[lalopacheco]

The more I read about the HRV the less appealing it appears to be, the first time I first heard about this car was around 8 months ago, back then it was known as Vezel and sold in Japan and I loved the green Vezel with the brown interiors, i thought we were having a similar version in america, months passed by and more versions appeared in India, Australia, etc. All of them with really cool led headlights, sportier rims, better interiors and so on, by the time honda finally came up with an american version it seems so inferior to what we were seeing everywhere else, that was a real let down, however the idea of a smaller suv with better gas mileage and a sportier look still sounded promising. In the last coupe of weeks I have been looking at the HRV facs al least what they have put out there and the more I read the less interesting it looks, the only way this vehicle looks appealing to me now is if it comes with a very low price tag. If the HRV stars at 20k, 21k you are only 2k away of buying a CRV with around 40 more hp, a lot more space to carry stuff around and just 1 mile less per gallon, on the other hand If I want a sportier car I would go for the juke, it is smaller but packs 40 more hp and for 20k you get quite a lot of equipment that you only get in a higher version of the HRV. It appears to me that Honda does not understand that what they believe to be premium equipment is standard in other brands.

 

[HRV4ME]

Interesting take on it, personally I love the design along with the wheels that come standard. The USA wheels being 5 spoke I think look better than the other versions that come on it elsewhere. With premium equipment, comes premium prices. Most buyers looking for something like that will be steered towards the CRV, but then there is the styling of the CRV which looks like a minivan. The sporty coupe look of the HRV will prove to be very successful. Would be surprised to see the HRV take top seller for Honda over the CRV.

When I was at my local dealership the other, I was talking with the general manager and he was telling me that the HRV has created the most interest and demand than nearly any other Honda model going back years and years. The downside of this, especially with all of the people who already have deposits in, means the HRV will likely be selling at list price for some time.

The more I read about the HRV the less appealing it appears to be, the first time I first heard about this car was around 8 months ago, back then it was known as Vezel and sold in Japan and I loved the green Vezel with the brown interiors, i thought we were having a similar version in america, months passed by and more versions appeared in India, Australia, etc. All of them with really cool led headlights, sportier rims, better interiors and so on, by the time honda finally came up with an american version it seems so inferior to what we were seeing everywhere else, that was a real let down, however the idea of a smaller suv with better gas mileage and a sportier look still sounded promising. In the last coupe of weeks I have been looking at the HRV facs al least what they have put out there and the more I read the less interesting it looks, the only way this vehicle looks appealing to me now is if it comes with a very low price tag. If the HRV stars at 20k, 21k you are only 2k away of buying a CRV with around 40 more hp, a lot more space to carry stuff around and just 1 mile less per gallon, on the other hand If I want a sportier car I would go for the juke, it is smaller but packs 40 more hp and for 20k you get quite a lot of equipment that you only get in a higher version of the HRV. It appears to me that Honda does not understand that what they believe to be premium equipment is standard in other brands.

 

[Dermochelys]

It's my belief that Honda is saving all of the "luxury" features for the Acura version. I wouldn't be surprised if the Acura version ends up looking alot like the Vezel. Also, they couldn't make the HR-V too nice, otherwise it probably wouldn't work in their vehicle price structure to fit somewhere between the Fit and CR-V.

 

[ddemetra]

The fuel economy is disappointing for me as well.
The CR-V is best in class, and has done an amazing job considering is is heavier, and larger.

I would have thought the smaller, lighter, and smaller engine HR-V would get like 10% better fuel economy, not 3%.

I have read a few reviews that the fuel efficiency numbers are quite conservative.
So maybe if you drive reasonable, you'll achieve, or exceed the rate efficiency.

 

[TrueNorth]

It's my belief that Honda is saving all of the "luxury" features for the Acura version. I wouldn't be surprised if the Acura version ends up looking alot like the Vezel. Also, they couldn't make the HR-V too nice, otherwise it probably wouldn't work in their vehicle price structure to fit somewhere between the Fit and CR-V.

That totally makes sense. Acura only sells in the US right> So it would make sense for them to take a much different approach because of that.

 

[HRV4ME]

Yes, look for the Acura version to have the usual bells and whistles.

 

[TrueNorth]

Acura is on the cheaper side of the luxury market and its RDX is a really popular vehicle, so I may venture to say that some people who were looking into the HR-V may find what they are looking for once the Acura version of the HR-V comes out.

 

[JimJones]

How much more do you think the Acura version of the HRV will be priced at??

 

[DexterHugo]

What is behind the Acura news? I saw one website blog saying the were going to come out with one, but not much else. Has anything really been announced. Are you speculating? Timing ... 2+ years??

I actually started considering the rdx - only because I want something with decent enough power. That's my big worry with hrv - that it will be too underpowered.

I did try the juke and it was fun enough to drive. But that backseat ... Made me feel like it was truly a 2 person vehicle so I couldn't bite on it.

All these discussions on demand for the car also make me worry that lease deals might not be good initially. My civic lease is up in 2 months. I can extend it, but they said to not worry just yet - call the first week of May if I need to add time.

 

[lalopacheco]

I do believe that there will be an acura version but I would imagine it to exceed 30k, why would you want to pay that much money when you can have a juke with all the bell and whistles for 21k, i still think the HRV es quite an appealing vehicle but somewhere in the translation from the asian version to the american version they lost some of the sport feeling it had and made it look like a smaller CRV and not so much like a coupe

 

[hal9000]

It is sad the HRV will lose a lot of cool content. If the Encore and 500x can sell for mid-high 20's, it would seem a loaded up HRV would match up pretty well.

Not everyone would think 'I could've had a CRV for that price.' There are people in urban areas where ten inches of length and two feet of turning radius would make a difference.

 

[Harry_Wild]

I think the HRV is suppose to be a city knock around vehicle. But I would mind if American Honda gave it Type R engine option in a couple of years from now! Rumor has it that American Honda might not detune the Type R engine after all; since it would cost more to do it and people would complain about the extreme reduced horsepower. American Honda wanted to detune it from 300 hp to 200 hp! A 1/3 reduction in power! Ask why they wanted to detune the engine they said some to the effect that detuning would match the U.S. market! LOL!

 

[TrueNorth]

It is sad the HRV will lose a lot of cool content. If the Encore and 500x can sell for mid-high 20's, it would seem a loaded up HRV would match up pretty well.

Not everyone would think 'I could've had a CRV for that price.' There are people in urban areas where ten inches of length and two feet of turning radius would make a difference.

But I think that the Acura version will be close to the Encore in terms of price and luxury.

 

[jocoleman]

I am also afraid they could save the vezel hybrid model only for the acura version, I would really like the hybrid, but I don't care about all luxury accessories (not that I can afford them) that is why we bought a Prius C

 

[dweller]

You guys Funny!! Think about it Honda is offering you ENTRY LEVEL SUV look alike car, and your expectation is ....give me a Acura for the price of FIT.Not gonna happen, don't look at Japanese market its a different world.Japanese are pragmatics there are not like Americans, I'v been at Detroit auto show this year Lexus GX price is 89k !! -- you go inside its like a cheap Chinese plastic factory!! Cadillac ,Mercedes,Audi,BMW - that's where luxury brand is!See the point? even Acura its far away from real luxury.Reliability!! that's why most of us loves japs car particular Honda ,but we should not expect from Honda Mercedes like quality interior.

 

[Bicepeak]

I agree I would love an Acura level car for a Honda price with all the cool extras.


To sell a Vezel replica here would require a higher selling price, possibly sending it into a higher, larger price segment. It would be a marketing disaster.


I am glad that Honda is doing it's best to keep the HR-V affordable for me.


I don't believe Honda is not offering these things merely to "save" them for Acura. It is price driven and the Acura will have a higher price which I cannot afford.


(One caveat here is that Honda could still screw this up and price it too high, especially the LX. I should probably give marketing credit and assume they are smart enough to see that)

 

[Ex-cape]

One needs to remember that what made Honda known for reliability is also why some complain - simplicity. To keep total cost of ownership down, you have to put reliability first and not always be on the bleeding edge. Why anyone wants $1500 headlights on the $20,000 vehicle is beyond me.

 

[lalopacheco]

I don't think we are talking about wanting acura level on a honda, nor a luxury car at a cheap price, if you look at juke entry level it has way more equipment than the HRV, if you look at the Mini countryman which can be perceived as a more luxurious brand it also has way more equipment on the entry level than the HRV, both under 23k, my disappointment is that honda is coming out with a entirely new vehicle and is not using technologies that are becoming standard in other brands

 

[vickenp]

I think us in north America will get the hrv like we know it, $19999-say to $28 and an acura version in a year or so...with the turbo engine $32+ (and more luxury)

 

[Ex-cape]

I don't think we are talking about wanting acura level on a honda, nor a luxury car at a cheap price, if you look at juke entry level it has way more equipment than the HRV, if you look at the Mini countryman which can be perceived as a more luxurious brand it also has way more equipment on the entry level than the HRV, both under 23k, my disappointment is that honda is coming out with a entirely new vehicle and is not using technologies that are becoming standard in other brands

I understand, but perhaps Honda has a better reputation for long-term ownership satisfaction than Nissan and Mini? The flash and gimmickry only carry so far. It is a well-known issue that tech gone wrong can bite a company. Mazda has suffered this with their infotainment. There have been some issues with the Corolla's LED headlights (perhaps lower-spec in an entry-level car?).