The all-new Honda WR-V has made its debut in the brand’s home market – Japan. But unlike the WR-V we know here in Malaysia, the Japanese-spec model is based on the Honda Elevate sold in India.
The Honda Elevate first made its global debut in India earlier this year. Honda’s Tapukara plant in Rajasthan, India is also in charge of manufacturing and exporting the Elevate-based Honda WR-V to Japan.
Like the Honda WR-V sold in markets such as Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia, the Japanese market model’s name also stands for “Winsome Runabout Vehicle”. Both SUVs also share an identical-looking rear light design.
Just in case you are wondering, the WR-V nameplate was once used by a Jazz-based crossover sold in India. However, the car was discontinued earlier this year.
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Despite the Japanese model WR-V looking identical to the Indian model on the surface, there are actually some fundamental differences underneath.
First and foremost, the Honda WR-V in Japan is fitted with an all-black cabin, together with a choice of five monotone shades, along with different upholstery.
The Indian market Elevate on the other hand comes with a brown and tan colour interior instead. There are also no leather accents on the dashboard here. However, a total of seven monotone and three dual-tone interior colour choices are offered for customers in India.
The Honda WR-V in Japan also gets a different infotainment unit, as opposed to the Indian market Elevate’s 10-inch touchscreen display. There is also the Honda ALSOK rush service for theft and mischief, navigation, as well as in-car Wi-Fi. But for cost optimisation purposes, Honda Japan has unfortunately left out goodies such as an electric sunroof as well as wireless charging.
What isn’t compromised with the Japanese-spec Honda WR-V however is safety features. Honda Sensing is present here, providing advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) such as collision mitigation braking system (CMBS), adaptive cruise control (ACC), lane keeping assist (LKA), auto high beam (AHB), and more. The brand’s LaneWatch camera is included too.
Powering the all-new Honda WR-V in Japan is the familiar 1.5-litre naturally-aspirated i-VTEC 4-cylinder petrol engine, paired with a CVT gearbox. Power is rated at 121 hp (metric) and 145 Nm which are sent to front wheels only. Alongside the CVT, the Indian market Honda Elevate also comes with a 6-speed manual transmission option, which the Japanese WR-V lacks.
More information on the all-new Japanese-spec Honda WR-V will be released by December this year, while customers over at the Land of the Rising Sun will be able to purchase the car starting April 2024.
Honda Japan also mentioned that the all-new WR-V will be carrying a starting price tag of around 2 million Japanese Yen (approx. RM62k). This is significantly cheaper than the ASEAN market Honda WR-V we have here in Malaysia, which is up for grabs from RM89,900 (OTR, without insurance) onwards.
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