All-New 2023 HR-V Boasts Sportier Design, More Responsive Powertrain, Upscale Cabin and Desirable Tech Features

Stylish and sporty with a roomy, feature-rich interior, the all-new 2023 Honda HR-V gains aspirational qualities beyond its segment. A larger, more responsive engine, an all-new platform with a smooth-riding independent rear suspension, and a clean, high-tech interior with standard digital instrumentation and Apple CarPlay^® and Android Auto^™ integration, take HR-V to a new level. The new HR-V will start to arrive in dealerships this month.

The new second-generation HR-V was designed and engineered without compromise. Longer and wider, it’s more comfortable yet also sportier and more fun-to-drive than its predecessor, while featuring more rear seat legroom and one of the largest cargo areas in its class. For a smoother ride, HR-V’s wheelbase has been extended and its tracks are significantly wider, creating an athletic stance and improving stability. Class-leading safety features include standard Honda Sensing^®, next-gen front airbags, as well as standard side-impact and knee airbags.

“The new HR-V is the perfect size for those looking for a SUV that can park in tight spaces and carry all their gear while delivering a fun and sporty driving experience,” said Steve Hui, Assistant Vice President Honda Canada. “HR-V’s upgraded and enhanced features will solidify its position as a segment leader that will attract a new generation of Honda customers. We expect it will be popular with young and diverse consumers representing a variety of lifestyles.”

Key HR-V Features:

• Clean, sporty and upscale exterior and interior styling
• Standard digital instrumentation
• Standard 7-inch colour touchscreen with Apple CarPlay^® & Android Auto^™ integration
• Available HD 9-inch colour touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay^® & Android Auto^™ integration (EX-L Navi)
• Enhanced Honda global architecture combines the best of the CR-V platform with the new 11^th-generation Civic platform
• New fully independent rear suspension
• Larger, more responsive 2.0-litre engine
• Real Time AWD with Intelligent Control^™
• New Hill Descent Control feature
• Standard Honda Sensing^® system with new front wide-view camera, new Traffic Jam Assist (TJA) and Traffic Sign Recognition (TSR)
• Standard knee and rear passenger side-impact airbags

Expressive Exterior Styling

HR-V’s all-new design features a low horizontal beltline that begins with the extended hood and continues over the swell of the rear fenders, adding stature to HR-V’s sleek flowing forms. Wide-set LED headlights and taillights highlight HR-V’s increased width (+70mm wider) and broad-shouldered stance. Overall length has grown by 221mm.

In front, an expressive grille is flanked by air curtain inlets that route air through the bumper and around the front wheels, improving aerodynamic efficiency. For a cleaner upscale look, laser-brazing technology eliminates the need for unsightly roof moldings, and HR-V’s windshield wipers hide under the hood line when not in use.

In the rear, the sculpted hatch and standard tailgate spoiler highlight HR-V’s sporty proportions, and the outer edge of the taillights have been shaped to improve aerodynamics.

Each HR-V grade features distinct design details. HR-V LX is highlighted by a matte-finish on its honeycomb-style grille, and the lower section of its front and rear bumpers. Large 17-inch alloy silver-painted wheels are standard.

HR-V Sport gets an even more aggressive horizontal-themed grille mesh, a gloss-black rear spoiler, and a chrome exhaust finisher. The lower portion of the rear bumper is painted gunmetal metallic. HR-V Sport will come equipped with 17-inch Shark Gray-painted alloy wheels as standard.

For a distinctly upscale character, the HR-V EX-L Navi features a unique gloss-black version of the honeycomb grille, gloss black door pillars, and gloss black trim on the front and rear bumpers. EX-L Navi also rides on 17-inch alloy wheels, painted Shark Gray with an exclusive machined finish.

HR-V will be available in eight different colours, including an all-new colour exclusive to HR-V: Nordic Forest Pearl.

Simple, Sporty and Spacious Interior

HR-V’s clean and sporty interior is a fresh take on Honda’s new “simplicity and something” design direction introduced with the 2022 Civic. Outward visibility is improved thanks to HR-V’s low cowl, expansive greenhouse and outside mirrors that have been positioned away from the windshield pillars.

Further improving visibility is the top of the HR-V’s wide instrument panel, which has been designed with minimum cutlines to reduce windshield reflections and visual distractions. A striking metal honeycomb mesh accent stretches from door to door across the dash. It serves both form and function, creating a dramatic visual dividing line between the audio, information displays and the climate controls, while the intricate flow-through design conceals the air vents that might otherwise mar the uncluttered and harmonious look of the dash.

Premium materials are used throughout the interior, with close attention paid to the operation of all switchgear and controls, including the click and heft of knobs, stalks and switches. HR-V’s centre console is uniquely curved and richly upholstered with French stitching. A clever pass-through complete with USB charging ports is ideal storage for small items, such as a smartphone.

All-new Body Stabilizing Seats firmly hold the body, reducing fatigue and enhancing comfort on long drives. The rear seat area is wider to better accommodate three-passengers. It also features thoughtful touches, such as a rear tray for placing a smartphone.

HR-V’s cargo area has been expanded to 691 L. with the seatbacks up, and its low lift-over height of just over 686 mm makes loading large or heavy items easy. The standard 60/40 split rear seatbacks fold easily to a flat floor, expanding the space to 1559 L. The lower door panels and side panels of the cargo area have been designed with an attractive wavy pattern that better hides scratches and scuffs.

Driver-Focused Technology

Technology has been smartly integrated into the HR-V cabin. For the first time, HR-V features a digital instrument display, while gaining notably larger standard and available colour touchscreens featuring standard Apple CarPlay^® and Android Auto^™ integration. 

All HR-V grades are equipped with a 7-inch colour LCD instrument display. An all-digital speedometer and tachometer are on the left side of the instrument panel, while a physical speedometer dial occupies the right side. The 7-inch multi-information display also features user-selectable functions such as Honda Sensing^® settings, vehicle information and more.

A new 7-inch colour touchscreen is standard on LX and Sport models. It features physical knobs for audio system volume and station tuning, buttons along the bottom for switching modes, and a simplified menu structure.

HR-V EX-L Navi comes with a large 9-inch colour touchscreen with Navigation and wireless Apple CarPlay^® and Android Auto^™ integration, plus a Qi-compatible wireless charging pad and an upgraded audio system with eight speakers for crisp, clear sound quality. The new touchscreen features a physical volume knob, large, easy-to-recognize icons, and a simplified navigation structure with fewer embedded menus. On the left are hard buttons for Home and Back functions. Other mode selections are at the bottom of the touchscreen, with a 20 mm finger rest making it easier to use the touchscreen by providing a stable surface to rest your hand. 

Fun-to-Drive

For a sportier driving experience, the new HR-V features a significantly stronger structure, a new independent rear suspension, and a larger, more responsive engine.

Built on Honda’s enhanced global architecture that combines the best of the CR-V platform with the new 11^th-generation Civic platform, HR-V’s new architecture supports improvements in ride, handling and overall refinement. A new fully independent suspension features MacPherson struts in front and a new multilink arrangement in the rear, engineered with low-friction components to improve ride quality, while delivering improved response and a sporty driving feel.

HR-V’s wheelbase has been extended to 2655 mm (+45 mm) for a smoother ride and significantly wider tracks (+55 mm in the front and +64 mm in the rear) increase stability on the road.

Similar to the critically acclaimed steering found on the 11^th-generation Civic, the HR-V features a honed steering column and special tuning to the electronics for improved straight-line stability and excellent feel. New larger brakes increase stopping power, while a low-drag caliper design aids fuel efficiency.

Powering every 2023 HR-V is a larger 2.0-litre 4-cylinder engine producing 158-horsepower (SAE net @ 6,500 rpm) and 138 lb.-ft. of torque (SAE net @ 4,200 rpm). Compared to the 1.8-litre 4-cylinder in the first-generation HR-V, the new engine is more powerful (+17 hp and +11 lb.-ft. of torque), while delivering improved drivability, refinement, and lower emissions.

The standard continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) has been reengineered for improved power delivery, refinement and engine sound. This new transmission also features a more naturally responsive feel thanks to improved G-Design programming and the addition of Honda’s “Step-Shift” programming, which simulates gear changes when accelerating at full throttle.

For better traction management in slick snowy conditions, HR-V’s available Real Time AWD with Intelligent Control^™ has been re-tuned to send more engine torque to the rear wheels when things get slippery.

Increasing HR-V’s capability and debuting for the first time in a Honda SUV is Hill Descent Control for more control on steep, slippery declines. With the press of a button on the centre console, drivers can select a speed between 3 and 20 kph using the brake or gas pedal. Once the pedal is released, HR-V will maintain that set speed, allowing the driver to concentrate on steering for as long as the Hill Descent Control is active.

HR-V drivers can customize the driving experience for different conditions using the drive mode switch on the centre console. HR-V features three driving modes, Normal, Eco, and a new Snow mode that alters the drive ratios and throttle mapping to maximize available traction and performance in slick snowy conditions. Eco mode reduces throttle and transmission sensitivity, as well as air conditioning output to help preserve fuel efficiency. 

Small Crossover Safety Performance Leadership

The second-generation HR-V is a leader in crossover safety performance thanks to advanced active and passive safety technology that is standard equipment. HR-V features the latest version of Honda’s Advanced Compatibility Engineering^™ (ACE^™) architecture, specifically designed to meet present and anticipated future collision standards, while minimizing additional weight. This is achieved with the extensive use of lightweight materials, such as aluminum and various grades of high-strength steel, as well as an expanded application of structural adhesives.

Honda’s latest driver and passenger front airbag technology is now applied to HR-V, designed to cradle the head and offer enhanced protection. For the first time, HR-V features standard knee and rear-passenger side impact airbags.

HR-V features the new single-camera Honda Sensing^® suite of safety and driver assistive systems first introduced on the 11^th-generation Civic. The new system features a 100-degree field of view which is twice as wide as the camera-and-radar setup of the previous system. It can detect feature points of a target and recognize attributes of objects such as a vehicles or pedestrians, as well as white lines, road boundaries such as curbs, other vehicles, pedestrians, bicyclists and road signs.

New for HR-V are Traffic Jam Assist (TJA) and Traffic Sign Recognition (TSR), as well as more natural responses for existing features, such as Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) with Low-Speed Follow (LSF) and Lane Keeping Assist (LKAS).

Additional driver assistive technologies include blind spot information (BSI) for the first time on HR-V. EX-L Navi grades feature four sonar sensors on the front and rear bumpers, which enable Low-Speed Braking Control and front and rear false-start prevention, reducing the likelihood of low-speed collisions.

HR-V now features a Driver Attention Monitor, which issues a warning on the dash if it senses the driver is becoming inattentive. A standard Rear Seat Reminder notifies drivers when exiting the car to check the rear seating area for children, pets or other precious cargo.

2023 HR-V Key Specifications and Features

For more information on the all-new 2023 Honda HR-V please visit www.honda.ca/hrv/.

To subscribe to the latest Honda Canada news and updates, please visit www.hondanews.ca.  

About Honda Canada

Honda Canada Inc. was founded in 1969 and is the parent company for both Honda and Acura vehicle brands in Canada. Since 1986, the company has produced Honda engines and almost 10 million cars and light trucks at its Alliston, Ontario manufacturing facilities, where the Honda Civic and Honda CR-V are currently built. Honda Canada has invested over $6.5 billion in Canada, and each year sources over $3 billion in goods and services from Canadian suppliers. Since its inception, Honda Canada has sold over five million Honda and Acura passenger cars and light trucks in Canada through a dealer network of more than 280 dealerships across the country. For more information, please visit www.hondacanada.ca.