One of the country’s best-selling subcompact SUVs has been totally redesigned for 2023.
On sale near you at a starting price of $23,650, let’s hop inside the new 2023 Honda HR-V and take a good look around.
Passenger Room and Comfort
The 2023 Honda HR-V is impressively spacious, offering one of the roomiest backseats in the subcompact SUV segment with a generous 37.7 inches of rear legroom. (We do wish those same passengers were afforded rear air vents, though.)
Speaking of seats, Honda has updated those in the HR-V to help reduce fatigue on long drives. We found them comfortable and supportive.
Front visibility is good compared to the previous generation, and a new active noise cancelation system helps keep the cabin quiet at highway speeds.
Features and Tech
Like other vehicles on the market right now, the Honda HR-V gets a minimalist dashboard with many controls accessed through the 7-inch touchscreen or the multi-function steering wheel buttons.
That touchscreen comes complete with (wired) Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, three USB ports, and Bluetooth connectivity. You also get Honda’s standard HondaLink that allows you to download an app onto your smartphone and offers features like stolen vehicle location, geofencing, automatic collision notification, and service appointments.
We like the available Walk Away Auto Lock feature, which automatically locks your HR-V when you walk away. Other available upgrades include a larger 9-inch touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, plus a wireless charging pad. The 9-inch system comes with programmable shortcuts along the bottom of the screen so you can set your favorite features for easy access.
Materials and Design
For this year, Honda upped its materials and design game and left the design-by-committee features behind. High touchpoints get metallic finishes that give the knobs and buttons a bit more heft. Honda also redesigned the door panels and side panels inside to have a wavy pattern that hides scratches and scuffs.
There’s a honeycomb mesh feature that stretches along the dash and hides climate control vents, giving the interior a feeling of modernity, and Honda has used French stitching along the top of the dash to add to the sense of refinement. Even the windshield wiper and turn signal stalks have been redesigned to make them easier to see through the steering wheel.
Cloth seating is standard, but the EX-L trim offers quilted, perforated leather seating surfaces — in a choice of black or gray — with contrast stitching.
Outside, Honda made the HR-V look more stylish and sporty by extending the overall length and width of the vehicle. Wide-set taillights and LED headlights give it a more athletic look and designers lowered the cowl line to improve forward visibility.
Cargo Room and Flexibility
The new HR-V offers a roomy and flexible cargo hold. Behind the second row you’ll find 24.4 cubic feet of cargo space. Fold down the rear seatbacks and that opens up 55.1 cubic feet. Some owners of the outgoing HR-V will be sad to learn the clever Magic Seat is no longer, but they’re likely to love everything else about the new model.
More Honda HR-V
Price your own Honda HR-V to see what you should really pay, or take a look at the new HR-V models for sale near you.
