These are the first official photos of Honda's new HR-V, a rival to the Nissan Juke and a revival of a classic nineties Honda nameplate. In many ways, the 1998 HR-V pioneered the sales boom in compact crossovers, beating the likes of the Juke, the Mini Countryman and the Peugeot 2008 to the market by nearly 14 years. Sadly for Honda it didn't keep up its leadership in this segment and now has to retake the lost ground.
The new HR-V will make its global debut at the upcoming Paris Motor Show and is based on the same platform as the latest Honda Jazz, a car that has still not been released in Europe despite being on sale in Japan for a full year now. That means that the new compact SUV can benefit from the Jazz's clever packaging, which sees the fuel tank mounted under the front seats, leaving more space in the boot and rear. It also uses the 'Magic Seat' system already seen in the Jazz and Civic, whereby the rear seats can either fold flat or have their seat bases flip up vertically, cinema-seat-style, giving you effectively two boots, separated by the seatbacks.
Honda is making much play of the HR-V’s supposedly coupe-like styling, and claims that this swoopy exterior motif doesn’t compromise what it claims to be “one of the most spacious and adaptable small SUV cabins.”
With the compact SUV segment being the fastest growing one in Europe, Honda will be hoping that the HR-V can give its European sales a solid shot in the arm; sales of the Civic have tapered off alarmingly in recent months while the Accord is selling so poorly that it will likely be dropped and not replaced in Europe.
The core engine for the new HR-V will of course be the excellent 1.6-litre 120hp diesel engine already seeing service in the Civic and CR-V, while a hybrid model, based around a highly efficient new direct-injection 1.5-litre petrol engine will also be available. The HR-V is also likely to be offered with Honda's upcoming 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol engine, a rival to Ford's three-pot EcoBoost range. Alongside a standard six-speed manual transmission, Honda will also offer its upcoming new seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox.
While the styling and cabin will be very similar to the HR-V that has already been released in the US market, it’s likely that both will be tweaked and upgraded, along with the suspension, for European tastes.
While Honda is suffering in Europe, it is at least seeing something of an uptick in Ireland. Sales are up 33 per cent so far this year compared to 2013, a figure that puts it ahead of the overal market increase. Much of that is down to a trebling of CR-V sales so Honda Ireland will be hoping that the additon of another SUV model will boost its fortunes further still.
