2022 Honda HR-V arrives in PH with standard Honda SENSING, turbo option

The second generation of the Honda HR-V, the Japanese brand’s subcompact crossover offering has been available in the Philippine market since its introduction in 2015, making it the oldest model in Honda Cars Philippines’ current lineup.

Well Honda Cars Philippines is now starting with its promise to introduce three new models this year with the launch of the all-new third generation of the HR-V. All new for the 2022 model year, the Honda HR-V can be had in two variants at launch, first is the 1.5 S CVT Honda SENSING, then the 1.5 V Turbo CVT Honda SENSING. Given the name, they are available with two different engine options as well as upgraded safety with Honda SENSING. More on these later.

Looking at the exterior, the 2022 Honda HR-V is a huge departure from the model it replaces. It is now sleeker and more upmarket in terms of design mainly shown by its thin headlights, new and larger front grille, and sportier bumper design. On the side, it’s also sleeker with its more angular windows with the rear door handle still integrated into it, new alloy wheel designs, and a steeply-raked rear windshield. At the rear, it gets full-width wraparound taillights which are only cut by the Honda logo.

Standard exterior equipment starting from the 1.5 S CVT variant are full LED front lighting (headlights, daytime running lights, turn signals, fog lights), black bar type front grille, honeycomb lower grille, 17-inch two-tone alloy wheels, LED taillights, and a reverse camera. Going for the 1.5 V Turbo CVT adds a mesh-type front grille, horizontal slat lower grille with “Amp Up” line, sportier front and rear bumpers, dual exhaust pipes, and gunmetal gray finish for the alloy wheels.

Inside, like the exterior, is also a huge departure from the outgoing generation. The overall remains simple but is more up-to-date with a little similarity with the current FE generation Civic, wearing Honda’s interior design principle of ‘man maximum-machine minimum.’ Of note, other than the larger infotainment system, Honda went back to using easier-to-operate rotary dials for the climate controls, replacing touch-sensitive controls in the previous model.

Of course, it also comes with Honda’s ULTR seats. For those who don’t know, ULTR stands for Utility, Long, Tall, and Refresh. Utility mode allows you to fold the 2nd row seats completely flat. Long mode allows you to fold all the seats (except the driver’s seat) in order to load longer items. Tall mode then lets you fold up the rear seat-bottoms to put tall items such as plants in the second row. Finally, Refresh mode allows you to put the front seats down when not driving to make the interior of the vehicle a lounge.

Standard interior equipment starting from the 1.5 S CVT variant are fabric seats, 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, 6-speaker audio system, automatic climate control with air diffuser, and push button start. Going for the 1.5 V Turbo CVT adds leather seats, leather-wrapped steering wheel, a partially digital instrument cluster with 7-inch display, butterfly-style headrests for the front seats, and an auto-dimming rear view mirror.

Under the hood of the all-new Honda HR-V as mentioned earlier are two engine options. Powering the 1.5 S CVT variant is a 1.5-liter Inline-4 Cylinder naturally-aspirated i-VTEC engine from the Honda City. This produces 119 horsepower and 145 Nm of torque. The 1.5 V CVT on the other hand gets the Honda Civic’s 1.5-liter Inline-4 Cylinder VTEC Turbo engine that produces 175 horsepower and 240 Nm of torque. Both engine options are paired to an Earth Dreams Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT).

Safety also receives a huge upgrade with the all-new Honda HR-V, just like the Civic. Honda SENSING, the brand’s suite of advanced driver-assistance technology is now standard across the range. This means all 2022 Honda HR-V’s get Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS), Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS), Road Departure Mitigation System with Lane Departure Warning (RDM with LDW), Auto High-Beam (AHB), Adaptive Cruise Control with Low-Speed Follow (ACC with LSF), and Lead Car Departure Notification System (LCDN).

Aside from that, it gets the usual dual front and side airbags, anti-lock braking system, electronic brakeforce distribution, agile handling assist, hill descent control, vehicle stability assist, hill start assist, and ISOFIX childseat anchors, all as standard.

Available colors for the 2022 Honda HR-V are Ignite Red Metallic, Platinum White Pearl, Meteoroid Gray Pearl, and a new Premium Opal White Silver. For pricing, it is set at Php 1,250,000 for the 1.5 S CVT Honda SENSING, and Php 1,598,000 for the 1.5 V Turbo CVT Honda SENSING.

The 2022 Honda HR-V is now available at all Honda dealerships nationwide. What do you think, does it have what it takes to compete with its main rivals such as the Toyota Corolla Cross, Kia Seltos, and Mazda CX-30?