2021 Honda HR-V

For an MSRP of $21,200 the Honda HR-V goes up against some of the most popular offerings in the segment namely, the Hyundai Kona, the Ford EcoSport, and the Toyota C-HR. All the compact cars have quite a lot of fanbase and are very potent offerings in terms of value. 

The 2021 Honda HR-V is offered in four trim levels, starting from LX at $21,220 all the way up to EX-L at $27,520. The HR-V is very moderately equipped from the Sport trim onwards, and the LX trim remains very basic with no fancy additions whatsoever. The summary of what each of the trims gets is given below:

The feature list on the HR-V is on par with what people expect from the segment, but the goodies start pouring in from the Sport trim onwards, with the LX being a touch too basic for someone’s needs. Apart from these, Honda also offers many packages to be added to the trims to add more convenience - All-Season Protection Package I, All-Season Protection Package II, Protection Package, and Fashion Package. 

Which trim should you buy?

With what all the Honda HR-V has on offer, the EX trim makes the most sense because it is the least expensive trim to have all the Honda Sense. Apart from that, the added nicety of the sunroof, keyless entry, and heated seats make the trim a very good bet. 

The 2021 Honda HR-V comes equipped with a naturally aspirated 1.8L Inline-4 under the hood which produces 141 horsepower and 127 lb-ft of torque that is sent to the front wheels only via a CVT. All-Wheel Drive is available as an option right from the base trim for $1,500. 

The engine isn’t the most responsive out there and given the clunky nature of the CVT, there are a lot of vibrations and the refinement isn’t the best out there. There is a lot of droning noise from the CVT that creeps inside the cabin making long drives not so comfortable. 

The Ford EcoSport stands out with a turbocharged mill, which isn’t as good as it seems to be. The turbocharging doesn’t help due to the puny size and 3 cylinders, resulting in an even slower acceleration. The Honda’s sluggish gearbox actually shines in this area, posting the fastest times and the best quarter-mile figures despite being down on power when compared to the Kona and C-HR. 

How well does the 2021 Honda HR-V handle?

Inside the city, the powertrain is very smooth and doesn’t give out any vibrations, keeping the drive very smooth and settled. The suspension is very good for soaking out the irregularities on the road, while the CVT feels refined yet very vocal on sudden acceleration. All the controls have a nice feel to them while the steering is light and the car feels nimble while maneuvering through tight spaces. 

On the highway, the engine starts to show its underpowered nature and the CVT starts to vocalize itself by quite a bit. The seats are comfortable enough for a long drive but the tire noise and the other ambient noises do not render highway drives pleasurable. The suspension is quite fidgety over undulations and doesn’t feel confidence-inspiring. One good thing is the light steering which aids in handling which is also useful around twisty roads, but apart from that, it’s ideal place-to-be in the city. 

2021 Honda HR-V Braking Performance

The HR-V is a fun car to drive around the city and feels very punchy with the CVT. The braking on the HR-V is also good and is managed by a pair of 11.5-inch rotors at the front and 11.1-inch rotors at the rear. These rotors might sound tiny but they do a very good job of bringing the near 3000 lbs car to stop, avoiding any mishaps. 

The C-HR’s rotors are the biggest in the class and do their job well, stopping the car in a short distance - shorter than that of the HR-V that has similar rear rotors. The Honda doesn't do any bad either but is one-upped by the lighter Kona. The EcoSport, however, stops way ahead of the rest as if the brakes didn't apply on time; making it concerning and a potential safety hazard. 

The 1.8L four-pot engine might not be the fastest or the smoothest engine out there, but it is a banger for fuel economy. The engine-transmission combination, along with the lower curb weight does play in the HR-V’s favor. The EPA rates the fuel economy as 28 MPG in the city and 34 MPG on the highway, for a combined of 30 MPG from the 13.2-gallon fuel tank on-board. 

The Honda, Hyundai, and Toyota SUVs share a similar fuel tank capacity and out of these three, the Honda comes out to be the most fuel-efficient, returning nearly 3.6% more combined MPG than the Toyota. The EcoSport’s turbocharged 3-cylinder motor gives the most range in the city, but couldn’t maintain the trend while on the highway despite a bigger fuel tank.

The interior of the HR-V is pretty standard in this segment and has a strong monotone to it. The door panels have a soft-touch material on the top portion and a leather armrest, while the lower bit is plastic. The dashboard recites a similar story with the soft-touch material all over it. The AC vents are funky and extend right from the extreme-right all the way to the infotainment screen, and are a triple-vent design. The center console is very basic as well and houses the gear lever, the e-brake, and a couple of cupholders. 

The seats are covered in leather from the EX trim and up, while the lower trims get cloth upholstery. The seats are supportive and have a wide seating area to accommodate different types of people inside very easily. The EX and the EX-L get heated seats as well for increased convenience. Apart from this, the interior amenities are rather limited, but that is okay considering the segment it competes in. 

The Ford’s boxy shape helps it to provide a lot of space to the front-row occupants while the Honda provides more space to the rear-seat passengers, along with the most cargo space to haul in a lot of stuff to make it the perfect choice for some heavy shopping. The Honda is also the one with the most shoulder room, making the cabin feel spacious. That being said, some of the highlights of the interior are:

• Leather upholstery
• Heated front seats
• Under-seat storage in rear seats
• Leather-wrapped steering wheel
• Sunroof
• Auto-dimming rearview mirror
• Rear-Seat Heater Ducts
• Automatic Climate Control

What’s there to keep you entertained?

The infotainment on offer is a 7-inch touchscreen unit from the Sport trim and above that has a knob to control the volume, and two shortcut buttons next to it. The touch response is mediocre but the layout is very intuitive and the touchscreen doesn’t glare in sunlight, making it less distracting. This infotainment is offered with HondaLink that enables access to some proprietary apps. 

Apart from all this, the system comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility out of the box and also houses Bluetooth, AM/FM/SiriusXM as well as MP3 connectivity for music. The standard stereo setup is a 4-speaker setup, which can be upgraded to a 6-speaker setup on the EX trim and above. That being said, some of the highlighting features of this system are:

• 7-inch touchscreen
• HondaLink
• Bluetooth
• Android Auto and Apple CarPlay
• 2 USB ports
• 6-speaker setup

The 2021 Honda HR-V has a very handsome front end with the chrome trim that extends from one headlight to another, and also houses the Honda logo. The headlights give a very decent look to the fascia along with the vents on the bumper. The hood complements the looks well with its unique design and adds a muscular appeal. 

To the sides, the HR-V follows a typical compact SUV design language with roof rails and a sloping roof that integrates seamlessly into the rear windows. The wheel arches are made of plastic but do suit the car and give a rugged look to it. The rear is rather contrasting to the handsome look all over the car with its bulbous design with the lines and angles on the trunk. The bumper looks nice and houses a chrome-tipped exhaust to complete the design. 

The Kona is the lightest in the group but is in no way small in proportions because that honor goes to the EcoSport with its boxy design and a sub-100-inch wheelbase that helps it massively within the city limits. The Honda sits between the Kona and the C-HR but its lighter weight helps in braking, and also in accelerating better than the rest. That being said, some of the highlighting exterior features of the HR-V are:

• 18-inch alloy wheels
• Roof rails
• Fog lights
• Projector-beam halogen headlights
• LED brake lights
• Exhaust finisher
• One-touch power moonroof with tilt 
• Heated power side mirrors 
• Side mirror-integrated turn indicators
• Rear Privacy Glass

The 2021 Honda HR-V is a very good car with solid reliability ratings but is very lacking when it comes to being equipped with modern driver-assistance technology. The Honda Sensing suite of driver-aids is only available from the EX trim and up while the lower trims get the standard features like ABS, EBD, Brake Assist, TPMS, and DRLs. The Honda Sensing suite of driver-assistance tech brings quite a lot to the table like:

• Collision Mitigation Braking System 
• Road Departure Mitigation System 
• Adaptive Cruise Control 
• Lane Keeping Assist System 
• Forward Collision Warning 
• Lane Departure Warning 
• Honda LaneWatch
• Auto High-Beam Headlights

Talking of safety reviews, the HR-V has been bestowed with the top grades at both the NHTSA and IIHS crash tests, scoring a 5-Star and Good in every aspect (besides headlight) respectively. 

2021 Honda HR-V Vs. 2021 Hyundai Kona

The Kona is very similar to the HR-V in fuel economy, weight, and also in the braking test and gains an edge in the braking performance. The HR-V just manages to be more frugal than the Kona and also be a better performer in acceleration, all the while matching the Korean in the braking test and also in interior space. To add to the merits of the Honda, it also houses a 26% bigger cargo area.

2021 Honda HR-V Vs. 2021 Ford EcoSport

The EcoSport is a very nimble car and is the only one to give good competition to the HR-V in terms of driving dynamics but the under-powered Inline-3 makes the HR-V’s engine look good. The engine on the Ford is turbocharged but does have a lot of vibration, is slower than the Honda’s, and also returns lesser MPGs making the Honda’s Inline-4 look more glorious than it actually is. The EcoSport does boast of more headroom in the carbon but the HR-V’s cabin is more spacious and roomy due to the vast shoulder room available. And to add to the EcoSport’s demerits is the poor braking performance which doesn’t need an introduction. 

2021 Honda HR-V Vs. 2021 Toyota C-HR

The C-HR runs a very similar setup to the HR-V in terms of powertrain but is slower when it comes to proving its acceleration. The Honda’s CVT is sluggish on acceleration but the Toyota’s unit performs even worse with a lot of droning sound inside the cabin, and also adds to the noisy interior. The C-HR stops well despite more weight but the driving dynamics and the comfort is nowhere close to the HR-V’s. 

The 2021 Honda HR-V is the perfect compact SUV for someone who is looking for a no-nonsense commuter to travel from point A to point B, within the city. The engine is refined and the CVT does its tasks well, along with the suspension that does a tremendous job of soaking the undulations, but when taken on the highway, the performance is subpar. The interior is comfortable but the driver-assistance tech is lacking on the lower trims, pushing the buyer to opt for the EX trim or above.