape and lots of noise insulation keep road noise to a minimum.
THE NUTS AND BOLTS: The HR-V comes well equipped even at the base price: heated front seats, power windows, power mirrors and power door and tailgate locks, electronic parking brake, rearview camera, 17” aluminum-alloy wheels, tilt and telescoping steering wheel with audio and cruise controls, Bluetooth HandsFreeLink phone interface and Honda’s seven-inch touchscreen telematics. Spend more and you get blind-spot detection, push-button Start, paddle shifters (CVT), SiriusXM radio, power sunroof, embedded navigation, forward collision and lane departure warning and leather trim.
The seats are comfy enough for two-hour drives.
THE CABIN/STORAGE: The HR-V’s big cabin is more useful thanks to multiple seating/cargo modes. The seats are okay for two-hour rides. You’ll find little cubbies scattered about and they’re welcome.
THE BRAND: The Honda brand is powerful, but an unusual number of quality issues and a massive airbag recall have hurt Honda’s reputation. Resale values remain first-rate, however.
WHY BUYS? This is the sort of rig that cuts across generations and income brackets. The HR-V will appeal to anyone who needs a small but useful little wagon that gets great fuel economy.
Base price as tested: $30,090.
Engine: 1.8-litre four-cylinder (138 hp/127 lb-ft of torque).
Transmission: CVT.
Fuel economy (litres/100 km): 8.8 city/7.2 highway using regular fuel.
Comparables: Mazda CX-3, Buick Encore, Chevrolet Trax, Jeep Renegade, Fiat 500X and Mini Countryman, Nissan Juke, Mitsubishi RVR.
