Yup, we have one.

 

 

A quick check of cars.com currently indicates 34 red and 174 white ... over 5X as many whites as reds.

I, however, am stymied by the $599 "documentation fee" extorted by the local dealers.

Her ol' 2003 CR-V's running well ... so we'll prolly wait until the rush subsides, and eventually do our shopping in neighboring, entrepreneurial New Hampshire.

 

Bought one?

 

'Tis handsome, no doubt!

Note: Referring to CraigC's post above.

 

There's a Red EX-L I saw today in the Sacramento Area. I have to say, it looked much better in person than I thought it would, it's a bit darker than I thought it would be. However, no manual transmission in red means it's not an option for me.

 

Same here. Blue is also not available in manual. I am not real happy about color choices for the ex-manual.

 

Yes, police are looking at red cars. They usually get pulled over first.

 

True... don't ask me how I know.

I've also heard red fades faster than any other colour, though maybe that's changed with modern paints.

 

Only downside with red is it fades like crazy if left out in the sun a lot. Keeping it out of the sun will go a long way in keeping it looking good.

 

Yeah ... red fades like crazy ... but it's a lot of fun while it lasts >

 

Red are super fast oxidizers in the hot AZ sun! If you get one out here, park it in the shade as much as possible.

 

Red

I have a 2003 Red Civic Coupe EX and it looks brand new and has it's original paint. It's been garaged for the majority of the time. I just test drove the EX 2WD and the color says milano red I believe, but it is pretty close to the current color of my car. I've waxed my car a lot so that and not a ton of exposure to the sun probably helped it to retain its color. Cars that are red don't get pulled over more than other colors. I'm looking at getting an EX/EX-L AWD in either White or Red w/ Black interior.

 

Photos from test drive today. Red EX-L. Update and first impressions to follow.

 

More pics!

 

Still more pics!

 

I am not a fan of red, but Wow, what a stunner!

 

So I stopped by the local dealership on the way home from work this evening and they had a Red EX-L available with just about every accessory installed on the vehicle. I spent a total of 45 minutes at the dealership with 15 mins of that time listening to the GM's sales pitch including saying that the HRV will be hard to come by for 6 months to a year and that we need to buy one right away . Of course, I pull my cards out too and finally got out of there. So here are my observations, good and bad with me as the measuring stick. Some is common knowledge but others were news to me.

1. Driver's seat is comfortable. Max seat height me at 5'-10" puts the top of my head almost touching the roof and into the sunroof "indent".
2. Rear seat position with front seats all the way back is very comfortable even if you slouch.
3. Tall mode is easy to do with two step process.
4. Two tether anchor positions in the outside rear seats.
5. Speaker grill centers are indented (bump inwards). Dealer said it was to reduce unnecessary bumping of the grill causing damage. He said the indent makes it stronger too?
6. Spare tire is full size diameter at 17-inch just not full tire width. No fix a flat kit.
7. No additional storage under where the spare is stored.
8. Easily lay flat when all back seats are lowered flat. Not sure that it will be comfortable with 2 adults.
9. Center console is higher than one would expect but is ergonomically in the right place. Gear shift is easy to reach.
10. Center console storage is very small. My LG G3 cell phone fits just right width and height but not much space left after that.
11. Charging ports, USB, HDMI location is low but accessible from seating position. Just need to do some hand yoga. I say plug them in and leave the cords hanging.
12. Tall mode reveals a not entirely flat floor. There is a 4" or so center portion that is raised, so long and tall items placed in here (flat screen TV) will tilt to one side and will be braced by this center raised portion.
13. Touch screen for volume controls is not as bad as many recent Honda reviews. When small volume bar is touch, a larger on shows up and its easy to slide up and down. Of course there is the steering wheel buttons too.
14. Ground clearance is not as high as it appears in the pictures. I did not measure it but it was very close to the fit. Yes it is higher but not by much (at least it did not visually appear that it was significantly higher off the ground).
15. Driving and handling was easy just like driving a Civic.
16. Acceleration was lacking at low RPM but does well at higher RPM. If you need to rev up, do it with intent! It will pick up quickly. Again, as mentioned by others, there is very little low RPM torque. Honda has always done well at almost redline.
17. The red color is very very close to the Civic SI red. Its a nice red and not remotely maroon or other shades of red. It is supposedly identical to the Fit red.
18. LED tail lights has a black trim around it for all colors. Looks good.
19 Engine is Definately a Civic engine. Looks and sounds like one.
20. AWD versions in Texas will be far and few between - so said the dealer.
21. Econ mode will not function when gear shift is in sport mode (of course not-it would be counter intuitive)
22. Color rings around the speedometer changes from white (regular) to green (eco). Dealer said that can be changed but we were not able to find out how and where.
23. AC has auto mode but not dual zone. Cools the entire vehicle quickly. It was 84 degrees out today.
24. Beside the rear door speakers is a cup holder but not very big.
25. Raising drivers seat does also move it forward with every stroke.
26. Remote start is like all other Honda remote start. Spare key located in the key fob.
27. For what its worth - Engine and tranny is from Japan, 60% Mexico and the rest USA.
28. Most local dealers can add leather to the EX version or LX for that matter without going the EX-L route. This one dealer said around $1500. On a EX, it is still cheaper if you do not need navigation, XM and HD and roof rails.
29. I got a hard copy brochure and the configuration pages state that the white exterior only comes with tan interior for EX and EX-L. Only the LX white can be paired with black interior. It is not a choice for all trims.

I can't think of anything else that had not already been discussed repeatedly in this forum. Overall it was a good experience and good drive. Much quieter than I expected but not totally silent either. Personally, I am not completely sold only because I want to see crash test results and other longer term reviews. If I make a purchase it will be when the hype lessens over the year/s. Hope this helps others.

 

Excellent review! Thanks

 

If look at one of the pics uploaded you can see a fit 2 cars beside the HR-V. Its the same red. I had the same first impression when seeing the red as BICEPEAK. I was not initially wanting a red, but it was their show trim.

Few other items:

1. There are no attachment points in the rear for tow hitch but I was only able to look under there briefly.
2. A lot of the underside does have the "felty" material for sound deadening...
3. Roof rail cross bars or not infinite positions but locks in preset "holes".
4. Door unlock with keyfob close only for front doors and rear hatch. Rear doors need to be unlocked from drivers side unlock switch before they can be opened. I did not see if the keyfob had unlocking buttons but I assume there are.

 

​

 

​

 

​

 

WAIT A MINUTE...Did they at pin striping to this one?

 

​

 

The red one with the accessory trim pieces looks great - thanks for posting.

They should have offered this color with a manual transmission.

 

You like the accessories? I think in the silver, white, or modern steel they could work, but detract on the red?

 

I do. A few subtle bright bits to complement the wheels. Works for me.

 

Hey so what color red is it hard to tell with pictures.. What other Honda auto is it close too Civic coupe maybe??????

 

I believe the Fit has the same red.

 

This is what one looked like inside the dealership.

 

Even though I am not fond of red cars .....this looks great. I am glad that there are colors like this to give some variety to mix of HR-V s we will see on the road.

 

The red is called a Milano Red and is the same one as the Fit.

 

Milano Red has been around for at least 2008, which was the color of our 2008 Fit. The only downside seems to be it's fading issue. We did not notice this problem until we took pictures of our 2008, just prior to selling it. Otherwise, we love the red.