Best Year Honda HR-V

‍2017 Honda HR-V

The 2017 Honda HR-V is a compact crossover that offers spacious seats, a comfortable ride, and plenty of cargo space. It is an excellent choice for families and poses tough competition for its rivals from other major carmakers.

The HR-V stands below the CR-V in the Honda lineup of crossovers. The biggest of which is the Honda Pilot. It comes in three different trim levels, LX, EX, and EX-L. Although the modern alphabetical names make the vehicles easier to rank, they can be a mouthful when pronounced. Just for the fun of it, try saying HR-V EX-L.

Design Features

Many critics believe that the 2017 Honda HR-V is based on the Fit hatchback. However, we believe that it is not and borrows more design cues from the CR-V rather than the smaller Fit.

Starting upfront, the grille and the headlights are closer in design to an updated 2015 CR-V. However, the HR-V seems jazzier and more playful in shape. It features an arched roofline that provides good headroom for the occupants and gives the vehicle a sleeker appearance.

The fenders are flared, and there is a unique curve in the sheet metal in the front door that continues past the rear door and ends near the hidden rear door handles. We cannot call it a coupe appearance, but it certainly is sporty and significantly more playful than the Honda Fit.

The rear end features a short and curved glass above two large, split tail lights. The tailgate seems curved at the top but rather squarish towards the bottom. The bumper houses two reflectors on the outboard sides.

Step inside, and you will forget the Fit. It is a more excellent place to be with a tidier and neatly laid out cabin. Honda has deleted the dual-screen setup found on its bigger vehicles, making the cabin less cluttered and more spacious.

The higher trims get a single, large touchscreen that works as an infotainment system and display for safety and audio systems. The capacitive touch climate control buttons are another nifty feature on the center stack. They look like something from a more expensive car;however, they take some time to get used to.

Performance Features

The HR-V prioritizes fuel economy over performance and handling. It is much quicker than the Fit with its larger, 1.8-liter, four-cylinder engine. This machine can produce up to 141 hp and 127 lb.-ft torque. The vehicle has ample power and can achieve 0-60 in around eight seconds. It is more oriented towards smooth and comfortable ride quality.

The power is transmitted to the wheels through a six-speed manual or a continuously variable transmission (CVT). The manual is available only on front-wheel-drive variants, and the CVT comes with both FWD and all-wheel-drive variants.

Some users complain of the CVT lagging during shifting, which can be corrected by flicking a switch to put the vehicle in Sport-Shift mode, leading to better responsiveness. There are paddle shifters with pre-programmed steps for a better shifting experience.

Overall, the HR-V handles quite well. It is responsive to driver inputs and feels secure on the road. The front suspension is independent struts, while the rear is a torsion beam. They are not designed for aggressive or sporty driving. However, the suspension keeps the ride smooth and comfortable, making the HR-V more comfortable than other vehicles in its class.

Comfort and Space Features

The dimensions of the HR-V make it a somewhat larger compact crossover. If that does not make sense, think of it as smaller than CR-V but bigger than a Fiat 500X. In terms of numbers, the HR-V is 169.1 inches from nose to tail, 69.8 inches from fender to fender, and has a wheelbase of around 102.8 inches.

Step inside, and the HR-V has a welcoming interior that feels more spacious than what you will anticipate from the vehicle's exterior. The front seats offer good support and feel comfortable. There is, however, a slight tilt in the seat cushion towards the front, which could have been corrected by adding additional bolstering towards the front end.

A partially hidden storage bin below the center console is located between the front seats. The USB ports are hidden inside it and are not in easy reach. But there are premium-looking controls on the steering wheel that allow you to manage the infotainment system without removing your eyes from the road.

The rear seat is also nicely shaped and offers plenty of head and legroom to seat two adults comfortably. There is plenty of headspace on variants with the moonroof, which is quite impressive. The doors are big and open wide to give access to the rear part of the cabin. They are operated from the outside with stylish, hidden door handles located high in the pillar. Children might have a tough time opening the rear door themselves.

The HRV is equipped with a "Magic" rear seat. We call it magic because it "magically" disappears into the floor to give a flatbed for cargo. It is pretty easy to use but not too magical. You will need to fold up the cushion and flip the front support to secure it with the seatback, and you have a lower cargo floor where the passengers would sit. No hocus pocus is needed, just a few strong pulls.

With the seat in its original position, there is a space of 25 cubic feet behind it for cargo. With the rear seat folded down, the space more than doubles to 58.8 cubic feet. You can carry a lot of cargo with two passengers on board.

The HR-V is equipped with a lot of insulation and noise-damping materials. It offers a quiet ride, much quieter than its rivals like the Renegade and the 500X. The dashboard is covered with soft-touch material and feels quite luxuriant to the touch. The overall finish of the cabin is quite good and does not feel cheap in any way.

Safety Features

The best year Honda HR-V comes equipped with many safety features, of which some are standard, while others are optional on lower trims and come standard on higher trims. The following are found standard on the HRV:

• Frontal airbags located in the steering wheel for the driver and dashboard for the passenger keep them safe from severe head injuries in case of a frontal crash.
• SmartVent side airbags for front passengers. This technology allows the airbag to vent before it inflates completely. If a passenger is in the airbag's deployment path, they will be less likely to be injured from the airbag.
• Side impact airbags for the rear passengers protect them in case of a side impact.
• Overhead airbags keep occupants safe if the vehicle rolls over or experiences a strong side impact.
• Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) keeps the vehicle stable during cornering if a vehicle understeers or oversteers. The system also helps the tires maintain traction on slippery pavements. All control is achieved by toggling the brakes in wheels that require them.
• Motion Adaptive Electric Power Steering works with the VSA to add resistance to the steering wheel if it is turned the wrong way during a skid.
• Anti Lock braking system (ABS) senses the speed of all wheels and prevents them from locking up during hard braking episodes.
• Hill Start Assist keeps the vehicle from rolling down the hill when the driver releases the brake pedal to depress the gas pedal.
• Rearview camera with guidelines.
• Daytime running lights make the vehicle more visible from a distance.
• A tire pressure monitoring system keeps watch on the tire pressures and can alert the driver of low tire pressure.

Optional features that come on the EX and EX-L are:

• Honda LaneWatch System features a camera located at the bottom of the passenger-side mirror. When the right turn signal is turned on, the camera displays a wide-angle view of the passenger side road on the center screen. It works like a blind-spot monitor but does not give out alerts.
• The EX and EX-L trims' rear camera comes with dynamic guidelines, which move as the steering wheel is turned to give an idea of where the vehicle is heading.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) gives the 2017 Honda HR-V a rating of five stars for overall safety. The vehicle achieves four stars frontal crash and rollover but manages five stars for side impacts.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) awards the 2017 HR-V "Good" score for most crashworthiness tests. The vehicle gets the second-best "Acceptable" score for the Small Overlap test for the front and the side test.

Another essential safety feature of the HR-V is its outstanding outside visibility. Thanks to the headrests that level down with the rear seatbacks, you can check your six quickly.

Additional Features

The 2017 HR-V can be found in three trims, LX, EX, and EX-L. It comes with manual transmission and CVT options. There are front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive options as well.

The base LX trim comes with the following features:

• Standard manual transmission and front-wheel drive
• Power mirrors, door locks, and windows
• Five-inch touchscreen audio system with USB support, Radio, CD player, and Bluetooth audio streaming
• Steering wheel mounted audio controls
• Cruise control
• Rearview camera
• Tilting and telescoping steering wheel
• The magic rear seat
• 17-inch alloy wheels

Options on the LX trim include:

• Keyless starting
• Navigation
• Satellite radio
• Paddle shifters

One step above the LX trim is the EX, which comes with the following features:

• Seven-inch infotainment system with Pandora audio and smartphone connectivity
• Honda's signature LaneWatch camera system
• Automatic headlamps
• Keyless ignition is standard
• Moonroof
• Paddle shifters for CVT models
• Heated front seats
• Heated side mirrors
• Automatic climate control

The top trim, EX-L, adds the following features to the EX trim:

• Comes standard with CVT and paddle shifters
• Leather seats, steering wheel, and upholstery
• Navigation
• Satellite radio
• Roof rails

Fuel Economy Features

The 2017 HR-V earns respectable fuel ratings among other vehicles in the small SUV category. The vehicle is available as front-wheel and all-wheel drive and comes with either a CVT or a manual transmission. The EPA ratings for the 2017 Honda HR-V are as follows:

• Front-wheel drive with a manual transmission does not get the best fuel economy; however, its numbers are still quite good, with 25 mpg in the city, 33 mpg on highways, and 28 mpg combined.
• The front-wheel-drive variant with CVT gets the best numbers for HR-V at 28 mpg in the city, 34 mpg on the highway, and 31 mpg combined.
• The All-wheel-drive comes coupled with CVT and achieves 27 mpg in the city, 31 mpg on the highway, and 29 mpg combined.

Price Range of 2017 Honda HR-V

You can expect the 2017 Honda HR-V to start at around $18,000 and increase to $26,000. The average price of the vehicle is around $22,000. These prices can vary due to vehicle condition, mileage, optional features installed, trim level, and even location.