Enough space to take in a 4-wheeled personal transport
In my 4th time behind the wheel of the Honda HR-V, I take a couple of PWDs—and some cats—on a road trip
When my friends ask me what vehicle they should buy, I always tell them, buy the one that you’ve already test driven with the rest of your family, did a lot of research on, and asked other owners about. If the vehicle that they fancy scores high marks in these three criteria, and if it falls within their budget, then chances are that’s the vehicle they need to buy.
In this space, I would have to make special mention of the Honda Cars brand, specifically its HR-V model, for being consistent in character and quality for its target market.
I’ve been given the opportunity to test drive the HR-V four times over the past six years. During that time, I’ve taken the HR-V on a lot of different activities. I’ve also been able to talk to actual HR-V owners, like Peter Al Fontanilla Manzolim, aka Cedric Lim, one of the administrators of the Honda HR-V Club Philippines.
The first two times I was behind the wheel of the HR-V, I and my companions took the vehicle on road trips to the south, hopping from one vegan restaurant to another. The third time, about two years ago, the patented Honda Sensing suite of safety features was already integrated, which included advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) such as adaptive cruise control, collision mitigation braking system, and lane keep assist.
Just recently, I was again given the keys to the HR-V, this time it was the V Turbo CVT variant with Honda Sensing, the first HR-V fitted with a turbocharged engine, and a sticker price of P1,649,000.
And just like my previous three encounters, the HR-V offered spacious and comfortable interiors despite its compact frame, and a responsive and spirited powerplant (on sport mode, that is). On Eco mode, I was able to squeeze out 20 km/liter on the highway, even if I was loaded with four passengers.
Like I wrote earlier, the HR-V has stayed consistent with its target demographic. From then until now, the HR-V attracts the thirty- and forty-somethings, young professionals, mid-level managers or business owners. He or she would be tech-savvy, stylish, most likely be a city-dweller yet would love to go on long road trips, and be into health and fitness.
What made my fourth encounter with the HR-V different from the previous ones was that I attempted to include my dad and childhood friend—both wheelchair-bound—in my trips. And as things would turn out, the HR-V is spacious enough to accommodate PWDs and their wheelchairs of various sizes.
With his extra-large wheelchair folded and tucked into the rear cargo hold, my 85-year-old father was comfy enough in the front seat to doze off much of the way on his scheduled checkup with the doctor. With five of us in the car, I was a bit surprised that it didn’t feel so cramped inside. I would highly recommend that elderly PWDs be best seated in front, where the seat can offer more adjustments. My dad also didn’t have a hard time going in and out of the vehicle.
My dad stands 5-foot-8, so when it was the turn of my childhood friend Marisse (who stands at just 4-foot-11), to ride with me, it was a much easier experience for her getting in and out of the HR-V. Her wheelchair was compact enough that, when folded, looked just like day-trip luggage. When we stowed it at the rear cargo hold, there was still enough space for our weekly grocery and medical supplies.
Marisse found the ride stable and comfortable. Her only wish was that there would be a reachable handlebar on the side of the rear passenger window that she could hold on to when getting in or alighting from the vehicle.
Cat passengers approve
Humans weren’t my only passengers in the HR-V this time around. I also found the opportunity to gather six transient cats in my neighborhood, place them in three cages, and carefully lay them in the HR-V. With the rear-row seats folded in, the placement of the cages was stable and spaced properly enough that the cats weren’t stressed out from the trip to the Philippine Pet Birth Control Center in Mandaluyong, where they would be spayed and neutered.
Whether it was humans or animals that I was carrying, the HR-V’s Sensing technology gave me that added boost of confidence and security in my drive. Honda’s Sensing technology, as its engineers explained, uses state-of-the-art wide-angle cameras and a high-speed image processing chip, where the field of vision is wider, so the system detects the situation in front much faster. This enables the Sensing technology to provide warning and detection systems that heighten drivers’ senses and make them more alert. The Sensing technology also made me appreciate the level of autonomy involved in the adaptive cruise control when I tried it out during a stretch of moderate traffic along the South Luzon Expressway.
The HR-V also showed me that it doesn’t require a lumbering van or large SUV to be able to provide long-distance mobility to PWDs. For its seeming compactness, the HR-V sure has a wide embrace.
