Honda’s smallest SUV is about to receive a complete overhaul. Those are the latest news about the HR-V, which has been around since 2016. The new model is expected to bring a lot of interesting novelties and, more importantly, it will bring a lot of improvements. We have no doubt that the Japanese manufacturer will address the biggest issues of the current generation, such as an underpowered engine, a short list of standard equipment and a tricky infotainment system.
With all these improvements, we have no doubt that the new 2023 Honda HR-V will put Honda among class leaders once again. The new model is about to bring novelties in various aspects but we also have no doubt it will keep the good things. This particularly refers to the spacious cabin, composed handling and good fuel economy.
At this point, the officials are still quiet about the new model and its launch date. Still, we may presume it will hit the market sometime in the second half of the year.
2023 Honda HR-V Redesign
At this point, the Japanese manufacturer still keeps most details secret but some of the aspects are relatively easy to predict. For example, we may presume that the new 2023 Honda HR-V will borrow a lot of parts from the new Civic. This refers to the mechanics as well, so we have no doubt that the two models will share mechanics as well.
This new platform will open up some new possibilities and one of them is a new, more powerful engine. We also count on a hybrid version, which will certainly be offered in Europe and maybe in North America.
Exterior
When it comes to the 2023 Honda HR-V exterior design, we’ve already seen a couple of rendering photos and they clearly show a completely different design approach. While the outgoing model features lots of angular shapes and quite sharp lines all around, the new model seems to be more rounded and more elegant. We presume Honda wants to make it look more upscale and more mature.
Also, we presume that the new model could grow in size for a bit. At this point, the details are still unavailable but believe that the new model could get a few more inches in wheelbase and get bigger in other aspects as well. This would certainly provide more room for the passengers and we will get on this in the next paragraph.
Interior
As we’ve just mentioned, there’s a big chance to see some increase in size. The exact details are yet to come but we have no doubt that the 2023 Honda HR-V interior would benefit from this a lot. This would bring more space in both rows of seats, as well as a bigger cargo area. We should mention that the outgoing model is already pretty impressive in this aspect, as it offers around 24.5 cubic feet behind the second row and nearly 59 cubes of the total cargo volume, which is on par with many compact crossovers.
Besides plenty of space, we expect a high-quality interior. The current cabin is also well-built but somehow lacks flashy details. That’s why we expect that the 2023 Honda HR-V will borrow at least some part of the Civic’s dashboard, which looks really impressive.
Naturally, we also count on a full pack of tech features. The current 7-inch touchscreen should be replaced with something bigger and, more importantly, we expect to see completely new software, which would be faster and easier to use. Naturally, it would offer all kinds of connectivity features, including wireless smartphone integration. Finally, a long list of standard safety features, including some pretty advanced systems, seems like a certain thing.
2023 Honda HR-V Engines
This is where we expect big improvements. The current model features a good-old 1.8-liter inline-four from some earlier generations of Civic, which hasn’t even increased the power in the last ten years or so. Even though it offers pretty good fuel economy, it will be replaced with something more capable.
That will probably be the legendary K20 engine, which powers the base Civic. This engine puts out 158 horsepower and it’s as smooth as it’s always been. Of course, it will come in pair with CVT, though there is a chance to see a version with a manual gearbox, which would be great.
A hybrid version will power the European version for sure. On the other hand, we can’t say for sure if it’s coming to North America. In any case, we are pretty sure that Honda won’t experiment too much and that we will see a familiar system that powers the CR-V and Accord, with the max output of 212 horsepower.
2023 Honda HR-V Release Date and Price
As we already mentioned, the 2023 Honda HR-V should hit the market sometime in the second half of 2022. We don’t expect a bigger price increase, so base versions should go around 23.000 dollars.