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Review: 2022 Honda HR-V RS e:HEV; thrifty hybrid, practical cabin makes it easy to love

Sanjay · Jan 1, 2023 09:00 AM

Review: 2022 Honda HR-V RS e:HEV; thrifty hybrid, practical cabin makes it easy to love 01

On paper, settling for the hybrid 2022 Honda HR-V RS e:HEV seems like a compromise. Discussions online about it being 'B-segment SUV' – a term used very loosely here – in the RM 140k space is rife. That the Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid, being a larger car, is a better buy on that merit alone.

Overview: 2022 Honda HR-V RS e:HEV
Price RM 140,800
Segment B-segment
Engine 1.5-litre NA 4-cyl, dual-motor hybrid
Transmission e-CVT automatic
Power 131 PS (motor only)
Torque 253 Nm (motor only)
Safety ACC w/LSF, LCDN, FCW, AEB, LKA, LDW, RDM, AHB, 6 airbags
Origin CKD Pegoh, Melaka

Yet, to say it's a hairbreadth's competition is hardly hyperbole; and there are pull factors for the plucky Honda that keep it fervently in the running, nipping away at the Toyota's heels. Obviously there's more going for it than just petty arguments of whether or not it fits a certain segment.

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And in doing so, this third-gen model needs to fill gigantic shoes, considering its predecessor was for a long while an unchallenged king of the hill. Things may not be so easy now considering the blurred lines between it and the competition, so here's our thoughts...

Exterior: Heart on its sleeve

Review: 2022 Honda HR-V RS e:HEV; thrifty hybrid, practical cabin makes it easy to love 01

Review: 2022 Honda HR-V RS e:HEV; thrifty hybrid, practical cabin makes it easy to love 02

We'll get to the heart of the matter in a bit. Looks comes first, and the HR-V wins points aplenty for its pert physique; it's a well-packaged thing. Honda says the slim body helps enunciate the wheels more (18-inches in this case), and not looking like a gymbro that skips leg day is a great start.

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Review: 2022 Honda HR-V RS e:HEV; thrifty hybrid, practical cabin makes it easy to love 04

Except elsewhere, it's not too swole either. Keeping things tight means it gifts relative nimbleness in navigating city life – it's a fairly easy car for first-time drivers or the diminutive, with the wide field-of-view offering unobtrusive vision, while the stubby rear simplifies parallel parking

Also read: Crossover vs SUV, what's the difference? The chief behind the 2022 Honda HR-V explains

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Heartbeat notch on lower bumper is a characterful touch. Grille is debatable

Review: 2022 Honda HR-V RS e:HEV; thrifty hybrid, practical cabin makes it easy to love 06

Some touches are a little too tryhard (we'd sooner have the JDM body-coloured grille than this 'diamond-studded' one), yet some hit it out of the park, such as the distinctive full-length LED lightbar on the rear.

Interior: Ergonomically sound, clean look

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Soft, non-reflective dashboard material works a treat in our climate

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Dual-zone air-cond is unique to the RS

You’ll quickly identify that the HR-V’s cabin build quality is equal to most cars in Honda Malaysia’s stable. Sure it's majorly built from plastic as is anything else in this category, but there's a thoughtful variety in material texture and design touches that breaks monotony yet remain sufficiently functional.

Review: 2022 Honda HR-V RS e:HEV; thrifty hybrid, practical cabin makes it easy to love 09

Infotainment system isn't any different from the City, passable display and sound quality. Easy to use

Using the 8-inch infotainment touchscreen will be familiar if you've been in the recent crop of Honda cars. It's one of the few aspects where it's just flat out better than the Toyota's; LaneWatch that shows up here is hassle-free to operate, and Android Auto / Apple CarPlay integration works so much better.

Also read: Review: Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid - Come on HR-V, give it your best shot

Review: 2022 Honda HR-V RS e:HEV; thrifty hybrid, practical cabin makes it easy to love 10

Clear, concise, customisable

As a driver, I find the physical knobs and buttons extremely useful, and the same can be said for the semi-digital instrument cluster. It's the same one you'll find in the City, Civic, and Accord, with the same levels of customisability and rich information to tell you what's going on.

Review: 2022 Honda HR-V RS e:HEV; thrifty hybrid, practical cabin makes it easy to love 11

Diffusion mode means you don't have to switch between aircond on or off only

Ah yes, the air diffusion system. The concept is that it drapes air over the cabin like a curtain, with the intended benefit of cooling that envelopes better.

 Does  it work as  it should? 50-50. I suspect its powers were slightly neutered by the hot weather – good quality tint should help – but at least it's quiet, and makes it easy to keep family members who have a mix of temperature sensitivities happy because you don't need to resort to the aircond on-or-off argument.

Speaking of which, having remote start the car ready and cool by the time you get in it is a godsend. One of the best features ever to come in a brand-new car today. 

Review: 2022 Honda HR-V RS e:HEV; thrifty hybrid, practical cabin makes it easy to love 12

Review: 2022 Honda HR-V RS e:HEV; thrifty hybrid, practical cabin makes it easy to love 13

If said family want to try things out for themselves, you wouldn't baulk at the thought of ferrying three of them. Clever use of interior space net an extra 2 degrees seat recline at the back, leading to a nice recline with the added bonus of awarding enough space for them to wiggle their feet beneath the front seats.

Also read: Check out how spacious the all-new 2021 Honda HR-V is!

Review: 2022 Honda HR-V RS e:HEV; thrifty hybrid, practical cabin makes it easy to love 14

Third seatbelt is also too close for comfort. Tightness may make toddlers fidgety

Not too comfortable though, that’s still where the Corolla Cross sits unchallenged. Blame the HR-V's sloping roofline (plus black headliner, which makes the cabin feel tighter than it is) which eats into headroom, meaning a not-so-fun time for those at the back if you accidentally yeet off a speedbump.

Practicality: Holiday or relocation, it'll do it all

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Low boot opening means its easier to load/unload heavier items

Versatility is big with buyers of SUVs, and the HR-V does not disappoint. It's not too much of a stretch to say that it'll fit more than some bigger cars can handle; that's essentially the sui generis nature of Honda cabins.

Also read: Just how practical is the 2022 Honda HR-V? Let us show you in 22 photos

Review: 2022 Honda HR-V RS e:HEV; thrifty hybrid, practical cabin makes it easy to love 16

Either family holiday...

Review: 2022 Honda HR-V RS e:HEV; thrifty hybrid, practical cabin makes it easy to love 17

...or full-on house moving excursions, the HR-V will do it all

Don't worry too much about the 335-litre bootspace, that can always be expanded to more than double when the multi-utility seats come into play. The world's truly your oyster with them, and the peace of mind knowing you can fit just about anything is almost worth the price of admission.

The walk-away close of the boot is extremely useful; adds a touch of class to the car besides aiding practicality.

Performance: Great fuel economy, swift handling

Review: 2022 Honda HR-V RS e:HEV; thrifty hybrid, practical cabin makes it easy to love 18

More power and torque than the City RS e:HEV

Same small-car platform, same powertrain as the hybrid City RS, but with extra power tickled out of the hybrid system, but don't be mistaken to think it's a City on stilts. More power's tickled out of the two-motor hybrid system, with the electric motors now responsible for 131 PS and 253 Nm.

Review: 2022 Honda HR-V RS e:HEV; thrifty hybrid, practical cabin makes it easy to love 19

Improvements also extend to the lithium-ion battery which now packs 60 cells (the City RS has 48), equating to slightly more all-electric range. If you're adapt with the deceleration selector paddles, you can adjust the brake regen to charge the battery faster, and stay away from petrol power for longer.

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The two downward-pointing arrows show the level of brake regen

That's not a perfect solution however as the brake regen annoyingly resets to its lightest intensity after a short while, which has the unintended effect of you flicking the paddles like an F1 driver down a backroad. But at least it's one way the car tries to involve the driver a little more, you get none of this stuff in the 'Cross Hybrid.

Also read: Here’s why the all-new 2020 Honda City RS with i-MMD doesn’t need a gearbox

Review: 2022 Honda HR-V RS e:HEV; thrifty hybrid, practical cabin makes it easy to love 21

On a full battery, you can make a trip to the shops without burning a single drop of petrol

On highways however this becomes less of a concern as the petrol engine powers the wheels directly. Coaxing it to the national speed limit is fairly undramatic, but show it some extra load (say, going uphill or overtaking) and the engine tends to be a little buzzy.

The noise dials back quickly as you ease off though, reverting to its generally unobtrusive nature.

Review: 2022 Honda HR-V RS e:HEV; thrifty hybrid, practical cabin makes it easy to love 22

The HR-V needs just 10.48 seconds to complete the century sprint, a couple of seconds faster than the Corolla Cross Hybrid, if that sort of thing is important to you. Braking is also commendable, as it takes just 38 metres to come to a stop from 100 km/h.

Also read: Review: 2021 Honda City RS e:HEV – Hybrid perfomance for the common man

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Average numbers there, but what you should celebrate is that the HR-V RS e:HEV dang nails the fuel efficiency test: we got 4.05 litres/100 km (25 km/l) out of it, meaning it only sipped 23 litres after 562 km.

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Better news await in handling. Honda says this RS variant gains suspension and steering tweaks – as most hybrid cars do, to factor in the added weight of the battery – and perhaps it's most notable in the way it flows through twisties, particularly like the ones I've felt going up and down the route to Tekala Waterfall.

Review: 2022 Honda HR-V RS e:HEV; thrifty hybrid, practical cabin makes it easy to love 25

Though it somewhat lacks the comparitive heft the Corolla Cross Hybrid offers, what you get in return is an SUV that's nimbler and quicker on its Continentals. Steering lies a little on the light side of things, but it communicates enough to tell you what's going on, and you'll be no less confident to tackle turns with it.

Ride comfort: Toyota reigns supreme  

Review: 2022 Honda HR-V RS e:HEV; thrifty hybrid, practical cabin makes it easy to love 26

Review: 2022 Honda HR-V RS e:HEV; thrifty hybrid, practical cabin makes it easy to love 27

Powered driver seat makes it easy for drivers to find a comfy driving position

Toyota's recent crop of models are hard to edge in terms of comfort, and the HR-V too can't quite match up to what the Corolla Cross offers. Seat quality makes a world of difference, and while the Honda's aren't particularly bad by any means, it's just that the ones in the Toyota  from the contours to the way it hugs you   are way more cossetting.

Also read: Pros and Cons: 2022 Honda HR-V e:HEV RS, is it better than the Corolla Cross Hybrid?

Review: 2022 Honda HR-V RS e:HEV; thrifty hybrid, practical cabin makes it easy to love 28

Despite similarities in the suspension array (torsion beam at the back), tuning highlights further differences. The lumbering 'Cross is, like we said, a little bit less acrobatic, but that also means it feels just that much more planted when sailing across highways.

Safety: Sensing over TSS

Review: 2022 Honda HR-V RS e:HEV; thrifty hybrid, practical cabin makes it easy to love 29

We'll give this one to Honda. The HR-V's Honda Sensing driver assistance suite (ADAS) is more intuitive to use than Toyota's Safety Sense (TSS), thanks to its friendlier user interface versus the Corolla Cross' cluttered instrument panel.

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In the Honda, displays for Sensing-related functions are grouped together in the middle, and all the buttons for it are focused on the right side of the steering wheel. You may remember that in the 'Cross, those are scattered on both sides of the tiller.

Review: 2022 Honda HR-V RS e:HEV; thrifty hybrid, practical cabin makes it easy to love 31

LaneWatch camera quality at night is decent, par for the course for something at this price

We like the Sensing's adaptive cruise control (ACC) which adds stop & go (LSF, for Low Speed Follow in Honda's parlance) because it works just as it should, and the electric parking brake (EPB) makes it far more relaxing whenever you're caught in a slow crawl on the highway.

Also read: From foggy roads to congested cities, Honda Civic’s Sensing is one of the best

Review: 2022 Honda HR-V RS e:HEV; thrifty hybrid, practical cabin makes it easy to love 32

Toyota’s Dynamic Radar Cruise Control (DRCC) can also bring the car to a stop, but its mechanical footbrake means it's unable to resume the function after stopping.

Verdict

Review: 2022 Honda HR-V RS e:HEV; thrifty hybrid, practical cabin makes it easy to love 33

If you've been sold on the small-medium SUV thing as a whole, the 2022 Honda HR-V RS e:HEV will tick a lot of boxes. It does well on practicality and versatility, isn't a chore to steer, and offers a convincing enough drive.

Though it has no glaring faults, there's places where it could've benefitted from a final polish. Wind noise intrudes, and better seats could've closed the gap to rivals even closer.

Review: 2022 Honda HR-V RS e:HEV; thrifty hybrid, practical cabin makes it easy to love 34

Up against the likes of the Toyota Corolla Cross, neither variants of the HR-V is a bad choice. Except this hybrid HR-V RS may be more convincing yet when you live with it for a while (remote start is a personal favourite) – or when fuel prices aren't as cheap as they are today.

Sanjay

Senior Writer

With humble beginnings collecting diecast models and spending hours virtually tuning dream cars on the computer, his love of cars has delightfully transformed into a career. Sanjay enjoys how the same passion for cars transcends boundaries and brings people together.

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