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Preview: 2023 Honda HR-V takes on more mature look, $24,895 price tag
Brian Wong June 7, 2022 Comment Now!
Honda has taken the wraps off of the redesigned 2023 Honda HR-V and the subcompact crossover features a heavy dose of Civic styling and content, inside and outside.
This isn't a surprise, considering that the HR-V headed to U.S. showrooms in early June rides on the same platform as the compact sedan and borrows one of its powertrains—though unfortunately, it's the one without a turbo. We got a chance last month to take a look at the new HR-V in Los Angeles and see how those changes feel up close.
The redesigned HR-V will be offered in three trims: LX, Sport, and EX-L. Pricing starts at $24,895 for the LX, including a $1,245 destination charge, followed by the Sport at $26,895 and the EX-L at $28,695.
The last generation HR-V had awkward proportions and a strangely sloped tailgate, but most of those rough edges have been smoothed out. The 2023 HR-V features a handsome design with a long hood, standard LED lights at both ends, and the same black trim that many of these small SUVs feature to convince you that they're actually utility vehicles and not tall wagons. Many of the old HR-V's angular elements have been eliminated with an emphasis on smooth lines and prominent fenders that give it a hippy look from the rear especially.
The mid-level Sport grade gets a few design features of its own, with 18-inch black wheels, a black spoiler (instead of body colored), a larger exhaust tip, and a wavy front grille. Don't be surprised if Honda also ends up offering an HR-V that wears a TrailSport badge. The TrailSport grade was introduced on the updated 2022 Passport SUV and Honda has hinted that we'll see it offered on other vehicle lines.
There is only one engine option: the Civic's base engine, a 2.0-liter inline-4 good for 158 hp and joined to a continuously variable transmission. Honda says the HR-V will get different CVT tuning than the Civic and hopefully that helps what we've considered to be an anemic powertrain into one with more pep. All HR-Vs come with standard front-wheel drive, with all-wheel drive available as a $1,500 option. The AWD system now sends more torque to the rear than before to improve vehicle dynamics and there's a new Snow mode that is meant to improve performance in slick conditions.
The 2023 HR-V has grown significantly for this new generation. The wheelbase has been stretched by 1.7 inches to 104.5 inches, but overall length is up much more to 179.8 inches. That's an increase of 9.4 inches over the previous model and gives the HR-V a much more significant presence on the road. Strangely, Honda's specifications say this growth has actually resulted in less rear legroom (down from 39.3 to 37.7 inches) and only a gain of 0.1 cubic feet of cargo room to 24.4 behind the rear seats. But sitting in the new HR-V the backseat feels significantly more spacious and has larger windows that make visibility much improved, for both the passengers and the driver.
Inside, the styling is pure Civic. There's the same honeycomb metallic air vents and metal switches that give the HR-V's cabin a more upscale feel than competitors. The infotainment touchscreen sits atop the flat dashboard, measuring 7.0-inches in the LX and Sport models, while the EX-L comes with a larger 9.0-inch screen that also adds wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay (those require a wired connection on the smaller screen). The front seats don't feature any kind of thigh extension, but feel very supportive and good enough for long stints behind the wheel.
Between the front seats, there are USB ports on either side to allow both passengers easy charging access and a storage space below the controls for the drive mode and the parking brake that uses all of that tunnel space with impressive efficiency. A new standard 7.0-inch display is also found in the instrument cluster, though the Civic's fully digital display isn't offered.
Standard safety features are robust and include automatic forward emergency braking, adaptive cruise control with low-speed follow, active lane control, and traffic sign recognition. Blind spot monitors are standard on the Sport and above, while the EX-L also adds front and rear parking sensors.
The updates to the 2023 HR-V improve many of the outgoing model's pains, with its added size making it more liveable (backseat passengers will thank you). And we'll have to wait until we drive it to know for sure, but the move to the Civic platform should improve ride quality and make the HR-V feel more planted on the road.
Honda isn't stopping at a redesigned HR-V; there are also redesigns on the way shortly for the CR-V and Pilot, both of which have been spotted testing.
High-Res Gallery: 2023 Honda HR-V
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