Best sellers. Have you noticed how many books have ‘Best Seller’ on the front cover?

How accurate that is does play on my mind a little bit, and I’m sure that overall, companies can get a bit carried away when it comes to bragging about how good their products are. For example, there’s a pub in a village on the outskirts of Newcastle which promotes itself as being ‘Reassuringly Expensive.’ I’m not joking. Are they mad?

But why don’t car firms bang on about their best-selling vehicle?

Do you know what Honda’s best selling car is?

Take the third-generation Honda HR-V, which has just arrived on our shores.

The Honda HR-V is Honda’s best-selling car in the UK…but you wouldn’t know it. We shouldn’t be surprised that it’s so popular because this is a practical, smartly styled, small SUV with an attractive, versatile, well-equipped interior which represents a step up in quality compared to the previous version, and it has a seriously efficient hybrid powertrain. No wonder it’s popular with families.

Oh, and because it’s a Honda, it’s almost guaranteed to be reliable.

Is this the ideal HR-V?

This latest Honda HR-V has a second badge on its rump - e:HEV - which means it is a self-charging hybrid, so no need for any plugging in. For a lot of folk, this is an ideal set up as you treat the car like a standard petrol-driven vehicle, but with the added benefit of being able to travel for short distances using battery power alone. It’s almost impossible to hear and feel when the petrol engine fires up, and you should easily crack 50mpg.

Power comes from a 1.5-litre petrol engine, which is combined with a pair of electric motors to drive the front wheels. Its total output is 129bhp, which isn’t startling but plenty sufficient for the sort of work an HR-V is likely to have to cope with. There’s no AWD model and no other engine choices are available.

How is it to drive?

As with a lot of cars which use a type of CVT gearbox, it’s extremely quiet and refined…until you need some additional oomph and shove the throttle. The revs go through the roof and the sound the engine makes isn’t very nice. It’s decidedly rowdy. Okay, everything soon settles once you reach your desired speed or have overtaken the vehicle you wanted to pass, but it’s all rather undignified.

Shame really because the Honda HR-V is really good to drive and even though the 129bhp might seem a bit weedy, it has sufficient speed for when joining motorways or getting passed a line of trucks. Accelerating from 0-60mph takes a shade over 10 seconds, and top speed is 105mph. It handles tidily and feels soft, but it doesn’t roll around like a ship in a storm. You can choose between Electric Drive, Hybrid Drive or Sport settings.

Electric encourages the car to stick with battery power, while Sport adds a bit of weight to the steering response. You can also adjust the gearbox by using paddles behind the steering wheel to increase the amount of regenerative braking.

Trim Levels

There are three trim levels - Elegance, Advance and Advance Style - with prices kicking off at £30,850 (Nov 25).

I like the mid-range Advance trim because it makes the HR-V just feel a tad more special, but every model comes with plenty of kit as standard. Across the range, you get sat nav, Wireless Apple CarPlay, a really good DAB audio system, heated exterior mirrors, 18-inch alloys, adaptive cruise control, front and rear parking sensors, rear view camera, keyless entry and start, rear privacy glass and heated front seats. The Advance trim (extra £2500) adds a powered tailgate, heated leather steering wheel and LED pixel headlights which are excellent.

Interior

There’s plenty of room for a family or four adults (five at a squeeze), and the interior is versatile in that you can either lie the rear seats flat or tumble them forward out of the way to create 1200 litres of boot space. A bicycle will slide in easily, so I’m sure you’d be able to fit in something like a child’s pushchair. Tumbling the seats forward allows you to carry taller items which sit on the floor. There’s also a high driving position, which is great for town driving, and gives you good visibility.

The driver gets a 7-inch digital display, which is clear and simple to read. There’s also a 9-inch central touchscreen, which (hurrah!) has knobs and buttons below for the climate controls and volume. I linked my Apple iPhone to the screen, which worked nicely and seemed clearer than the Honda stuff. All a bit odd.

Who is this car for?

As with every Honda, there’s a quality feel to everything in the HR-V. The soft materials look good and should be hard-wearing, and it would be an ideal choice for families.

At first glance, the Honda HR-V may seem a bit pricey, but if you are looking for this size of SUV, you need to compare trim levels because the HR-V is well-equipped, even in entry-level Elegance trim. The self-charging hybrid system also adds expense, but, overall, thanks to the good economy, it stacks up against the competition.

As a family workhorse, the Honda HR-V makes a good case for itself. It is maybe one to consider.

words: Graham Courtney
pictures: Honda

Honda HR-V - Honda’s Best Seller is Flying Under the Radar