Japanese gardens are world-renowned for their beauty, fine attention to detail, natural artistry and sophisticated minimalism, designed to inspire joy and reflection in all those who visit them. Honda’s new iteration of its sleek coupé-style SUV, the HR-V, shares many of the same characteristics, with a strong focus on connecting passengers to the outside world while catering to the unique “needs of the time” to provide owners with a combination of road confidence, aesthetic beauty and sheer driving pleasure.
Any Japanese garden worth its salt consists of three elements – stone (which provides structure), plants (which provide colour and interest), and water, which represents a life-giving force.
Stone
With a strong focus on minimalist and modern design, the new HR-V has a sleek silhouette that marries the rugged appeal of an SUV with the sporty feel of a coupé – albeit with four doors and not the traditional coupé two. This is most apparent thanks to its sloping roofline (complete with mini sporty spoiler) coupled with pronounced wheel arches and distinctive 17 or 18” wheels, depending on the model. Another striking feature is the colour-coded front grille – which makes an eye-catching change from the usual black or chrome faces one usually sees on the road.
Step inside, and you’ll be happy to find all the things we have come to love from Honda design over the years.
Thanks to its clever centre-tank configuration, the HR-V – like its sibling, the Fit – boasts Honda’s “magic seats”, which, as well as folding flat (to provide a very ample loading area), also flip up to fully maximise the cargo capacity of the foot wells – for all those times you need to transport trees and plants for your own garden. Should you just want to throw some bags of compost in the back, though, the top-of-the-range Executive model now includes a hands-free Power Tailgate, which also closes automatically when you move away from the car.
While the HR-V’s overall proportions have remained largely the same as its predecessor, the rear legroom has been increased by 35 mm, as has the shoulder room. However, the sloping roofline may feel cramped for taller occupants, and certainly – as a tall driver – I found the front roofline a little low as it encroached somewhat on my field of vision. After a week of driving the HR-V, however, I stopped noticing it.
Plants
Honda’s engineers have also added features to increase the airiness in the cabin and balance out the low roofline. These include a lowered and uncluttered belt line, which improves visibility for the driver, and a panoramic glass roof (in the Executive model) which floods the cabin with light to add to the feeling of space. “Low-E” glass technology reduces the intensity of infrared, ultraviolet and solar heat rays entering the cabin by 75%, so passengers can connect to the natural world outside without needing Factor 50 sunscreen.
A unique new Air Diffusion System replaces the usual blast of air-conditioned air by diffusing it along the side windows where occupants experience it as they would in nature – as a gentle breeze.
Honda’s characteristic focus on quality soft-touch materials is evident throughout the cabin – a nice change from the proliferation of hard plastics in the motoring industry – as is its emphasis on clean, simple lines with an uncluttered ergonomically designed dashboard complete with a new HD 8″ touch-screen infotainment display. Smartphone compatibility (with multiple places to charge said Smartphone dotted throughout the cabin) and a high-quality sound system (with eight speakers in the Executive model) allows for improved listening pleasure – while also mitigating the slight intrusion of exterior noise and the noticeable whine of the CVT gearbox when you punch it on the highway.
Water
That said, this auto gearbox is an improvement on its predecessor and does a good job of switching gears with minimal fuss, despite the noise.
The new HR-V’s “life-giving force” is a 1.5-litre DOHC i-VTEC petrol engine which, with its 89 kW of power, is responsive and comfortable to drive (the latter also thanks to a body stabilising seat design which provides added support). The addition of Honda’s Agile Handling Assist system improves the car’s dynamic stability, particularly when reacting to fast steering inputs, and operates through the Vehicle Stability Assist system, which lightly applies the brakes to the inner wheels when the steering wheel is turned. This is invaluable in a country where quick responses are often necessary to avoid potholes – as are the HR-V’s raft of active and passive safety features should you not manage to dodge one in time.
Another necessity in SA is fuel efficiency, and Honda claims a fuel consumption figure of just 6 l/100 km. During our week with the HR-V, it sat closer to the 7.5 l mark which is still a relatively economical option for this segment.
Last Word
The Honda brand is synonymous with quality and class, and the HR-V offers both. Well-designed Japanese gardens use core elements and clean lines to create a beautiful and tranquil retreat, and Honda has done the same with the HR-V – which is a worthy addition for the marque in this segment.
Report by Nicky Furniss | Images © Honda Motor Southern Africa