Ian Pogson:
Now, that’s quite a title for a car; I can’t imagine going into a dealer and asking for one. It’s still a Honda, though. As an ex-motorcyclist, I am well used to reading reviews of two-wheeled Honda’s. They often featured the words “the controls fell readily to hand”. This was certainly the case for me sitting in the HR-V. When their trusty delivery man, Malcolm from Honda tried to drop it off, he called me to say that a mere 400 metres from my door, he was thwarted by a road closure.
Anyway, that begged the question “Malcolm from Honda, how are you returning home? “By the 10:30 train”, said he, “from Pershore. But I reckon I’ll miss it, as that’s 8 minutes away.” “No problem” I replied, “the station is just the other side of these lights.” I was already in the driver’s seat, so I checked that I understood the usual Honda controls, which indeed ‘fell easily to hand’ and duly spun the car round, waited moments at the lights and we were away to meet the 10:30.
My old boss at the BLT (British Leyland Technology) Reliability test centre at Gaydon (a shadow of its current size and self), whom we shall call Paul for now, used to say that if his Engineers could not properly assess a car within 500 metres, they shouldn’t consider themselves Engineers. So, I had about that before I dropped off Malcolm from Honda at the station. Little time for questions such as “Where is the…?” Only time for “This is Pershore station; only one platform, single line, ticket machine there, bye!” – he was off into the grey mizzle of rain.
I then took unusual delight in following a ten-mile diversion to reach home and enjoy the £40k OTR HR-V. I can see why Honda owners love their cars. They are so easy to get to know and live with; the bikes are the same. I did smirk a bit when I grabbed the gear selector and had a flash-back to Longbridge-built Rover and Honda automatic 200/Concertos. The feel, the action, even the look was weirdly familiar. Not at all unpleasant, but quite functional and solid-feeling, controlling the e-CVT. I like CVT’s. The seat fabric is interesting and looks quality, providing a really unusual throne-like feel, yes, a pleasant place to be. Interior and exterior reflective blue flashes of trim highlights, plus familiar “very Honda” textures and well-fitted trim panels added to the perception of quality to the car.
This is a pleasant drive. There is a good feel and feedback to the steering it is an easy car to place on the road precisely. The brakes work as one would expect; no vices, with a lovely pedal feel and progression. Power train is my background from early days on clunky Land Rover indirect injection diesels and wheezy, heavy petrol units (ok, V8’s excepted). I have always loved Honda engines. When as a wee boy in LR, we often looked enviously at the Warranty stats for the Honda 1.6L unit that we used in the cars made at Longbridge and Cowley and then at the engines we made at the Rover Group. Their Warranty curves were a step or two higher than the Honda.
I recall that on the first deliveries of these Honda units, one engine in 100,000 had a slight tappet noise. That’s all. When we began selling L-Series diesel engines to Honda Swindon for the Accord made there, if one engine in a truck-load was faulty, the lot would be examined and returned. They really sharpened up our attitude to Right-first-time. The link with the Big H was mutually beneficial; they learned about style and the European tastes and we learned about Manufactured Quality.
In my last career job at JLR, the public interview was fronted by an ex-Swindon Manufacturing Director, who had moved to Castle Bromwich Jaguar plant. He stood up to address the room full of interviewees, so a public audience and proclaimed that if he wanted a reliable car to drive to the moon, he would pick a Honda Jazz. Anyway, back to the HR-V. Feature-wise, it is all there, heated seats included. The switch shows a heated screen logo, the centre-rear set belt is one of those two-point latches and the panoramic roof has manual sun-shades, with those in the rear being in two removable sheets! The usual Honda thumb-wheel gives access to the trip computer and other menus, not the most simple one to use but you soon get your head around it.
The car was used for a good old jaunt to the household waste site – a tip-trip – and found the fold-flat rear seats gave a huge load-space area, well-trimmed and versatile. Later, I managed to easily fit my folding Volt Metro battery-assisted bicycle (made in Milton Keynes!) into the boot area with the rear seats in position. There are four UBS ports in the car; one B shape and three C. One interesting feature was the removable trim piece over the VIN, stamped into the bodyshell beside the driver’s seat.
As it’s an e-CVT, I was keen to drive using the “flappy paddles” and roll up and down the “gear positions”. Amusingly, the dash read-out just shows a series of inverted chevrons to indicate what “gear” has been selected. The radar cruise works well (better than my Jaguar XF) and keeps one at a two-second distance – just. The all-round cameras also show possible body-clipping dangers quite well. The disappointingly shrink-wrapped handbook (no wallet) was a heavy tome at 471 pages and the how to drive bit started at 198!
The Doctor’s diagnosis:
“I expected the familiar, comforting, feel of a well-engineered Honda. I was not disappointed. Great to drive and very comfortable, with lots of features that required use of the extensive handbook to understand.”
SPECS:
- Engine: IMMD (Intelligent Multi-Mode Drive) 1.5 16v with 107PS & 131Nm of torque
- Driveline: e-CVT gearbox with 96kw & 253Nm electric motor – Front wheel drive
- Economy / Emissions: 52.3mpg* (58 on test) 122g/km Euro 6D
- Performance*: 0 – 62 mph in 10.7 seconds with 105 mph maximum
- Luggage Space: 319 to 970 litres
Warranty: 3 years + 100,000 mile service activated warranty – See manufacturer for information
Price as tested: £39,525 (price starts at £32,250)
WHAT APPEALS?
- Seats – comfort and interesting trim
- That certain feeling of “Honda-ness” and ease of operation
- Good ride and roadholding – very confidence inspiring
- As you would expect of a Honda – very good build quality
WHAT IRKS?
- Road noise, despite good tyres
- Not exactly a bargain
- Warranty length is behind other rivals of lesser cost
OVERALL RATING: 8/10
Our thanks to Bradley, Steve and Kitty at Honda GB PLC in Bracknell
Autobritannia 