(Miami Beach, FL) There’s a relatively new segment in the automotive sector, and everybody seems to be jumping on board.
Compact Crossovers – a design concept that’s basically bigger than a 5-door hatchback but smaller than a mid-sized crossover – are rapidly being inserted into the product offerings of many an automaker. Early trend-setters like the Chevrolet Trax, Buick Encore and the Nissan Juke are no longer enjoying the relative segment exclusivity that they once had.
Don’t miss the video review below!
Not wanting to be left out of the segment, Honda has been working on a crossover vehicle designed primarily for the urban set. The first signs of what lied ahead came at the 2013 North American International Autoshow in Detroit when Honda revealed their Urban Concept SUV. A lot of positive buzz was created for the launch, especially since Honda has been known to showcase concept vehicles that wind up looking pretty similar to the finished product when finally launched.
Last November, Honda used the L.A. Auto Show to debut the 2016 HR-V, the automaker’s all new entry into the Compact Crossover segment. The HR-V has travelled around the autoshow circuit since then, and in early March members of the automotive press were invited down to Miami Beach, Florida to finally get their first chance to take it for a spin.
With warm temperatures and much better scenery to use as a backdrop than what I was leaving behind at home, I brought my video equipment with me and shot the following First Drive review:
Honda Canada sees great potential in this vehicle and has it’s marketing sights clearly focused on both young adults without children as well as empty-nesters looking to downsize their family haulers. Sized in between their uber-popular CR-V mid-sized crossover and their small, but spacious Fit sub-compact the HR-V seems both sized and designed appropriately to become a viable option for their target markets. With an early summer launch date at dealerships, Honda Canada is setting a goal of 10,000 units sold in Canada in the first twelve months. My sense is that once a few get out onto the streets and more people get behind the wheel, they likely won’t have a hard time reaching their goals.
The 2016 Honda HR-V is a stylish and capable entrant into this new automotive segment that only promises to get more competitive as other automakers rush to get entries of their own to market. While I personally feel that there is still room for improvement, most notably through the improvement of their Smart touch centre console (hint – needs buttons) and a little more torque would help on rapid acceleration, I still think this vehicle is bound to be a hit. At the moment the HR-V is clearly the best looking of the bunch and on looks alone, this vehicle should do well.
It’s hard to say if the HR-V has set the new standard for what is still a new-ish vehicle segment, but from my perspective there’s little doubt that it will garner more than its fair share of attention.
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