Honda WR-V

Honda has a global reputation as a brand and has a long presence in the Indian market. With the launch of the new-age WR-V, the company has emerged as a strong player in this segment.

The company engineers have developed this car to fill the void between BR-V and Jazz, and the car does sit well between them. High on comfort and quality, the new Honda WR-V offers a good balance of performance and efficiency, and ride and handling, something that is bound to go down well with prospective buyers.

The Honda WR-V exteriors are the first thing that strikes you. The styling is very youthful and there is a sporty appeal to the car too. The front grille is treated in gloss black material, which looks tastefully done. The company logo is fitted in the center of this grille, which further enhances its appeal. The headlamps look beautiful with their curves and are quite striking.
The front and rear bumpers give WR-V a sporty look, and the smart-looking skid plate is well integrated into the bumpers. The side profile gets alloy wheels, which go well with the overall appearance of the car. The body cladding runs across the length of the car, giving it a butch feel. The rear profile is highlighted with a beautiful and detailed tail lamp assembly, which intrudes nicely into the boot lid. The Honda WR-V colours include Orange, Grey, Maroon, Silver and White.

The Honda WR-V interiors have been carried over from the Jazz and so there are a lot of similarities. The dashboard design is exactly the same, except for a few changes. The seats are very supportive and we have always appreciated the company for offering well-cushioned seats on its cars. The cabin is very spacious as well; three people can sit comfortably at the back with plenty of headroom and legroom to spare. The quality of fit and finish is pretty good, even though it is not as impressive as in some other cars of this class.
There are enough storage areas in the cabin and all four doors have bottle holders. There are two cup holders in the centre floor console. The AC is really powerful and cools the cabin in no time. The 363 litre of boot space is usable but it can’t be extended by folding the rear seat's backrest down.
The new Honda WR-V features a 7-inch touch-screen infotainment system (from Jazz), which offers Bluetooth, USB, CD, DVD and AUX connectivity, along with GPS Navigation. The audio system churns out fantastic sound quality. Some of the key features of WR-V include electric ORVMs, keyless entry, sunroof, automatic climate control, keyless entry and go system, push button start/stop, reverse camera with guideline, follow-me home auto headlights, and tilt and telescopic steering; however, it misses out on rear parking sensors.

The Honda WR-V specifications include choice of two engines - 1.2-litre i-VTEC and 1.5-litre i-DTEC. The SOHC 1.2-litre petrol engine develops a peak power of 89 bhp at 6000 rpm and a torque of 110 Nm at 4800 rpm while the DOHC 1.5-litre diesel engine develops a peak power of 99 bhp at 3600 rpm and torque of 200 Nm at as low as 1750 rpm. The petrol engine is mated to a 5-speed manual transmission and the diesel engine is mated to a 6-speed manual transmission. However, there is no CVT option planned yet.

The Honda WR-V mileage ranges at 25.5 kmpl for the diesel model and 17.5 kmpl for the petrol one.

Ventilated discs at the front with drums at the rear ensure confidence-inspiring braking. As for safety, the new Honda WR-V offers dual airbags and ABS with EBD as standard, and a rear camera with guidelines is limited to the top trim only. The company has also introduced additional features, like ECU immobilizer system, windshield defogger (rear), driver seat belt reminder, fuel reminder control system (diesel only), key-off reminder, day/night rear view mirror, intelligent pedals (brake override system), etc.

Honda WR-V offers excellent driving dynamics, ride comfort, enthusiastic driving and punchy engines. Both petrol and diesel engines are very responsive and the level of refinement is impressive even at high speeds. The transmission offers smooth shifts with evenly spaced-out ratios. Power delivery is quite linear with a strong mid-range and an impressive top end. The 1.2-litre petrol engine has good performance in the city as the autobox makes driving in stop-go traffic a breeze, though its low-end performance is not impressive when compared to the competition. The 1.5-litre diesel engine performs better on the highways as you can simply go down a gear or two to make quick overtakes, but it is not very good when it comes to noise, since in spite of improving the NVH characteristics of the car, the diesel motor is quite audible inside the car.

The car has ticked a lot of boxes for buyers with its practicality, space and design. Despite being much similar to Jazz, its higher ground clearance, striking new looks and decent ride quality are few of the many reasons that are already making it popular in its segment.

Honda WR-V will compete against the sub-4 meter SUV’s like Ford EcoSport and Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza at the moment directly and will also take the battle to some crossovers like Fiat Avventura, Hyundai i20 Active, Toyota Etios Cross etc.