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2016 Honda HR-V is not underpowered

Honda engineering as it applies to old-school horsepower and torque measurement, may be a thing of the past when it comes to Honda HR-V crossover. Initially I questioned Honda’s use of a 10 year engine design in HR-V. Speaking with the engineering team in Miami Beach, I learned that the 1.8 Liter Civic derived i-VTEC four was shoehorned into the Fit platformed HR-V, due to its greater horsepower and torque delivery over that of the 1.5 Liter direct injected Earth Dreams ™ 4 cylinder; it works!

Rated at 141 horsepower, 127 lb-ft pond torque 2016 Honda HR-V is not a Honda hot-rod

No one said it was. However, with a full load on board, and driven under all formats, surface, road and weather conditions, I found HR-V to perform surprisingly well. Something I found surprising was the interior haul capacity realized, without driver’s seat leg compromise.

Just a bit larger than Honda’s award winning 2015 Fit, when the Civic derived 1.8 Liter i-VTEC 4 cylinder is coupled with the constant velocity transmission (CVT) and Smart ™ all-wheel drive, HR-V surprises!

I discover 30 mpg fuel efficiency, exceptional utility

I found the “ Drive by wire” throttled engine to be reasonably responsive when called upon to pass or conquer uphill freeway grades, the brakes and handling to be exceptional, near zero lag-time paddle activated gear shifting to be surprisingly effective. The 5 door subcompact hatchback interior is pure new-generation Honda, with a performance coupe influence. You may read my latest 2016 Honda HR-V drive review here.

We load HR-V to the headliner and go camping

From time to time a Torque News reader will share a bit of disappointment in a car review and assessment based on a driver only, no load drive and ride experience. Well here you go! We take 2016 Honda HR-V AWD camping for the weekend, with enough gear and provisions for 4 adults, and love it. 2016 HR-V is Honda’s next best seller for several reasons; it’s that good.

Watch the video for a real-world-assessment of 2016 Honda HR-V performing under load and heavy highway crosswinds.