Top 3 things you need to know about the Honda HR-V
The Honda HR-V can get a bit lost in the noise of a very busy market segment. We’ve looked at a number of important facts about the HR-V and selected the top 3.
The Honda HR-V flies under the radar, leaving the spotlights to cars like the Toyota RAV4 and Volkswagen Tiguan. Here we focus a telescope on the HR-V, to learn the top three things about this interesting animal.
It has Magic Seats!
The Honda HR-V is a small-to-medium SUV, so you wouldn’t think it could double as a panel van, would you? But it can! When you flip the backrests of the rear seats forward, the bench actually drops a few centimetre into the floor, to provide a deep, level load space. Want to keep the boot space as is, but need space for tall, bulky items? You can lift the bench and flip it up by 45 degrees, revealing a very useful space that stretches from floor to ceiling. Using the Magic Seats, a registered Honda trademark, an Australian website managed to fit three drum kits into an HR-V, while leaving space for two occupants, with room to spare.
Related: Is the Honda HR-V a good SUV for families?
It’s only available with a CVT auto-box
The HR-V has a whole lot going for it, but its engine-gearbox combination sure ain’t one of ’em. There are two engine options, a 1.5 and a 1.8, and neither is turbo-charged. Both run on petrol and are only available with a continuously variable transmission, or CVT. We mention the absence of a turbo, because only engines that make a lot of torque at low revs play well with CVTs. Another solution would be to join a manual transmission to one or both of these engines. But Honda’s research says most buyers are no longer interested in stirring a lever every time they want to change gear. The best solution would be to drop in the Civic and CR-V’s 1.5T engine, but that’s unlikely to happen.
Related: Toyota C-HR Facelift (2020) – First Drive Review
It’s properly covered
Honda is known for the reliability of its products, but it has also started to increase the warranty durations. The standard factory warranty for the HR-V is a generous 5 years or 200 000 km, which means it makes an excellent pre-owned purchase. The service plan lasts for 4 year / 60 000 km, it only requires servicing every 15 000 km, and its owner gets AA roadside assistance for the first three years of ownership.
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