The Honda HR-V is a small but urban SUV, which means that it is not a bulky SUV, but has all the features that make it a great SUV with the added benefit that it is ideal for tight urban corners. This ‘SUV’ is Honda’s answer to the some of the old stalwarts such as GM’s Buick Encore, Chevrolet Trax, and some new comers such as the Mazda CX-3, Jeep renegade, and Fiat 500X.
Honda HR-V
The cool factors of the HR-V:
The look of the car is definitely a plus point. The sides of the car curve up to meet up at the roof and the rear door handles are cleverly camouflaged to make the car look more like a two-door rather than what it is, a four-door car. This makes the car look smaller than what it is meant to be and this is definite selling point for the car. The fuel consumption is extremely low i.e. 30 m.p.g (miles per gallon).
The car has a great six speed manual transmission which is a rare feature as not many manufacturers offer it. One of the few manufacturers that still offer manual transmission is Honda. The transition from gear to gear is so smooth that it glides between gears. The lack of gadgets is another plus point because it compensates by giving it a good engine and manual transmission. The cup holder has a variable bottom so that a cup of almost any size can fit in without many problems. The USB and other ports have a cozy location under the dashboard so that they don’t get in the way.
The car feels neither cramped nor compromised and gives the impression of roominess as compared to the older models from GM and Chevrolet. But not all is hunky-dory with the Honda HR-V. There are a few flaws in the design. The design make it look more compact, but thanks the curved rear, visibility is poor outside the rear windows.
The USB ports are under the console space and are nearly impossible to see. It is next to impossible to find the USB Ports while driving and it is a task to find them even when stationary. It is more like playing darts, you have to keep at it and hope that you hit the target. One solution around that is to keep special wires just for the car, but if you move your devices among you vehicles, then it is a chore to keep finding the ports.
If you don’t go for the manual transmission, you are sentenced to a CVT (automatic transmission) and it is a far less enjoyable drive as compared to the manual transmission. The volume control on you music system has a touch screen and it is hard to use without taking your eyes off the road. This is potentially dangerous; the car also has a secondary volume controller on the steering wheel which is a far better option than the touch screen option.
The voice recognition is not at all great as it did not recognize the voice. Connectivity is better, but that does not make up for the second rate voice recognition. Even though there are flaws in the design and the working of the car, it still has a lot of positives and they outweigh the negatives.
