HONDA HR-V
Motorists considering an EV or hybrid can find the switch conceptually daunting. How often do I have to charge? Where can I charge when I’m low on battery power? What’s the real-world range, never mind the manufacturer figure? Those who don’t want to deal with those questions can consider a self-charging hybrid—an internal-combustion engine (ICE) car augmented with a small battery and motor. It’s a straightforward way to sample electrified power. And few hybrids are as straightforward and simple as the Honda HR-V.
The return of the well-established HR-V namesake brings with it a number of notable features and changes to the car, with Honda’s e:HEV Full Hybrid System being one of the most significant. As seen in the HR-V, Honda’s e:HEV hybrid system has four modes: electric mode, for instant response; engine mode, where the engine directly drives the car; hybrid mode, where the electric motor boosts power and torque for more oomph during acceleration; and regenerative braking, where the system recaptures energy to recharge the batteries.
Let’s take regenerative braking first: when you release the HR-V’s accelerator, the gasoline engine usually shuts off, and the electric motor goes into generator mode. This captures and converts kinetic energy back to electrical energy to recharge the batteries. There’s a separate shift position to increase the regenerative braking. You can then use foot pressure on the accelerator to go into one-pedal driving mode on the HR-V. This mode is useful mainly in stop-and-go traffic.
As for electric mode, the car engages it when the battery has sufficient charge. “EV Mode” then lights up on the digital gauge cluster. The car accelerates briskly and silently when in EV mode. Unfortunately, you can’t press a button to manually engage EV mode—so you won’t be able to sneak out of the house using this. Most of the time, the car switches between EV mode and hybrid mode, with the gasoline engine switching on to provide more power and also to recharge the battery.
With 131ps and 253Nm on tap, the HR-V feels reasonably quick and responsive. The hybrid powertrain allows the HR-V to achieve an estimated fuel consumption of around 23 km/L. We recorded 16.9 to 17 km/liter in city driving, giving the HR-V a range of 680km on a full tank of fuel.
On the outside, the HR-V has adopted a more coupe-style design with hidden rear door handles. 18-inch alloy wheels, LED sequential turn signals, and a smoked taillight bar with full-width LED are included on higher-end variants. The Sand Khaki Pearl paintjob of our test unit blends well with the HR-V’s lines.
These features are coupled with multiple quality-of-life additions, including a hands-free power tailgate, eight-way driver side power seats, Type-C charging ports, and a wireless charger. The side mirror power-folds and also auto-tilts when reversing. The RS variant features leather seats with red stitching. The HR-V also comes with Honda’s magic seats, which allow the seat bottoms to fold up against the back rest to create more cabin storage space and increase the car’s practicality. With all seats up, the HR-V still has 404 liters of cargo space,
On the technological front, the HR-V comes with Honda’s Sensing system that provides the car with numerous standard safety features such as adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, and a collision braking mitigation system. It also comes with a right-turn signal blind spot camera that appears on the unfortunately miniscule 8-inch touchscreen display that supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Hondas have always been driver-oriented, and the HR-V follows that tradition. Getting into the driver’s seat feels like settling into your favorite ergonomic chair. Steering wheel, pedals, and secondary controls are ideally and intuitively positioned. There’s plenty to like in the HR-V’s driving manners, too. The HR-V feels well planted when going at highway speeds, and the chassis can cope well with the instant bursts of torque that the electric motor provides.
Honda HR-V starts at P1,450,000, with the top RS e:HEV hybrid variant going for just under P1,800,000.
