Orange and black is the new Honda SUV

Tuesday, 30 October 2018

**HONDA HR-V RS

Base price:** $37,500.

Powertrain and performance: 1.8-litre petrol four, 105kW/172Nm, continuously variable transmission, FWD, Combined economy 6.7 litres per 100km.

New RS variant is supposed to be the sporty Honda HR-V. And yes, it does have some chassis tweaks.

Vital statistics: 4360mm long, 1605mm high, 2610mm wheelbase, luggage capacity 437-1462 litres, 18-inch alloy wheels with 225/50 tyres.

We like: Tidy in the corners, well-built, brilliant Magic Seats.

We don't like: Ho-hum engine and gearbox, blah infotainment system.

The RS badge doesn't always mean a lot on Hondas. But this one is more sporty than other HR-V models.

Honda New Zealand has given its HR-V baby SUV a boost with a new RS variant.

Is this another affront to the RS badge?

Honda is particularly guilty of abusing sports-themed badges with gratuitous stripes and non-functional spoilers.

**READ MORE:

Piano Black exterior detailing looks pretty smart. Thankfully devoid of spoilers and stripes.

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Thicker stabiliser bars, variable gear ratio steering for RS.

However, the HR-V RS doesn't actually have either of those. And it does have unique dynamic elements such as variable gear ratio steering and thicker anti-roll bars. Okay, it's not much; but it is something.

Honda has still dressed the RS up a bit. On the outside it has lots of Piano Black trim, which actually looks quite smart but you have to wonder how it will weather the knocks of everyday city life. It also has a special grille and alloy-wheel design.

Extra equipment includes LED lights front and rear, automatic wipers, rear parking sensors and an auto-tilt passenger-side mirror - handy for urban parking.

Nice quality and a few trick trick design touches. Plus Honda's Magic Seat system is sheer genius.

Inside, the RS has part-leather upholstery, alloy pedals, extra 12-volt power outlets and more Piano Black detailing. The roof lining is also darker than the standard HR-V models.

All HR-V models have City Brake Assist (autonomous braking at at up to 30kmh) and the RS gets Honda's weird-but-useful LaneWatch camera, which shows you the offside of the car on the infotainment screen when you indicate left.

Clunky infotainment system is like stepping back in time. Shame, because there are some clever cabin features.

But the full suite of active safety equipment is restricted to the top Sport NT model, which has lane departure warning, forward collision warning and a high-beam lighting support system.

How does it handle then?

With Magic Seat in Tall mode, there's tons of space for a road cone. Or road-cone-height stuff.

Pretty good actually. The standard HR-V is capable in the corners and the mildly tweaked RS adds a bit of assertiveness and stability to the package. It flows nicely over winding roads and the RS 'sports stabilisers' don't have a huge impact on the ride.

What is a letdown is the turgid powertrain. No Civic RS-style snappy 1.5-litre turbo for you, HR-V people: Honda's baby SUV has a very ordinary 1.8-litre four and a not-terrible but not-much-fun continuously variable transmission.

So yes, the HR-V RS can flow nicely over demanding roads, but you need to manage the peaky engine (maximum torque doesn't arrive until 4300rpm) and CVT.

Why doesn't it have AWD?

What makes you think a baby SUV should have AWD? Like so many of its ilk, the HR-V has been designed primarily as a FWD machine and that's your only powertrain choice for the bulk of the range.

And now for something completely different, because there is in fact a solitary AWD model on offer and it's a bit of an oddball because it's essentially a Japanese domestic market model.

The HR-V AWD is $35,990 and powered by a very modest 96kW/155Nm 1.5-litre engine. The AWD setup is an intelligent 'real time' system similar to that employed on the CR-V.

What's it like to live with?

The interior of the HR-V is a blend of irritating detail and sheer genius.

The annoying stuff first: like so many small Hondas, the switchgear and instrumentation menus seem strangely complex. They're also pretty untidy looking.

Worst is the infotainment system, which is based around a seven-inch touch screen that looks more aftermarket than factory. The graphics are clunky and while sat-nav is standard, it doesn't have Apple or Android phone projection. The USB and HDMI inputs are also on the face of the unit, so if you use them you have wires hanging down the dashboard.

Shame, because the cabin styling is quite distinctive: build quality is excellent and there are some nice touches, like the retro-style grille-vents on the passenger side or the configurable cupholders that change size with a quick push and click.

The HR-V's trump card is Honda's Magic Seat system, which makes the best of the flat cabin floor by offering a trick multi-folding mechanism for the rear chairs.

You can configure the car in four different modes: Refresh (basically a bed), Long (the front passenger seat folds as well), Tall (1240mm of height with the rear seat squab folded upwards) and the more conventional Utility (a flat load space that's 1845mm long).

You'll find the same Magic Seat setup in a Jazz or CR-V and it's brilliant in every application. You certainly won't find a more practical or load-friendly compact-SUV on the market.

Any other cars I should consider?

The Toyota CH-R is the obvious rival to the HR-V: mainstream Japanese brand, odd look, CVT.

But for a sporting bent we'd take a look at the Mazda CX-3 and also the Hyundai Kona, which offers a very comprehensive range of powertrain and specification choices. One of our current faves is the Seat Arona, which looks great and is lots of fun with a fizzy three-cylinder engine and dual-clutch transmission.

The biggest seller in the segment is of course the Mitsubishi ASX, but you wouldn't wish one of those on anybody.