Remember when we teased about how the US-exclusive Honda HR-V looks a little too much like the Ford Kuga? Well, Honda USA has just unveiled the first official photos for the new SUV, and yeah, okay – it’s not as similar as the sketches suggested. It is, however, completely different to the global-market HR-V that we will be getting here in Malaysia shortly, and there’s good reason for that.
You see, size matters – a lot – in the United States. And since the launch of the Toyota Corolla Cross in the states, the weirdly in-between B- and C-segment-sized SUV has become almost a runaway success.
Honda, of course, can’t just sit around and let its rival take all the limelight. So for the upcoming second-generation HR-V for the USA, they’ve actually bumped it up a size class with a footprint now similar to that of the CR-V, and underpinnings based off of the Honda Civic!
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The company did not offer any concrete numbers or technical specifications, but says that it’ll be “larger than its predecessor, with a longer wheelbase and wider stance” while also still “sporty and personal” – adding that it’s “the right size with the space and utility for an adventurous weekend escape, yet nimble to manoeuvre city streets”.
In terms of looks, the upcoming US-specification Honda HR-V is quite unlike anything we’ve seen from Honda before, characterised by a large polygonal front grille, and flanked by what looks like a reiteration of the Civic’s slim LED headlights.
Down the sides, Honda says that it has given the HR-V a low horizontal beltline that swells up above the flared rear haunches to give it a “sense of motion”. The extended dimensions of the car is most visible from the side, thanks to its longer bonnet and rear quarter lights that extend well into the D-pillars, accentuating the length of the sleek roofline.
Over at the back, there’s the unique horizontally-oriented taillights with an underscore light signature, paired to a sculpted hatch, and a moulded rear bumper with a scuff plate-like element to give it a more rugged look.
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Interior photos and other technical specifications will have to wait until the model’s official launch “in the coming months”, but since it’s based on the same architecture as the 11th-gen Honda Civic, we’re expecting it to share the same powertrain options as its sedan counterpart including the recently-unveiled e:HEV hybrid unit.
Although the model was initially planned to be exclusive to the US, Honda has announced that it’ll also be sold in Europe as a hybrid model, but with a different name to coexist with the existing HR-V Hybrid. Would you be interested if the US-market Honda HR-V also made its way down to Malaysia? Let us know in the comments below!
