OC FOR THE HR-V
If you’re in the market for a brand new car, then better make that decision really count. Because next to a house and lot, a car is your biggest purchase.
With that in mind, I present to you someone who took car shopping to the extreme.
Meet Jat Miraflor, 43, an office employee who spent months visiting numerous dealerships of various car brands, trying out their latest models. And finally, in late 2025, after nearly a year of test driving the cars, researching, and reading up online reviews, he made that decision to purchase a brand new 2025 Honda HR-V e:HEV.
The “OC-ness” is for a reason. “I don’t want to experience buyer’s remorse. Also, I’m not rich. And I want to make sure that I get the right car the first time,” Jat quipped.
Jat reveals he has test driven 20 cars since late 2024. “I started with the BYD Sealion, then Honda Civic, the CR-V, then Omoda and Jaecoo. I also tried Tesla, then Lynk & Co 02 and the 06 turbo, then the Toyota Corolla Cross as well.”
Jat said he weighed each car he tested based on his needs. In the end, he stressed that the HR-V was “the most balanced choice, offered a combination of everything, and the one that fulfilled most of my needs.”
His past experience of owning a Honda car also played a role in his decision. “It’s a Honda. It’s reliable. I owned a City for 16 years, and it didn’t give me major headaches. The HR-V drives like how a Honda should, like you’re connected to it. There’s joy in driving it,” Jat said.
“When I first drove it, I noticed that the acceleration was different from the Civic. I also tried out the Civic e:HEV. That one has an instantaneous response. The HR-V e:HEV needs to build up momentum. But after owning it for about four weeks, I knew how to get an instantaneous response from my HR-V.”
The HR-V e:HEV ‘connection’
The best feeling he gets from driving his HR-V, Jat says, is that connection between man and machine. “That’s important to me, my connection with the vehicle. I thought before that the ‘connection’ was just a marketing gimmick. But it’s true. I really feel connected with the car.”
He then enumerates the features he likes. “I love the balance of the handling; the simplicity of the dashboard, the buttons. The knob switches click. When you turn the knobs, it turns red or blue. Those small things, they add joy to the drive, they add feel, not like you’re pressing on a cellphone, where there’s no feel. With the HR-V, the controls are tactile.”
Jat also addresses the fuel-sipping elephant in the room, the HR-V’s vaunted fuel economy, being that it’s a hybrid EV.
“I average 20 km/liter, on a combination of city and highway driving, but mostly city because I work at night. My typical log-in time is 7 p.m. So I find myself driving right in the middle of rush hour traffic. That 20 km/liter in heavy traffic is something I really appreciate,” he explains.
Jat observes that the steering felt “too light” when he first drove the HR-V, but noticed that if the speed exceeded 20 kph, the steering feel adjusts and becomes heavier.
He also considers Honda’s easy parts accessibility and the HR-V’s higher ground clearance as “plus points.”
The HR-V has wireless charging, although Jat prefers using cables to charge his cellphone.
“Also the audio system is pretty good. The wireless CarPlay does not disconnect. So, it’s reliable.”
Safety being one of his considerations, Jat also appreciates that the HR-V has Honda SENSING.
The thud of quality workmanship
Jat says that the “thud” the doors generate when they are swung closed is proof that the vehicle is solidly built. He also loves the power tailgate.
He also likes the ceiling’s black color. “Black is my preference. Grey is dirt prone,” he reasoned.
As for his 16-year-old Honda City, Jat says that his wife JJ still uses the car.
“It’s a 1.3-liter AT that requires very basic maintenance,” he discloses.
My own impressions
At the time I met up with Jat, I was also driving an HR-V e:HEV. I personally felt that the fit of the seat and the steering wheel was tailor-made for me. I liked how the screen shows the right side camera view whenever I signal a right turn. I agree with Jat that the simplicity of the controls doesn’t distract us from the most important part of driving—paying attention to the road.
And if Jat routinely squeezes out 20 km/liter in heavy city traffic, well, I’m quite proud of my 29 km/liter fuel efficiency on the open highways, plus another 27 km/liter for the mix of highway and city drives. In fact, my worst readout, 18 km/liter, may be the best fuel efficiency of any other conventional SUV. All of these numbers I got on just eco mode driving.
I’ll share my observations on normal and sport driving mode with the Honda HR-V e:HEV in my future stories in this space.
