Thai media reviews Malaysia-bound Honda WR-V: The good, the bad...the expensive?

Earmarked for Malaysia – actually here's your 'first look' of it on our roads – the 2023 Honda WR-V already has a presence in Indonesia and more recently, Thailand. Our sister site over there, Autofun.th, shares their thoughts on the marque's latest SUV.

Overview: The price factor

Developed for the ASEAN market with the goal to knock the sales crown off the Toyota Raize/Daihatsu Rocky (the Perodua Ativa too) and its like-sized ilk, the WR-V has been doing well, leading the segment in Indonesia with over 40% market share in January, and that's despite it being pricier than the Rocky/Raize too.

Also read: Latecomer Honda WR-V overtakes Perodua Ativa's Indo cousins for 40% market share of Indonesia's A-SUV market

However over in Thailand, its THB 799,000-THB 869,000 (~RM 104k - RM 114k) price tag is circa THB 200,000 dearer than the equivalent City and City Hatchback.

In fact it's priced closer to some 7-seater mini-MPVs there; in part due to it being fully-imported and losing out on Eco Car incentives.

This tilts the balance a bit, so the WR-V better be very convincingly good...

The positives: Good suspension, great engine

The Thailand team found the ride of the WR-V to be quite versatile, adapting well either in the city or out of town.

'Soft' was the word of choice by our Autofun colleague Pisan, hinting that this small SUV is more at home cruising than tackling the twisties, despite the sporty RS positioning.

Also read: Honda Malaysia to launch 4 new 2023 models - WR-V, CR-V, Accord, and City facelift to raise market share to 12.3 percent

Enunicating that are its eco tyres, and despite their adequate performance, they are 'a little noisy' on certain road surfaces, note our colleagues.

Despite that, there still are tangible benefits to the WR-V, most notably its sharp and easy steering and tight turning radius (5.3 metres) that makes U-turns and lane changes effortless.

On the 1.5-litre naturally-aspirated four cylinder (121 PS/142 Nm) plus CVT combo, Autofun thinks that it shouldn't be brushed off as obsolete just yet.

Response is good as a whole; but they note that there's some rubberbanding when accelerating hard.

In which case, just use the paddle shifters to put it in the right (virtual) gear, they say. However, they also maintain that the car is comfortable enough to cruise at 100-120 km/h as it is.

Fuel consumption is excellent. Honda claims 6 litres/100 km, but Autofun eked roughly 5.2- to 5.8 litres/100 km despite the relatively high speeds the car was driven.

Also read: Despite severe inflationary pressures, Honda Malaysia to do "as much as possible" to maintain prices for 2023

The Honda Sensing suite of ADAS is present and correct in the WR-V, this time appearing in both variants of the SUV. These are the features that are bundled along:

• Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS)
• Lane-Keeping Assist System (LKAS)
• Road Departure Mitigation System (RDM)
• Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)
• Lead Car Departure Notification System (LCDN)
• Auto High Beam (AHB)

The negatives: Lacking some basic niceties

Despite the relatively rich spec-list, there's a few things missing that are a bit puzzling, notes Autofun. Chief among those is a steering wheel that isn't telescopic-adjustable, seatbelts that lack height adjustment, and rear passengers don't have cupholders – despite the centre armrest. Hmm...

The rear side too doesn't benefit from USB ports (with a 12V charging port in place instead), which isn't much of a 2023 solution. The writer also prefers having a blind spot monitor (BSM) over the bundled Honda Lanewatch.

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

Then there's the seats. Our colleagues note that they were a bit oddly shaped; pushing into the back a little too much, which makes long-distance drives uncomfortable.

To be fair, Honda struggles with this in their higher-end cars as well: it's the most major slip up of the 2023 Honda Civic RS e:HEV.

Verdict: Wait for it...

Though Autofun are generally very warm and receptive to the Honda WR-V, it goes without mention that pricing is its double-edged sword.

One one hand, it can be said that its uncompromisingly full suite of Sensing ADAS in a package of this size and price stands out and will attract those who like their cars technologically complete.

But on the other, there's another group of buyers who'll harrumph at the WR-V's price tag and walk towards the BR-V – it's only a smidge pricier at THB 915,000 (~RM 114k) – simply because it's bigger.

Also read: Farewell Honda BR-V - discontinued after 6 years, Honda exits 7-seater segments

At least that's the opinion in Thailand. In Malaysia the story will be writ a little differently; the next-gen BR-V won't be making it here. The Ativa will be a bit too hard to take on, given its pricing that only local cars can muster.

That leaves the segment where the all-new AC100 Toyota Vios sits, tantalisingly ripe for the taking. Toyota sedan or Honda SUV? Let's wait for Q3...

Also read: Boom: Honda WR-V is confirmed for Malaysia, to launch in Q3 2023 - the next big thing