2023 Honda HR-V: The High Riding Civic

The Honda HR-V made its way to the United States in 2015 as a 2016 model. This hi-rider revolutionary vehicle skipped its first iteration stateside but expanded the Honda lineup of crossovers in the crossover-hungry US world. Sharing a platform with the Fit, the Honda HR-V might not have been the largest, or most powerful crossover on the market but it did give Honda fans a smaller option to the CR-V. While the smaller HR-V was dwarfed in sales by the larger CR-V, the second-generation HR-V chugged along until ’22 when it was replaced with the HR-V you see here. This third-gen crossover ditches the Fit platform and moves up to the larger Civic base. That growth also means a larger 2.0-liter naturally aspirated mill that makes 158 hp and 138 lb-ft of torque. This power travels through a continuously variable transmission to the front or all four wheels.
On this episode of Quick Spin, host Wesley Wren hops behind the wheel of the ’23 HR-V and puts it through its paces. Wren takes you on a tour of the new HR-V to highlight its features before taking you along on a live recorded drive review. Expanding on that, Wren chats with Autoweek’s Mark Vaughn. The pair talk about Honda’s latest crossover, the competition and the HR-V’s features. Closing the show, the two break down what makes this car special.