The current HR-V went on sale at the end of 2014 but despite that, the car is nearly identical to the Vezel which has been released in Japan back in 2013. In order to give it a small boost in sales and also make it a better buy for those looking for a more powerful car, it is expected to receive its first real update with the 2017 Honda HRV. This has been rumored ever since 2015 and quite recently some inside info suggested that the car might be released by the end of the year. The chassis, most of the interior, as well as the running gear, are expected to be carried over unchanged, and this is to be expected considering how new the model is.
2017 HONDA HR-V CHANGES AND PRICE
However, some features inside the cabin are definitely going to be updated while the exterior looks and even the powertrain might be revised in order to allow the HR-V to compete with its more powerful European rivals. The price might also be impacted in a negative way due to all of these upgrades but still, don’t expect it to be much more expensive than the current $20,000.
The good part here is that even though its price might increase, the actual value for money of the car could also go up which will make quite a few more people happy.
DRIVETRAIN
Currently, Honda is offering the HR-V with just a 1.8 liter naturally aspirated engine which is quite capable of its 141 horsepower. However, there are cars in its class with more than 200 horsepower which makes Honda lose some customers even though the HR-V might be a better car than these more powerful rivals. Many said last year that this engine will be used for quite a while before being replaced by a new unit and this might happen with the 2017 Honda HR-V. This is expected to receive Honda’s new 1.5 liters turbocharged inline 4 petrol engine which first debuted on the Civic a while ago. Instead of over 170 horsepower, the engine should make close to 150 horsepower and 170 lb-ft of torque which would still be a lot better than the current 1.8-liter unit.
INTERIOR, SAFETY AND EQUIPMENT OF 2017 HONDA HR-V
This extra power will allow the HR-V to keep better up with the traffic and it will give it some passing power and the fact that it is a smaller and turbocharged engine also means that it should use less fuel as well. A CVT gearbox is still expected to be used as standard but some rumors also suggested a manual as well. The all-wheel drive system of the car might also be updated in order to make the car slightly better in tough driving conditions.
One of the largest omissions for the current model is a modern infotainment system. This makes us believe that the 2017 Honda HR-V is going to receive Honda’s most modern navigation and infotainment system. This will support Apple CarPlay, Android Auto as well as it should be a lot easier and also faster to use. The previous optional safety features such as rear cross traffic alert and even the frontal collision warning and auto-braking system are now going to be offered as standard across the range.
EXTERIOR
On the other hand, the outside of the new HR-V should be pretty close, if not identical, to the ongoing model and that’s to be expected considering it actually follows Honda’s design scheme. We only expect the car to receive a new set of headlights and likely a new set of tail lights as well. The wheels options, colors and even the exterior trimmings are all likely going to be carried over unchanged.
More info on Wikipedia.org
2017 Honda HR-V
Summary
One of the largest omissions for the current model is a modern infotainment system. This makes us believe that the 2017 Honda HR-V is going to receive Honda’s most modern navigation and infotainment system.
Price: $20,000