Honda thrills enthusiasts with made-in-Nigeria 2019 HR-V

Honda automobile Western Africa Ltd, (HAWA), has introduced the all-new Hi-Rider Revolutionary-Vehicle (HR-V) made-in-Nigeria 2019 Honda into the market.

It is expected that the introduction of Honda’s entry-level HR-V sport utility vehicle would affirm the manufacturers’ goal of supplying products of the highest quality at a reasonable price for the joy of mobility to as many customers as possible.

Enthusiasts who witnessed the entry of the HR-V and visitors at the just-concluded, 14th Lagos Motor Fair, were optimistic that the introduction will stand out amongst competition.

Uniquely styled for individual driving comfort, the new Honda HR-V will cater to the growing demand for functional and affordably priced entry-level SUV, while also closing the gap between upscale Honda variants including 3.5liter Pilot and 2.4liter CR-V.

Corroborating these assertions, Managing Director, HAWA, Akihiro Daido, said the presence of the new Honda HR-V marked the arrival of entry-level SUV from the Honda stable.

“The Honda HR-V has been positioned as a fun and sporty SUV,which has been designed to change the industry norm. For us in Honda, we want Nigerians to experience joy; we say SUVs should be for everyone,” he said.

Exterior styling
The All New HR-V receives exterior styling that expands its appeal to the millennials. The grille is enhanced by a new interpretation of the “flying wing” rendered in dark chrome and extending over the new projector-style headlights. Under the chrome band the grille opening has been restyled to emphasize a wide look, and the fog light housings have been enlarged to give HR-V a more aggressive stance. Also in the front is a sporty front bumper that gives an elegant yet rugged look combined with LED headlights and Fog lights.

In the rear, Taillights with Integrated LED Light Bars give the HR-V a distinctive, sporty look. New to the SUV-B segment is the Panoramic Sunroof, in the leather grade, making the HR-V deliver the feel of a larger sporty SUV ready for the next adventure. The All New HR-V is flanked by 16” alloy wheels for the Fabric grade and 17” Alloy wheels for the Leather grade.

Interior styling
The All New HR-V boasts of a youthful vibe with unique styling touches. The intuitively designed HR-V cockpit ensures that everything is where you need it. The elegant dashboard includes the very latest technology, it’s incredibly easy to understand and use. Black aesthetic combination (Fabric & Leather Grade) gives the interior of the HR-V a premium comfort feel beyond its class. The interior of the HR-V competes in a more advantageous position when compared with vehicle above its segment.

Designed to adapt to your lifestyle, the HR-V gives you a clever, comfortable and spacious interior. A centrally-mounted fuel tank provides the HR-V with a huge boot and our novel 2nd – Row Magic Seat are further evidence of smart thinking and, is designed to configure in lots of useful ways to increase its carrying capacity. The HR-V, has the feature of the 60:40 split rear seat. These ingenious 60:40 split seats can dive down to the floor, making a large space truly vast, or tip up to allow for sideways loading of awkward objects like a bicycle. With the new stay-spring mechanism for the hatch, it’s now easier than ever to access HR-V’s cargo space of 1456 liters. HR-V also offers up to 100.1 cubic feet of passenger space with abundant rear seat head and legroom.

Some of the other features are a 6.8-inch Display Audio with Touchscreen with USB and HDMI ports that allows you to connect your smart phone and use its features such as playing your favorite music and using the phone book to make calls to your contacts.

A Multifunction steering wheel puts the audio and cruise controls at your fingertips making it a driver friendly interface. The HR-V leather grade features automatic climate control where you can adjust the temperature of the cabin with the touch of a button. Standard on both grades is the Smart Entry and Push-Button Start. With just a touch of the door handle the door opens without the need to bring out the key, same way a push on the button strategically located for easy sighting will ignite the engine either ON/OFF as required. The Electric Parking Brake (EPB) provides easy braking especially in a full stop park position. The Automatic Brake Hold (ABH) is useful during Stop and Go traffic situation in busy cities. With a push of the ABH button, the vehicle brake hold even after disengaging the foot brake and the vehicle moves only if when driver accelerates without necessarily disengaging the ABH. This happens throughout the drive until ABH is disengaged or engine turned Off.

POWERTRAIN
The HR-V has spirited engine performance matched with low running costs. It features a responsive 140.8hp @6500rpm and a torque of 172 N-m @ 4300 rpm on a 1.8L i-VTEC petrol engine which maximizes economy and efficiency, with 50Litre tank capacity. The HR-V is a front-wheel drive, with a CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission). With the CVT transmission, you have the ability to drive the car in a relaxed, automatic mode. At full throttle, the CVT now features revised shift mapping that, under hard acceleration, more closely resembles the stepped gear changes of a conventional fixed-gear transmission. This “stepped” feel gives HR-V a more familiar feel during acceleration, while also helping to reduce interior noise levels. Additionally, HR-V’s CVT uses a more refined and natural feeling engagement, staying at lower revs more often.

CHASSIS AND SUSPENSION
The chassis incorporates a centrally mounted fuel tank, which provides perfect weight ratio and concentrates the mass in the center. This in conjunction with the amplitude reactive dampers give the HR-V excellent driving dynamics and minimizing body roll.

SAFETY & DRIVER ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGIES
The 2019 HR-V also benefits from a standard list of active and passive safety features. This includes Vehicle Stability Assist™ (VSA®) with traction control, driver and passenger front airbags standard on both grades, side airbags and side curtain airbags on the leather Grade only, Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD), Hill Start Assist (HSA) and Honda’s next-generation Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) body structure. The leather Grade also features a multi-angle rearview camera with wide view feature.