In the 2020s, Honda positioned itself for a period of once-in-a-century change, a second founding in fact, with the aim of serving people worldwide with the “Joy of Expanding Their Life’s Potential.”
That potential is obvious in the refreshed Honda HR-V line-up, which now includes two hybrid powered HR-Vs and this HR-V Vi X petrol powered one, which is the base variant in the HR-V line-up. Under its bonnet is a 1.5 litre Inline 4-ylinder petrol engine with a modest 89kW of power and 145Nm of torque with the additional option of using ECON mode. The front-wheel drive HR-V has Continuously Variable Transmission and an official combined fuel consumption of 6.2L/100km and for my week I used 9.7L/100km.
The cabin of the HR-V could also be described as modest with cloth covered seats and manual adjustment for both front seats. There is some annoying gloss black plastic on the centre console and steering wheel, but I liked the textured plastic on the dash and door pulls. This HR-V is fitted with the optional Style Pack ($1,620) that includes Deluxe Tailored Carpet Mat Set, Rear Under Spoiler, Front Under Spoiler, and tint on the two front windows.
The single zone climate control has rotary control knobs for air speed, mode and temperature selection. These HR-Vs didn’t appear to have the same issues with the air conditioning system that I have experienced on all of the other new Hondas that I have recently driven. One slightly different feature it did have though was the outer dash vents have a knob that allows you to turn them off, have the centre moveable vent operational or the outer rigid vent blowing, but you can’t close the central vents.
Technology on offer includes a 7″ colour display on half of the driver’s dash that can be configured. Plus, a 9″ touchscreen featuring Satellite navigation, AM/FM radio, DAB+, Bluetooth, wired Android Auto with Google Assistant, and Wireless Apple CarPlay with Siri Eyes Free mode. Voice control for the infotainment system is operated by pressing the button on the steering wheel with the masculine-looking silhouette on it, but it only works when voice tags have been enabled.
The HR-V now has two large and deep storage cubbies at the front of the centre console, which both fit a smart phone, and the top cubby has one USB-C port and one USB-A port adjacent to it, which is used for the wired Android Auto. In addition to the two cup holders in the centre console there are also good-sized drink bottle storage cubbies in front doors as well.
The HR-V is only a four-seater, with both rear seats having an ISOfix/rear tether child seat restraint point. I found that there was a good amount of leg room for me, but head room was tight, and I had a nice amount of under thigh support, which is something many smaller vehicles lack. There no air vents or USB ports for rear seat passengers in this HR-V, but it does have a single mat across the rear floor that fits nicely and makes vacuuming out the car easier.
The rear seats do something clever in the HR-V and they’re known as ‘Magic Seats’, they flip up and can be secured, so that you can carry bulky or tall items like a pot plant. The centre part can also down as an arm rest with two rigid cup holders in it and there is a small drink bottle cubby also located in the arm rest of each door, so it’s within easy reach for children.
This HR-V has a power assisted tailgate only that is opened from the outside and manually closed down. The boot space is adequately sized for a small family and has four substantial tie downs, one hook, and two lights. The tyre repair kit is neatly packaged in the side of the boot with some extra storage available under the boot floor. If more space is required the rear seats have a 60:40 split folding mechanism with the release on the seat shoulders and they lie flat when folded down. One slightly annoying feature in the boot is the rigid supports on the parcel shelf, which offer no give should you have a tall item in the boot.
The Honda HR-V has a 4-star ANCAP (2022) safety rating with an Adult Occupant Protection score of 82% and a Child Occupant Protection score of 77%. Dual frontal, side chest-protecting and side head-protecting (curtain) airbags are standard. All HR-Vs have an autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system, a lane support system (LSS) with lane keep assist, and emergency lane keeping as standard. ANCAP tests of the AEB (Car-to-Car) system showed GOOD performance with collisions avoided or mitigated in all scenarios, including AEB Junction Assist where the test vehicle can autonomously brake to avoid crashes when turning across the path of an oncoming vehicle or pedestrian. Overall, effectiveness of the AEB (Car-to-Car) system performance was rated as GOOD. ANCAP tests of lane support system functionality showed some GOOD performance, including several of the more critical emergency lane keeping test scenarios. Over performance of the LSS system was classified as GOOD and the ANCAP Safety Assist score is 69%.
Other Honda Sensing driver safety features on this base model HR-V Forward Collision Warning, Adaptive Cruise Control, and Traffic Sign Recognition System, but the notable omission is any Blind Spot Monitoring. The standard rear-view camera comes with front and rear parking sensors and for convenience you get auto lights with high beam support, and auto rain-sensing front wipers.
All new Honda’s sold in Australia come with the Honda Road Ahead Guarantee that includes a five year/unlimited kilometre warranty, five years Premium Roadside Assist, five years map updates for the satellite navigation system, and a 5-year Honda Connect subscription. For the Honda HR-V the service schedule is every 12 months or 10,000km, whichever occurs first with the first five services capped at $199 each.
Purchasing your new Honda is made easy with the Honda One Price Promise. This means your new Honda has the same price no matter which Honda Centre you visit in your State or Territory, haggle free! Pricing for this 2024 Honda HR-V Vi X Slate Grey (Pearlescent) start at $32,990 drive away in NSW and as tested with the optional Style Pack ($1,620) this HR-V is $34,610 drive away in NSW. Visit your preferred Honda Centre or build and price your new Honda HR-V online for a drive away price in your State or Territory.
| Pros | Cons |
| The competitive pricing | No rear air vents or USB ports |
| The technology included | Voice control uses voice tags |
| The versatility of the rear seating | No blind spot monitoring |
Photographs by Driven Women Magazine.