2 minute read
Our cars: Honda HR-V
Spotted It’s not Ferrari-fast, but HR-V didn’t look out of place in central London
Advertisement
Menus If you want to turn off safety systems, it’s done via steering wheel controls
Chris Rosamond
Chris _ Rosamond@autovia.co.uk
WE’VE not taken our Honda HR-V anywhere very glamorous recently, but a rare trip into central London last week confirmed our sense that this compact hybrid SUV has a chameleon-like ability to look the part everywhere.
Most of its mileage has been notched up on domestic duties, involving school runs, trips to the supermarket, tip or stables, weekly commutes between Hampshire and West Sussex, and longer-haul weekends away to the West Country.
The car has handled all we ’ ve thrown at it, thanks to a winning combination of a boxy bodyshell, a long wheelbase and Honda ’ s useful Magic Seats. It’ s a set-up that allows all sorts of options when loading the luggage, the dog, a pair of medium-sized children and various other goods and chattels.
Taking each in turn, luggage is catered for easily by a roomy boot, unless the dog is travelling too. That’ s when the option to up-end one or other of the 60:40 split segments of the rear passenger bench means we can stack bags from floor to ceiling next to a passenger. Tipping the seat up means the full backrest remains in place, so the pooch can be safely corralled behind a dog guard.
Whether the dog is travelling with us or not, the kids love the HR-V for the limo-like
legroom in the back. There really is loads of space to stretch out, thanks to the car ’ s relatively long wheelbase, and the frontdrive format means there ’ s no large transmission tunnel to trip over. They also appreciate the large fold-down central armrest with its twin cup-holders, comfortable seats and the good ventilation that keeps the air fresh when the dog is breathing heavily over their shoulders. Things aren ’t entirely rosy from my nine-year-old’ s point of view, because the HR-V’ s letterbox-style glasshouse is a little bit limiting for small people trying to see out. But this is negated slightly by the cabin, with the attractive light-grey leather and fabric trim of our top-spec Advance Style model. The black roof, roof bars and Premium Sunlight White Pearl paint (a worthwhile £825 extra) give the HR-V a genuinely upmarket presence. Taken altogether, it makes the Honda feel a cut above some of its obvious rivals, without any of the badge snobbery you get from upmarket brands. Not everything is rosy in the HR-V’ s garden, of course, and for me the aphid in the ointment is the car ’ s automated driver ‘ assistance ’ systems. On paper the Honda Sensing package looks great – a suite of features that include cross-traffic monitoring, traffic-sign recognition linked to an ‘intelligent’ speed limiter, collision mitigation that applies the brakes if there ’ s “This compact hybrid SUV has a chameleonlike ability to look the part everywhere”
