2023 Honda HR-V EX-L Video, Review And Pricing

By: Joshua Lee
January 17, 2023

It has been two years since the discontinuation of the Honda Fit due to slow sales. As a result, Honda’s solution was to ramp up sales of their subcompact crossover, the HR-V. For people who wanted something practical, it was a great vehicle to look for. Now in its second generation for North America, the HR-V is completely redesigned that’s bigger in size and is fitted with a newer engine.

We got ourselves the 2023 Honda HR-V EX-L from Honda Canada this week. The HR-V gets a 2.0L four-cylinder engine paired with a CVT making 158 horsepower and 138 lb.-ft of torque at 4,200RPM. Although it makes 17 horsepower and 11 lb.-ft of torque more than its predecessor, power is lackluster as it takes quite a while to get up to highway speeds and the engine is particularly noisy when accelerating. The HR-V is still fun to drive with responsive steering, good cornering stability, and a cushioned ride over bumps.

The redesigned HR-V now rides on the Civic platform so it’s 9.4 inches longer and 2.6 inches wider than the previous generation. We also think the new HR-V looks good with a more conventional SUV look. The EX-L trim gets a sporty black painted honeycomb grille, LED headlights and taillights, and 17-inch aluminum alloy wheels.

Interior design is closely followed to the new Civic with its full-width honeycomb pattern air vents. It has a premium feeling cabin with leather wrapped around the heated steering wheel, shift knob, and center console. Adding to that, it has some extra padded surfaces for the dashboard and door panels.

Our EX-L trim gets a seven-inch driver’s display, an easy-to-use nine-inch center touch screen with navigation, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, leather seating surfaces, eight speaker sound system, and a wireless charging pad.

Ergonomics are superb in this vehicle as the seats do a great job in supporting you while providing good outward visibility. Rear passengers have good legroom but lose points with the lack of charging ports (there are only three USB ports all located in the front), a center armrest, and rear air vents.

The HR-V also loses its innovative Magic Seat that allows you fold the bottom of the seat up to carry taller items. You still get a 60/40 split folding rear bench with 691L of cargo room with the seats up and 1559L folded down which is strangely 24L less than its predecessor.

Honda Sensing equips all HR-V models with forward collision warning, collision mitigation braking system, lane departure system, lane keeping assist, road departure mitigation system, adaptive cruise control with low-speed follow, and automatic high beams.

Fuel economy ratings for the HR-V are 9.4L/100km city, 7.8L/100km highway, for a combined 8.7L/100km. We achieved a 9.7L/100km for the week with mostly city driving.

The Honda HR-V starts at $28,730 for the LX FWD, $31,030 for the LX AWD, $33,930 for the Sport, and $37,130 for the EX-L Navi. Our model came out to $37,430 due to the optional Crystal Black Pearl paint job.

The 2023 Honda HR-V EX-L has been a pleasant vehicle to be in. Its new athletic look fits nicely in Honda’s line up, it has an upscale interior, and loaded with safety tech that makes this vehicle under $40,000 worth looking at. Although we would’ve liked the engine to be more lively, it still performs well for everyday needs. In a market that’s crowded with so many crossovers, we believe the HR-V has a lot to offer and will lead to strong sales for Honda.