For 2023 Honda has made the HR-V bigger
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MotorTranscript
00:00 (upbeat music)
00:02 Hey y'all, I'm Scott Evans from Motor Trend
00:07 and I'm here to show you the 2023 Honda HR-V.
00:11 It's bigger, it's more powerful,
00:13 but how does it stack up to the old one?
00:15 Let's find out.
00:16 (upbeat music)
00:19 The HR-V has been around since 2015
00:24 and we had that first generation 2016 model for a long time
00:28 and we got to know it really well.
00:30 Back then, it was based on the little Honda Fit hatchback,
00:34 but now it's based on an all new platform
00:37 that's also used by the Civic.
00:39 Now, there's no way that you're going to mistake this
00:41 for the old HR-V because the styling is completely different
00:44 and the first thing you really notice
00:46 is how much smoother it is
00:48 and how much less busy it is compared to the previous one
00:50 that had a lot of things going on.
00:52 Now, Honda says they've tried to make it more muscular
00:55 and sporty, longer, wider, all those things,
00:58 and it certainly is all those things.
01:00 To me, it looks a little bit like it's hung over.
01:02 It's kind of like its mouth's hanging open,
01:03 but to each their own.
01:06 Moving down the side of it here,
01:08 we've changed up one of the more controversial bits
01:09 of the old one.
01:10 Before, if you remember, this rear door handle
01:12 used to be up here in the pillar.
01:14 It was kind of hidden, made it a little hard to find,
01:16 a little less ergonomic,
01:17 so we've gone for the simple, clean,
01:20 right where you're used to it right there.
01:22 Around the back, the longer, wider thing
01:24 has made for some more cargo space.
01:26 I think it also makes the back end look a bit droopy,
01:29 and you've got sort of this thing sticking down
01:31 between the taillights, but again,
01:33 is it new and different?
01:34 Absolutely.
01:36 Does it look good?
01:37 Well, that's up to you.
01:38 Now, if you had one of the old HR-Vs,
01:41 you'll remember it's not real quick in a straight line.
01:43 We've clocked it at like 9.6 seconds to 60,
01:46 but the good news there is this one gets a new two-liter
01:48 engine that makes 158 horsepower, 138 pound-feet of torque,
01:53 and an extra 17 horsepower and 11 pound-feet isn't a ton,
01:56 but they have matched it to a retuned CVT,
02:01 and they've also retuned the optional all-wheel drive system
02:03 so you should feel a bit more zip getting around town.
02:06 Now here, here's where the real work was done.
02:11 If you knew the old HR-V,
02:12 you know it didn't look anything like this.
02:14 This is much nicer, much more modern,
02:17 and it's got a lot of inspiration from the new Civic.
02:20 You'll notice the hidden vents in the honeycomb grill here,
02:23 the half-digital instrument cluster,
02:25 the bigger infotainment screen,
02:27 but the real big benefit was right here in the middle.
02:30 Before, there was nowhere to put your stuff
02:33 in the center of the HR-V,
02:34 but now we've got space for a wireless charger
02:36 up in the front here,
02:38 we've got lots of USB ports everywhere,
02:40 we even got this pass-through thing
02:42 that you can dump your stuff in,
02:44 so much more functional in the front.
02:46 Things are bigger in the back, too.
02:48 With the longer wheelbase and wider stance,
02:51 they found more shoulder room and more leg room
02:53 for the backseat passengers,
02:55 and they even found a little bit more cargo space
02:57 in the way back.
02:58 Now, they did take away the magic seats from before
03:01 that let the front seat fold like way down
03:04 and the back seats, kind of a loss,
03:06 but since they found more space, not the end of the world.
03:10 That's our first look at the new HR-V,
03:13 and if you're looking at compact SUVs like this,
03:16 you really kind of got to check this one out
03:17 when it goes on sale in June.
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