HR-V 60minute test drive

[Karoq]

Click pic to get undistorted view.
I went for an hours drive in the HR-V e:HEV Advance, this morning.
Round Poole, within the 30mph limit I achieved 70.1MPG. I then drove out of Bournemouth on the dual carriageway A338 (50mph limit.) turned round and came back via Poole outskirts to Horizon Honda.
I drove mainly in ’Normal’ mode with some occasional use of ‘Sport’. mode and gear stick permanently in B mode which gives max (4) regen. The paddles can be used to go up or down whether the gearstick is in B or not.
This involved some very had acceleration to rejoin the A338 on an uphill slip road and some very fierce acceleration to get past a BMW.
On this half of the trip I achieved 60.7MPG.
I would make the following observations regarding some of the ludicrous opinions given by some (most) of the so-called professional reviewers.
1. As can be seen, the consumption is way better than most of the achieved, albeit on a shorter drive.
2. The constant moaning from the reviewers about the noise of the ICE is 'imo' louder than the engine itself.
It is no louder than any of the (78) cars I have owned  with ICE. It is, ‘imo', quite acceptable and quieter than SWMBO’s MkII Jazz CVT.
3. Speed up an uphill slipway. Using 'Sport' mode the car was electrifying I easily got to 60mph in 250yds.
Using ‘Sport’ mode and flooring it I would say it’s overtaking capability matches and may even exceed my Karoq  (1.5L 150bhp DSG)
I did not have the opportunity to try the 0-62 time, which in my opinion is a totally pointless measurement. ‘Overtake-ability’ is far more important.
Further general comments….
1. Lane keep assist and autonomous braking were both faultless with no false alarms. (sadly Horizon confirmed that they have had many complaints regarding the Jazz incl Crosstar on theses two bits of tech.) It actually shows your position in a lane.
stay in the centre of the lane and it shows that you are between two white lines, move to the left and the right hand line disappears and vice versa.
 The infotainment screen was easy to use and not at all ‘laggy’. The ‘virtual instruments were very clear. (more than one reviewer moaned about them being slightly ‘fuzzy'. Perhaps a call to Specsavers?)
2. The lefthand door mirror drops down to show the curb automatically on selecting R, and pops back up as soon as you come out of R.
3. Seats very comfortable for my somewhat large frame, in spite of (as usual for Honda) not having adjustable lumbar support.
The seat heated up quickly with three levels. Similarly the Heated steering wheel heated up quickly and was more intense at 10 to 2. A very welcome addition which I have never enjoyed before!

I am most impressed with the HR-V and can’t wait for mine to arrive.
The moral is. Don’t believe what the reviewers say, try it yourself.
I think they must treat the HR-V as a sports car which it plainly is not. I doubt than many of them have a clue how to drive a hybrid, the get the best out of them.
 
The bad news from Horizon is that it looks as though delivery may be going out to January
My thanks to David and Jordan at Horizon Honda Poole for arranging the test drive.

[Expatman]

Thanks for such a great “User” review. I wondered if the professional test drivers had deliberately driven to maximise the noise from the ICE so they could negatively report on it, clearly they did!
How did you find the refinement and ride comfort and did you get chance to drive over any typical UK rutted roads? Some testers have reported on excess road noise and wind noise from the wing mirrors - what did you think? Finally several testers complained they hit their heads getting into the car due to "high seating position and low roof” !!±
Thanks

[Karoq]

Thank you for your kind words
Ride comfort firm but not uncomfortable. I went down the worst road inPoole which is dreadful and the HRV (50 aspect) coped very well. better than the Karoq Sportline on 60 aspectA refined ride with good road holding. It felt very 'sure-footed'.
 Wind and road noise was not as good as the Karoq, but it certainly was not something that worried me.
I am 6'1" and I didn't even think about ducking to get in & I didn't hit my head.
With the drivers seat at max height I don't have much headroom I had to actually lower it slightly to get a comfortable position. As with most Hondas the seat moves forward the higher it gets. I was not 'leg-happy' at full height, although I could drive it. A person about 5'9 would be well suited to full height seat position I would think.
It is higher than the Karoq from seat to ground. I had to stretch to get my feet on the tarmac when I got out. I don't quite understand how Honda managed that since the H is about 2 inches lower than the K overall??
Hoe this helps. let me know if you have any more??
cheers,
C.

[John Ratsey]

Thanks for the review (although I'm not planning to buy one). The good mpg was probably helped by today's weather being warm. Did you venture down any wiggly rural roads which would test the RDMS?

[Expatman]

Thanks again; I am 5’ 7” so usually find a happy driving position with seat somewhat elevated, although I don’t like to sit close to the steering wheel - arms flexed but outstretched (if you see what I mean).
Looking forward to testing myself sometime in New Year. In the meantime I, and many others, would welcome any more thoughts on your driving experience of the HR-V.

[Karoq]

Thanks for the review (although I'm not planning to buy one). The good mpg was probably helped by today's weather being warm. Did you venture down any wiggly rural roads which would test the RDMS?

No sorry. It is quite a long way to get out of the conurbation into 'wiggly' territory.
But on a couple of occasions I did stray across the white line and it 'beeped' and gave a gentle tug on the steering wheel. I didn't go far enough for it to actually attempt to move the car back. I got the impression that the Honda camera system is superior to the Skoda radar system. But of course not a lot of use in fog or blizzards. Luckily both are very rare in south Dorset!
I didn't have time to investigate all the safety gizmos. I basically only had time to get in, adjust the screens to what I wanted  and drive. I only just got back within my allotted hour and they had others booked for test drives, so couldn't be late.
Honda OS completely different from Skoda. I think it may well take me a couple of days to get to grips with it, when mine arrives.

[Karoq]

Thanks again; I am 5’ 7” so usually find a happy driving position with seat somewhat elevated, although I don’t like to sit close to the steering wheel - arms flexed but outstretched (if you see what I mean).
Looking forward to testing myself sometime in New Year. In the meantime I, and many others, would welcome any more thoughts on your driving experience of the HR-V.

You should be able to get the ideal driving position. I also drive in semi-racing style, seat fairly well reclined and arms at almost full extension. I smashed my left elbow when I was 21 thanks to a horse and have not since been able to straighten my left arm. So slightly bent is the best I can do.
I would add re the car that the L air vents do exactly what Honda claims and very efficiently. When you move the control from 'wiffling' gentle breeze to 'blast' it actually closes the L vent and transfers the air to standard slatted air vents with vertical and horizontal adjustments, inboard from the L vents. Turn the L vent knob to 'off' and it closes both vents.
Any other questions from anyone, please feel free to ask & I'll do my best to answer.

[Jayt43]

Came across the following HR-V review:

Nothing extraordinary but I did notice at 2:13 that the HR-V has an embedded heater element for its windscreen wipers in the parked position :-)

This would be great for ice / snowy conditions where the wipers have frozen to the screen (photo attached)

Not sure if applicable to all models, but a feature I'd definitely be happy to have!

[Karoq]

Also one up the edge of the O/S 'A' pillar which is intended to melt the build up of impacted slush in heavy snow, to allow a full sweep from the O/S wiper.

[JazzandJag]

I thought it best to add to this thread rather than start yet another HR-V thread in the Mk4 Jazz forum!

Having read the 10.7 seconds 0-62mph time for the new model I had all but ruled it out as a replacement for my 2019 HR-V Sport. However, encouraged by Karoq’s experience, I did go for an extended test drive a couple of days ago and was very pleasantly surprised. Although ultimately not as fast as my Sport the performance was more than adequate and definitely much quicker than the advertised 0-62mph. I was able to drive on a more varied selection of roads than Karoq, including dual carriageway, a short section of motorway as well as various single carriageway A and B roads. Altogether I was out for about 90 minutes and covered around 40 miles. Only two minor things to mention. 1) the climate control system on auto insisted on blowing cool air on  my feet  and required manual intervention and 2) there seemed to be a delay in the power coming in when starting from rest in Normal mode. Using sports mode significantly reduced this delay but it is annoying to have to remember to switch into and then out of Sport mode when negotiating islands and junctions where smart acceleration is needed.

The outcome of all this is I have ordered an Advance Style in Meteoroid Grey (with black roof). The dealer has arranged for a local company to tint the rear windows for £550 which is a lot cheaper than the price for the replacement glass option! The car  is expected  at the dealers around 9th January 22 with delivery to myself on or after 20th January.

Many thanks are due Listers Solihull This will be the 10th Honda we have had from them and I can thoroughly recommend both the Sales and Service sections! I believe from his posts that Neil Ives may also have bought his Jazz from them!

[Neil Ives]

I believe from his posts that Neil Ives may also have bought his Jazz from them!

Correct.

[Karoq]

Jazzandjag.
I hope your delivery date proves correct, but don't be surprised if it goes out.
I ordered on 13th August and my advance was due NOW, but has gone out to mid January.
Perhaps the Meteorite is coming sooner than the red and the Style's might be prioritised over we more lowly mortals who only ordered Advance. :'(

[Expatman]

I noticed that a local  main Honda dealer is offering an HR-V (2021 new model) in Elegance trim for £30,000 and an Advance for £31,000 each having done 2,000 miles. Both these are priced well above the Honda published “new” price. That leaves a really sour taste as they are clearly profiteering, well I know who I won’t be buying my new HR-V from in 2022!

[JazzandJag]

Karoq
I did ask about this and it seems that there is a greater demand for the Advance than expected whilst the supply of the Advance Style is more in line with demand. However it also looked like the supply of all models may well increase significantly  from late February.

[Karoq]

I'll keep my fingers crossed for you. My penpal in Glasgow said that a load of red arrived in Bristol in October. his white Advance is expected January.
The whole Honda delivery situation is a b*ggers muddle!