The 2L normally-aspirated four powering the HR-V is loud and coarse when accelerating hard and is never really quiet unless cruising at a steady speed. The CVT automatic transmission keeps revs high when any significant acceleration is requested. Insulation inside the doors must be thin as must the window glass as there is more sound from passing cars than experienced in competing cars like the Subaru Crosstrek and the Toyota Corolla Cross. The HR-V rides well, handling is confident and braking is responsive.

The current HR-V is no longer based on the “high concept” platform of the old Fit but on the more pedestrian underpinnings of the Civic. It lacks the wizard-like ingenuity of the last HR-V, but is nevertheless a good package. Cabin room is good, with more rear legroom than the Subaru Crosstrek and a lot more than the Toyota Corolla Cross. Other than a somewhat unfortunate grille, the HR-V is a neat enough styling job, with more than a nod to Porsche’s styling vocabulary. While the driver faces the same gauges as Civic drivers and interacts with the same touchscreen and climate controls, the components are housed in a dashboard that is unique to the HR-V. The rest of the cabin looks contemporary but the unlike the Civic, which looks luxurious, the cabin of the HR-V is finished with a lot of hard-touch surfaces for what is now an expensive car. Mechanical components are from the Civic parts bin. The sole engine is a normally-aspirated 2L four that is puts out 158 horsepower. Honda offers a front-wheel drive variant of the LX trim but other models are exclusively all-wheel drive. The sole transmission offered is a CVT.

All-wheel drive, standard on the Sport and EX-L-Navi, is a $2300 option on the LX. The LX includes the Honda Sensing safety suite as well as blind spot and rear cross traffic monitors, alloy wheels, L.E.D. headlights, heated seats and auto temperature control. Moving up to the Sport adds variable windshield wipers, leather wraps for the steering wheel and shifter, a heated steering wheel, a sunroof, two extra speakers and dual-zone climate control, among other things, but is a bit expensive for the content provided. The EX-L Navi upgrade comes with leather seating, navigation, wireless phone charging and wireless iOS-Android phone hookup, a larger infotainment screen and a total of eight-speakers for the audio system, and is reasonable value.

Predicted reliability is above average. Some reports of CVT failure on the previous-generation car.