Say hello to…
…the new Honda HRV is a small family SUV that, in size terms, sits between smaller cars such as the Nissan Juke and Ford Puma, and larger mid-size SUVs such as the Nissan Qashqai and the Kia Sportage or Hyundai Tucson.
Cleverly, Honda manages to offer the HRV at price close to that of the smaller rivals, but with interior space comparable to the larger SUVs.
The HRV uses the same 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with a hybrid powertrain that is seen in the Honda Jazz. This means it’s also only available with Honda’s CVT automatic gearbox.
Three trim levels are available for the HRV:
- Elegance
- Advance
- Advance Style
Equipment included as standard on the Elegance specification includes rear-view camera, front and rear parking sensors, keyless entry and start, heated door mirrors, heated front seats, nine-inch touchscreen and a host of safety systems. Advance adds heated steering wheel and a powered tailgate, while Advance Style trim adds roof rails, LED cornering lights, two-tone roof and wireless phone charger.
Is The Honda HRV Suitable For My Fleet
A lot of boxes are ticked by the Honda HRV when it comes to fleet requirements such as legendary reliability, reflected in low maintenance costs – at £44 a month according to Gensen Reports – a low benefit-in-kind tax position for a non-plug-in car and a practical, high quality interior.
That tax band of 24% means a 20% PAYE employee will see a take of £135 a month.
The HRV is also relatively efficient with an official consumption of 67.3mpg, however on our test we saw a figure of 51.7mpg. To give that some context, in the identically engined Honda Jazz, we achieved above the official figure over almost identical driving.
Leasing A Honda HRV
On a three-year, 30,000 mile contract, Intelligent Car Leasing lists the Honda HRV at £499 a month with three months initial rental.
Honda’s own website is offering the lower specification Elegance model for £381 a month on a three-year, 30,000 mile contract, but with an initial rental of £2,286.
Driving A Honda HRV
Honda has upped its game in terms of interior materials and design in the new HRV. The overall feel is now far more comparable with a premium brand.
That quality level also extends to the technology including the touchscreen which is clear, fast and responsive to inputs with a logical menu system for most of the usual controls. There’s also the bonus of proper, physical dials for the air-conditioning too.
Among the proper buttons is one for hill decent control – something typically found on proper off-road cars that limits the downhill speed of the car to control it when creeping down steep and slippery slopes.
Given the HRV is very much an on-road SUV, hill decent seems a little incongruous.
However, the way the car drives on-road is good. Honda has struck a good balance between comfort and fun. The ride isn’t at all harsh, yet body roll is well controlled.
The steering doesn’t provide a great deal of feedback, but the car’s easy to place on the road and visibility is good.
What lets the side down is the engine and gearbox. Honda’s CVT automatic gearbox is fine under light acceleration, but under anything more than that and the resulting engine whine is unpleasant.
FleetandLeasing.com Verdict On The Honda HRV
The combination of family-sized-SUV space coupled to small-SUV pricing is an attractive one. Add in a high quality interior, good efficiency and low running costs and the Honda HRV is an attractive fleet proposition, only the CVT auto gearbox lets the experience down.
Honda HRV
- Model: HRV 1.5i Advance Style eCVT
- Power: 107 hp
- Torque: 253Nm
- Max speed: 106mph
- 0-62mph: 10.7 s
- Official consumption: 67.3mpg
- Test consumption: 51.7mpg
- CO2 emissions: 96g/km
- BIK tax band 2022/23: 24%
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