The Honda HR-V RS e:HEV is balanced, as all things should be

When Honda invited us for a drive with the HR-V, I was expecting it to be the sole vehicle like the other drives we had with them. At most, there will be the other variants to compare the hybrid with. This time, they spiced things up by giving us two days with their trio of electrified offerings – the CR-V, Civic, and HR-V all in e:HEV forms.

I’ve spent a month with the CR-V e:HEV before and I love it. However, I must admit that the price is too steep. The Civic is more attainable at under PHP 2-million but it doesn’t have the full regenerative braking prowess of the CR-V because of size limitations. It also sits too low on the ground which at my age of 34 is a bit cumbersome. Will the HR-V fill the sweet electrified spot in Honda’s lineup? 

The first car assigned to us was the Civic e:HEV. It’s the most energetic among the three with its lighter body and same powertrain as the CR-V – a 2.0L engine paired to an electric motor. Acceleration is more in your face, making overtakes a breeze, while maintaining agility on the road. The ride is too low for my liking but I must admit that despite my size, weight, and additional occupants with me, the suspension never bottomed out. 

Aside from the low ride height, the other thing that puts me off with the Civic is the weaker regenerative braking it has. Honda said it’s because of the size limitations of the car that they can’t fit the full braking system of the CR-V into the Civic. Why is this important to me?

As I said before, I had a lot of time with the CR-V beyond media duties and I’ve grown fond of its regenerative braking system. It’s strength allows me to operate the car with only the throttle. This gave me significantly less right leg fatigue as I didn’t have to switch my foot from brake to throttle to brake during rush hour traffic. Of course, this is only doable in the city but that’s where most of the carmageddon is anyway. 

The CR-V is also lovely with its dimensions. It’s wide enough even for bigger people like me, while the clearance is just enough for the average Filipino height. It’s one of the few crossovers in the market where I can sit directly without having to tiptoe or duck too much. Combine this with the strong braking, Honda SENSING suite, and the CR-V is a top tier city dweller.

How did the HR-V fare against these two? I was not expecting it to match the high points of the CR-V or Civic but it did. For one, it’s just as comfortable as the CR-V. Sure, there’s less soft touch materials here but the space is just right for me. And just like the CR-V, getting in and out of the HR-V is too easy. 

As for my pet peeve, the HR-V has stronger regenerative braking than the Civic, almost on-par with the CR-V. There wasn’t much traffic in Baguio during this time of the year so I wasn’t able to confirm if it can also do the one-pedal driving. The charging from the regeneration is better than the Civic though, again because of how strong it is. 

The HR-V isn’t perfect though. First, the cabin could use more insulation to keep things quiet especially for road noise. It’s good on asphalt roads but on raw cement and whatever you call that road composition in EDSA, it left me wanting for louder volume in my music just to drown out the noise. 

The powertrain also made its presence known once we’re on Kennon Road. The HR-V has a smaller mill at 1.5L compared to the 2.0L in the CR-V and Civic. Total power is at 131 horsepower and 253 Nm of torque. It’s not far from the 300+ Nm of the CR-V and Civic but when you’re on an uphill road, especially steep ones, every number matters. You can trick the HR-V to climb using EV mode if there’s enough charge but if not, the engine almost literally roars to life. There’s no tachometer in the HR-V but it sounds like it goes to 3,000 rpm and above immediately. 

Another caveat of the smaller engine is it’s not as snappy when doing overtakes or sprints. You’ll really have to put it in sport mode just to get past your imaginary haters. It’s an understandable compromise though since if they put a 2-liter engine here, the price will be higher too.

The upside to that is the fuel savings. Our more than 200 km journey from Solaire North in QC to Baguio, to Mt. Camisong Forest Park in Itogon, Benguet consumed an average of 24 km/l. That’s very impressive with three people in the car (four if we’re realistic about my weight) and the steep mountain roads. 

Going down from Baguio is also fun since you can just play around with the paddle shifters for the braking level, and not always rely on the brake pedal. It’s the same when you’re on the highway and would prefer a gentle (or manual input) on the acceleration. You can flick the paddles for braking, then push the throttle on your own. You don’t have to switch between the brake pedal and accelerator, giving you less fatigue for a long drive. 

The best part about the Honda HR-V is the price. For PHP 1,799,000 you’re getting a (in my opinion) better overall performance package than the Civic because of the regenerative braking, while having almost equal space and ergonomics as the CR-V. It hits some snags here and there, but no car is perfect unless you modify it to your liking. If your concept of performance is all about speed, then the HR-V falls short of the Civic. There’s a lot of room and creature comforts, but not as much as the CR-V. But it’s the most attainable one while providing just as good fuel economy which is the main point of hybrid technology. If you’re on the fence for a hybrid, the HR-V can make you cross over.