Honda today presents the completely new HR-V to the daylight. The new Honda HR-V undergoes a considerable metamorphosis during its generation change. The always hybrid HR-V will be launched in the Netherlands at the end of this year.
Recently Techzle was able to show a set of patent plates of the all-new HR-V, but now it is Honda itself that is releasing the new crossover. The previous HR-V, which was launched on the Dutch market in 2015 and has since been taken out of production, is being followed up in a model that looks a lot more eccentric. For example, the new HR-V has a remarkably high, fairly straight sloping nose, filled with headlights that the new Honda HR-V aggressively gazes into the world. Between the viewers is a striking and optically somewhat integrated grille in the bumper, consisting of horizontal slots. While the new HR-V’s roofline doesn’t end particularly early, Honda’s new crossover has a more ‘dynamic’ appearance than the model it’s replacing thanks to its fairly flat rear window. The rear lights are connected by a red LED strip. Honda seems to have been inspired by the SUV e: Concept that debuted in China last year for the design of the HR-V.
The new Honda HR-V does not come by surprise only with a hybrid powertrain on the European market. Unfortunately, Honda does not yet share powertrain specifications for that hybrid HR-V e: HEV. However, we’re aiming for the powertrain to match that of the Jazz e: HEV in a sense. So count on a 1.5-liter four-cylinder petrol engine that, together with two small electric motors, delivers a system power of 109 hp. A regular transmission is missing in the Jazz e: HEV. Honda opts for a direct connection with a fixed gear ratio. So count on the HR-V e: HEV not getting a CVT automatic. In the pictures it is interior of the non-hybrid HR-V with 1.5 i-VTEC machine and CVT transmission. In Japan, where the HR-V is again called Vezel, the HR-V will also be available with four-wheel drive.
Honda HR-V
Good news for those who are a fan of Honda’s smart Magic Seats, these can be hidden in the bottom but also parts of the rear that can be folded up are also available in the HR-V. It also seems to be fine with the rest of the interior of the HR-V. Honda gives the new crossover a tidy interior, complete with a digital instrumentation and a high and more or less loose display on the dashboard that belongs to the infotainment system. Underneath is a simple button island for, among other things, the climate control. A strip in which the ventilation grilles are optically concealed runs across the entire width of the dashboard.
Unfortunately, Honda does not share any further technical specifications of the new HR-V. Dimensions, powertrain data and performance will follow at a later stage. The new HR-V will be launched on the Dutch market at the end of this year.
HR-V in the Netherlands
The last HR-V, which started its life in 2013 as ‘Vezel’, has not been able to break any pots in the Netherlands. Since the re-introduction of the model name in 2015, less than 2,000 HR-Vs have been sold in our country. Only in 2016 (587 units) the car sales figures exceeded 500 units. In 2017, 2018 and 2019, 389, 308 and 307 units were sold successively. Last year, sales fell to 223 copies.