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2018 Honda HR-V EX-L : My thoughts on it

3K views 15 replies 7 participants last post by  DerekWildstar 
#1 ·
I had to take my car to the Honda dealer for some work a few weeks ago, and they needed to keep it overnight. Since I was heading out of town, they gave me a 2018 HR-V loaner for several days, and I was able to put about 500 miles of driving on it. They gave me an EX-L (front wheel drive version). I thought I'd share a few thoughts on the vehicle.

Overall, I was really impressed with the little CUV. It is surprisingly comfortable for such a small vehicle, the elevated seating position was nice, and visibility was decent. Controls around the steering wheel fall easily to hand. I'm glad Honda used the R-series engine from the 9G Civic and not the L-series engine from the Fit. I drove a Hyundai Tucson a month ago when I was visiting relatives in the Midwest, and that car did not like maintaining highway speeds. The HR-V, on the other hand, spooled up quickly and accelerated well. It certainly wasn't the V6 of my Accord, but it was peppy enough. Despite the price point, the sound quality of the stereo was acceptable (unlike the cheap system that was in my 2013 Subaru Impreza that sounded like it was 1987). The seats were comfortable, and for such a small vehicle, the storage was really impressive. With the seats down, you get 58.8 cubic feet of storage according to Honda. Fuel efficiency was good at 28 city/34 highway, although if I had the AWD version, that would have dropped a little. Handling dynamics were fine for what the vehicle is. And the blind spot camera was nice - when I got my Accord back, it's the one feature I really missed.

It did have some quirks, though. There is no volume knob (!) although you can use the steering wheel controls as well. The HVAC system uses a touch panel, so trying to find buttons by feel is challenging. The fuel filler door release is placed in a weird spot- right next to the hood release under the dashboard, so I may have opened the hood once or twice when I went to fill up the tank (grrr!). And the reality is that it is a small vehicle. When you're traveling by yourself, it's not bad, but add a passenger or two and you start to feel a little claustrophobic.

Overall, it wasn't a bad car at all. Not sure if I'd ever buy one, but I could see it as a good fit for someone like my mom, who would benefit from an all-weather around town runabout.







 
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#5 ·
Agreed. If I were going to buy an HR-V, I’d go with an EX-L or Touring model - the base model is way too stripped down. Living in the northeast, a manual is low on my list of priorities (doing the clutch and brake two-step in rush hour traffic? No thank you). I think the manual was discontinued for 2019, so this may be a moot point, anyway, unless someone is going to purchase pre-owned.

As for da35’s comment, yeah, I hear you. The CH-R is a nice looking CUV. There’s an element of Honda-ness about the HR-V, though, that I like. I think either one would make a solid purchase for someone looking for a vehicle in this segment.

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#6 ·
A 2019 HR-V Addendum:

I took my car to my local dealer today for some work, and they offered me a loaner. It was between an Odyssey and an HR-V. I opted for the mini-ute, and had as positive of an impression of it as I did the 2018 I drove a couple years ago. I thought I'd share my impressions after a day of driving a 2019 HR-V Touring.

First and foremost, the volume knob is back! That touch-slider design was awful, so I was glad to see the return of a more useful way to control the loudness of music as I drove down the road. Second, it came with AWD (unlike the FWD HR-V I drove previously). It was a clear, sunny day, so no opportunity to test it in a sudden blizzard, but it did feel like it cornered and handled more aggressively.

The biggest difference was the incorporation of Honda Sensing in this HR-V. More specifically, I got to use LKAS for the first time... and I didn't hate it. It took some time to get accustomed to the way it worked, but once I learned to stop fighting it and hold the wheel more gently, it eventually just faded into the background. It did get tripped up going through a construction zone on a highway - I think if I had a car with LKAS, I'd probably only use it for long straights on open highways. Still, I've heard a lot of negative reviews, and I thought it wasn't so bad. The collision avoidance, on the other hand, was super-sensitive. I do not tailgate (my nickname when I drive is "grandpa"). Yet I managed to get the "BRAKE NOW!" warning to pop up at least three times, and in none of those times was it even remotely approaching a hard stop. When it's safe, I tend to lift and coast before I hit the brakes - maybe the software expected me to get on the brake pedal sooner?

Other thoughts - the R-series engine is perfectly suited to this car, providing a bit more heft than a NA L-series would have offered. The cupholders have improved (seriously, that was an annoyance in the last one). The only negative is that the seat shape seems to have changed a bit - I'm not a big guy (5'10, maybe 175 on a bad day), and the side bolsters made me feel like I was about twenty pounds too heavy. When I got back in my Accord at the end of the day, its nine-year old seats felt more comfortable and more supportive.

Overall? I stick with my assessment from the last time - it's an excellent all-weather around-town errand runner which would be ideal for someone like my Mom, who doesn't do a ton of long-distance driving, and tends to prioritize storage space, utility, and fuel economy. If that fits the bill? Then two thumbs up.



 
#7 ·
I walked by one of these today and I can't understate how TINY these are. It's a literal puny hatchback, but has black plastic cladding and a lift so people will actually buy it. I get that people want AWD, but there is just zero point for a FWD CUV. Or any CUV for that matter, lol. Rant over, get off my lawn.
 
#9 ·
Entirely reasonable rant, and for the most part, I concur. I do find the HR-V (along with the Hyundai Tucson) the least offensive of the CUV segment (compare those to the Toyota CH-R is next level fugly). From the inside, however, it doesn’t feel that small... at least, from someone who drives a midsize coupe, and also has a midsize SUV in the family.

That collision mitigation system would be a no in my book. As someone who's only been driving for a handful of years plus having an anxiety disorder, a system that repeatedly throws "BRAKE NOW!!!" too early would probably do more harm than good for me, I bet my confidence level would tank too. Although the other parts of Honda sensing sound great!
I really really really dislike the exterior styling of the HR-V. I'm honestly not sure how they stay in production either, I don't see many on the road. I guess because of the simultaneous AWD and SUV trends? Maybe they're just not common in my area.
That aside, I'm sure it's a great car once you get past the looks. Many older couples at my job drive them and used to ask for help loading their cars, that was my job before I was promoted. If older people are driving it, it must have pretty good handling!
Maybe it’s the area? I see a ton of HR-Vs around here in NJ. Agree with the assessment of the collision mitigation system - it was actually a bit unnerving. As for the age of the average driver... like I said, I could totally see my Mom driving one of these around town.
 
#8 ·
That collision mitigation system would be a no in my book. As someone who's only been driving for a handful of years plus having an anxiety disorder, a system that repeatedly throws "BRAKE NOW!!!" too early would probably do more harm than good for me, I bet my confidence level would tank too. Although the other parts of Honda sensing sound great!
I really really really dislike the exterior styling of the HR-V. I'm honestly not sure how they stay in production either, I don't see many on the road. I guess because of the simultaneous AWD and SUV trends? Maybe they're just not common in my area.
That aside, I'm sure it's a great car once you get past the looks. Many older couples at my job drive them and used to ask for help loading their cars, that was my job before I was promoted. If older people are driving it, it must have pretty good handling!
 
#10 ·
The Mazda lineup of SUVs is very nice looking, far better than Honda or Toyota IMO. But I wish America was into station wagons again--More cargo room than most CUVs, drives and handles like a sedan. How nice would a new Accord wagon be? (Since I'm wishing for something that will never exist, at least for us, I'll take mine with a V6, AWD, and 6-speed)
 
#13 ·
Addendum: My mom brought home a 2021 EX-L AWD HR-V. She absolutely loves it, she got a fair deal, and it’s the perfect car for her. She didn’t think she wanted leather at first, but she found the fabric seats a bit uncomfortable. The leather seats were far more easy to sit in (and I’ll add that I was surprised by the quality of the leather - I was expecting cheap, hard pleather, but these actually felt pretty good).

Being with her for the entire day at the Honda dealer, though, made me grateful for having a car that’s paid off and working well. There’s no better cure for the new car itch than remembering the rigamarole of buying a new car in the first place!
 
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