HONDA HR-V small crossover offers loads of real-world capability

Last year, Canadians bought more than 50,000 sub-compact SUVs or Crossovers, 56.5 per cent more than the previous year.

Industry forecasts call for this emerging class of vehicles to explode from a few thousand sold in 2013 to more than two million in the next few years.

To say this is a growth segment is an obvious understatement. It barely existed two years ago.

The Honda HR-V, one of several newcomers to the field for 2015, immediately drove to the top of the charts.

Much of that success is based on Honda’s reputation. While the Civic continued as the country’s best-selling car for the 17th consecutive year, the compact CR-V Crossover has cemented a spot as one of the top three or four compact Crossovers in the country.

That vast base of happy and loyal customers is in itself a strong base for the new HR-V mini-ute, with many looking to add a second vehicle to the family and others, of a certain age, looking to downsize.

The HR-V also serves as a gateway product for the brand, attracted a raft of new customers who will move up, come trade-in time.

Whatever the reason for the purchase decision, what these new Honda owners will find is a thoroughly-developed product with CR-V styling cues and Fit-like utility.

Sized between the two, the HR-V is based on the platform used for the Fit and rolls off the same assembly line in Mexico.

While there are strong similarities between HR-V and CR-V, the newcomer has some distinctive styling touches like the handles for the rear door incorporated in the blacked-out C-pillars, helping give the appearance of a tall and boxy coupe.

But it is beneath the skin where the HR-V gains the edge over the competition. By extending the global platform developed initially for the Fit, the development team was able to take advantage of the space made available by a unique position for the fuel tank.

Instead of a big, deep rectangle behind the rear seat, this tank is broad, thin and positioned under the front seat, leaving a deep well behind.

While the HR-V is almost 30 cm shorter overall than the CR-V it’s wheelbase is only two cm less. That extra space between the wheels makes for a lot of second-row legroom, much more than expected from something this size and any of the competition.

The Fit-like reconfigurable second row ‘Magic Seats’ can be folded up for unprecedented floor-to-ceiling cargo height. They can be folded down into the space abandoned by the fuel tank resulting in a perfectly flat load floor.

And the back of the front passenger seat can be folded forward and down, to accommodate extra long items.

The HR-V may be a sub-compact CUV on the outside, but it is a compact one on the inside, with more rear seat and cargo space than the competition.

There is an amazing 1,665 litres of cargo space available, more than many larger SUVs.

Even with the second row seats in place, the HR-V outdoes anything in the class, with 665 litres of cargo space in the back.

The interior will be familiar to Fit owners except for higher quality materials. The instrument panel consists of three-dials with the speedometer in the middle, flanked by the tachometer to the left and a configurable multi-gauge readout on the right.

There is a large colour screen atop the centre stack for information about navigation and the view from the rear view camera.

There is a sliding armrest atop a spacious compartment in the centre console with adjustable-for-depth cup holders and space for cell phones and similar items in front. There are USB and other ports in that space as well but they are all but hidden from view.

The tall seating position helps visibility, but the thick C-pillars restrict it.

You expect good fuel mileage on something this size from Honda and to help you get it the rings around the gauges vary in colour depending on how you use your right foot, varying from green when you behave to blue when you do not. Unfortunately, you can’t avoid going blue.

While the HR-V gets a larger engine than the Fit – 1.8 vs. 1.5 litres, the meagre 127 lb.-ft. of torque does not peak until 4,300 rpm, so you must use considerable throttle input during accelerating, passing or climbing a hill. That is not to say the HR-V is slow, quite the opposite.

While others in the class might boast more power on paper, the HR-V is lighter than them all, allowing it to perform at or near the top in class.

The issue is the CVT. The engine is silky smooth and extremely quiet, under part and steady throttle conditions, and you might not notice it running at idle. But the CVT causes the engine to buzz up to and stay at that 4,300 rpm range under heavy or sustained open throttle applications.

The engineers did their best to counteract the droning. The motor-boating sound common to engines saddled with a CVT has been programmed to simulate seven distinct gears, allowing the engine to rev to the horsepower peak before changing ratios. But only if you use the steering-wheel-mounted paddles to shift.

The HR-V comes in three trim levels and front or all-wheel-drive configurations. The tester and most of the HR-V rolling out of Honda stores in Canada have the latest version of Honda’s Real Time AWD, an Intelligent Control System programmed to shift more power to the rear wheels than in the CR-V out of corners for an enhanced driving feel.

The ride is reasonably compliant and comfortable for such a small and light vehicle and there is a decent amount of feel through the electric power steering.

Honda has been good for Canada. It has produced more than 6.5 million vehicles here. And Canadians have been good to Honda, buying more than 152,000 vehicles last year, an all-time record after 42 years on the market.

With the arrival of the HR-V, followed in a few months by a new Highlander and then a second-generation Ridgeline, the love affair appears set to continue.

The specs

2016 Honda HR-V EX-L

AWD Navi

Price: $20,690 base LX, $29,990 EX-L with navigation

Engine(s): SOHC 1.8-litre four-cylinder, 140 horsepower, 127 lb.-ft. of torque, regular fuel

Transmission: CVT automatic, front-wheel-drive

NRCan rating (litres/100 km city/highway): 8.8 / 7.2

Length: 4,294 mm

Width: 1,772 mm

Wheelbase: 2,610 mm

Weight: 1,332 kg

Competition: Buick Encore, Chevrolet Trax, Fiat 500X, Jeep Renegade, Kia Soul, Mazda CX3, Mitsubishi RVR, Nissan Juke, Subaru XV

Standard equipment includes: Hill Start assist, multi-angle rearview camera, heated front seats, automatic climate control, power windows and locks, remote keyless entry, 17-inch alloy wheels, power heated mirrors, front wiper de-ice pad, tilt and telescoping steering wheel with audio and cruise controls, wireless connectivity and display audio with 15-cm touch screen and an electric parking brake with auto hold. Higher trim levels get Lanewatch Assist with the camera in the passenger side mirror reporting on object in the blind spot.