OVERVIEW
Regardless of whether you commute from Pickering to downtown Toronto using the 401 and Don Valley Parkway, are driving from Brossard to Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau airport on Autoroute 20 or you’re on the 99 heading from Richmond to downtown Vancouver, things never change — the traffic is gnarled.
Rather than clipping along at the posted speed limit, you’re creeping along at an agonizingly slow pace and cursing the early-to-rise late-for-work syndrome most commuters face. Yes, things are moving faster than normal right now, but the pre-COVID-19 traffic days are starting to loom large!
Today, crossovers are a hot commodity and the Honda HR-V is one of the better units in the subcompact class. Yes, it has its warts, but for a small vehicle, it makes remarkable use of available space. Its tight dimensions also make it a very easy city companion.
Step in and the HR-V’s cabin features classy materials, the right equipment including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, along with comfortable seating in all positions. A large glass expanse makes the cabin feel open and airy. This aspect and the rearview camera with dynamic guidelines make it very easy to park — 2.7 turns of the steering wheel to get from lock to lock also makes a three-point turn fast and efficient.
One of the features found on the higher-end HR-Vs is Honda’s LaneWatch system. It uses a camera mounted on the right-side mirror to “look” at the blind spot and display the view in the central infotainment screen. It works well to the right, as it only takes an eye movement to look at the central screen rather than the head turn needed to glance at the mirror.
However, it does absolutely nothing for the left side of the car. In the end, it proves there really is no substitute for a proper blind-spot monitoring system. Be it running the 401 across the top of Toronto or heading up the 404 towards Richmond Hill, the ability to check the blind spots quickly and, more importantly, accurately pays big dividends.
The decision to leave out blind-spot monitoring is made more confusing as every HR-V gets forward collision warning with auto-braking, adaptive cruise control with steering assist, lane-departure warning with keep assist, and auto high-beams as standard fare.
One major plus of the HR-V is the seating flexibility and space that comes courtesy of the rear Magic Seat. In the normal position, there’s 998-millimetres of leg space and lots of head room, so six-footers are not scrunched up. True, a third adult does make it feel cozy, but it works for a short trip.
Now comes the magic. The ability to lift those rear seat bases up and lock them in position permits the rear floor area to accommodate large, tall packages. There is also 657 litres of space behind the rear seats. Folding the 60/40-split seats down opens up 1,583L and a flat floor. One of the unspoken benefits is the manner in which the area has been squared-off. This not only maximizes the usable space, it makes the HR-V one of the most cargo friendly in its class, in spite of the fact it does not have the largest numbers.
The HR-V is offered with one engine: a 1.8-litre four-cylinder that makes 141 horsepower and 127 pound-feet of torque. It drives all four wheels through a continuously variable transmission (CVT) with paddle shifters. The combination is up to most eventualities, as the CVT does a good job of keeping the engine in the sweet part of the power curve. It has a sport mode with paddle shifters and, when in drive, does a good job of mimicking a regular automatic by shifting between seven ratios to minimize the usual CVT drone. Touring’s active noise-cancelling system certainly helps matters here.
The Real Time all-wheel-drive (AWD) with Intelligent Control is sorted and adds to the stability. It sends power to the rear wheels proactively during acceleration or when climbing a grade. It also comes to life heading into a corner, which improves the steering response. The rest of the time it drives the front wheels to maximize fuel efficiency.
One of the HR-V’s hiccups is found under hard acceleration — it takes 10 seconds to get to 100 kilometres an hour. The bonus, however, is the fuel economy is pretty good, even with all-wheel-drive ability. With a posted highway fuel economy of 7.7 L/100 km, there’s enough juice to get from Toronto to Mont Tremblant on one tank of gasoline.
The stability provided by its AWD system is supported by the suspension and steering. The key is found in its trick shock absorbers. Regular road irregularities are dealt with using softer damping but head into a corner and shocks switch to a firmer setting. The result delivers a smooth comfortable city drive and a sporty feel when the road takes a turn for the better. Likewise, the steering is light at parking speeds, but firms to deliver better feedback at speed.
The combined abilities of the AWD, suspension, and steering surfaced on a drive from Niagara Falls to Toronto. This is one boring drive, very much like the 401 is between London and Chatham. The difference between these two stretches of highway are the Skyways. The Garden City Skyway over the Welland canal and the Burlington Skyway are both high and tend to be very windy at times. Here, the HR-V fared better than expected. With high wind gusts on both Skyways, the HR-V should have been getting blown about in its lane, especially when emerging from the protection afforded by a truck in the adjacent lane. Instead, the HR-V tracked a true line with little steering correction needed to keep it pointed in the right direction.
The Honda HR-V is both practical and flexible, it handles very nicely, and it has one of the sharpest cabins in the segment. Yes, it could use more power and blind-spot monitoring; hopefully, both will be addressed when the reworked 2022 model surfaces.
April 06, 2021 at 07:00PM
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Commuter Review: 2021 Honda HR-V Touring - Driving
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