The Honda HR-V: A Review of its Performance and Features
I recently had the opportunity to take a Honda HR-V for a spin, and I must say that it's a very impressive vehicle. It has a 5-liter engine and turbos, which do provide more power, but the transmission plays a significant role in how it handles. The HR-V is equipped with a CVT transmission, specifically designed and built by Honda. While some may find the lack of shifting to be unappealing, I found that the vehicle's handling was quite good, especially when accelerating around corners.
One of the things that stood out to me during my test drive was the vehicle's quietness. The interior is well-designed, with a dash that fits perfectly in front of the steering wheel, providing excellent visibility and no blind spots. The steering wheel itself is also noteworthy, as it's designed to be easy to grip and maneuver. I was able to take the HR-V out for a spin on a hot day, and even though we stopped frequently to drink water, the vehicle remained quiet and comfortable.
When it came time to floor it, my passenger assured me that he had never done so before, but gave permission nonetheless. As we took the turn, I could see that the HR-V handled quite well, with minimal understeer or oversteer. This is likely due to the CVT transmission's ability to provide smooth and continuous power delivery.
After our test drive, my passenger mentioned that he had purchased a new Toyota Sienna Hybrid van, which gets excellent gas mileage but has some drawbacks in terms of ground clearance and visibility. He noted that if he lived in an area with heavy snowfall, the Sienna would not be practical for him. In contrast, the HR-V's higher seating position provides better visibility and is more suitable for snowy conditions.
As I reflected on my experience with the Honda HR-V, I couldn't help but think about the importance of choosing the right vehicle for one's needs. The CR-V, while a popular choice, may be too big or too small for some people. In contrast, the HR-V is often described as the "Goldilocks" of crossovers - it's just right. Additionally, Honda engines are known for their durability and long lifespan, so I wouldn't worry too much about maintenance costs.
Finally, my passenger brought up a question about replacing fan bearings in his Toyota 5VZ engine V6. He mentioned that the standard replacement parts were expensive and could only be sourced through after-market suppliers at significantly higher prices. However, he noted that one reputable company, Dorman, offers high-quality products that are backed by a warranty. With their excellent reputation for producing reliable and durable components, I would recommend using Dorman parts if necessary.
In conclusion, the Honda HR-V is a well-designed and well-built vehicle that provides excellent performance and features. Whether you're looking for a practical crossover or just want a fun-to-drive vehicle, the HR-V is definitely worth considering. With its unique blend of power, fuel efficiency, and durability, it's no wonder that Honda has sold over 300,000 units of this model in recent years.
"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enrev up your engines here's the new 2022 honda crv now yeah the rav4 is number one but this is number two the last eight years they've sold over 300 000 of these every year in the united states they're popular vehicles i'm going to show you why i'm going to give you a bunch of choices so you can decide whether to buy one or not and if you do buy one which one should you buy now these things were originally made in the 90s they're kind of ugly and they're sharp looking cars now but you have an awful lot of choices and they've done a lot of stuff over now he drove it over here he got better than the rated gas monster he got 40 miles a gallon and considering it's a relatively up in the air suv we'll look under the hood we see a four-cylinder engine this is a conventional engine as you can see here it is a 1.5 liter and it's turbocharged hybrid comes with a 2-liter i know i'm not the biggest fan of a small engine with a turbo but on the other hand it's a honda they've been making engines for a long time they're really the number one manufacturer of internal combustion engines in the world they've been working on turbos for quite some time as long as you use that gf6 oil that's made for this engine these have not had any oil dilution problems that the earlier ones have it tells you here zero w20 just use the gf6 oil that's zero w20 it doesn't matter which brand longs you buy quality brand that is a standard gf6 i've got customers with them they aren't having any problems with it now a lot of people say well should i get this or should i get the hybrid well the hybrid version of this on the highway only gets one mile gallon better than this you can pay a lot of extra money and you're gonna have a lot of extra technology that's gonna break if you keep your cars two three four hundred thousand miles but on the other hand if you drive a lot in the city stop and go the hybrid regenerates electricity it's more efficient you'll get anywhere from 15 to 18 miles a gallon better with the hybrid so let's say you're an uber driver in town or something you're much better off buying a hybrid but if you're a normal driver you're probably better off getting the non-hybrid less technology still gets phenomenal gas mileage for an suv honda wheels but it's an upgrade he didn't like the original flower redesign i kind of agree with them i think the white and the black really pop off of each other and it got white because he lives in tennessee that reflect a lot of the heat strange enough he works for the navy in tennessee so you figure that one out there's also a naval base in albuquerque new mexico but the military-industrial complex works in strange ways this is front-wheel drive it's not all-wheel drive most people don't need all-wheel drive you really don't need in tennessee it doesn't snow much here at all maybe a little bit front wheel of snow tires will work perfectly fine my mother drove around at buffalo with the toyota corolla with no snow tires on in the winter and they never got stuck there are plows out there that do plow things yeah you don't need all-wheel drive if you want it you can get it it's your money you're going to get worse gas mileage you're going to pay more for the car maintenance is going to be a little more heavy so if you don't want that don't waste your money look inside you got cloth seats you know why he told me he doesn't want to burn his butt when he's wearing shorts and that is a smart move plus i've seen these with half a million miles on them see it still looked okay who cares they don't look bad at all especially these black ones they look nice there's a lot of space that's what these things are about they really are utility vehicles you got the usual nice space here you can hide crap so people can't see it then you just move the seats forward and you carry all kinds of crap around i got a customer down the street has one he puts a kayak in it sure it sticks out a little bit the bungee cords hold it in you can carry a lot of stuff with these they have not shirked and shrunk them inside so they don't have the space they still have a lot of space inside and as we sit down shut the door come on it's a honda you know it's going to start up and they've made their screens much better than they used to be you can see it's got a pretty large backup camera gives you a good view usual controls on the steering column so you don't crash and it's got something i really like you got the tachometer you can see at the top and you got the speedometer right there you're looking at it like in a conventional car you're not liking the tesla looking over to a giant screen that takes your eye off the road you're right here it's got a sunroof if you live in a cold climate in the summer that's fun this has got nice faux wood it's not wood but it looks like what it's nicely appointed and of course the more gas mods you want to get you can push it there then you see you're in economy mode economy off economy on i'm not really a fan but it also has a brake hold on it usb ports that people want these days it's adjustable you can put it where you want you can easily get the stuff it's honda so it's got killer ac let's take it for a spin got a decent built-in gps and yes as you're driving what do you notice it's nice and high up in the air yeah it doesn't feel too boxy like it's going to flip over now you might wonder how does it get such great gas mileage well it's only a 1.5 liter engine and turbos do ram more air in the engine but a lot of it has to do with the transmission because it's not a conventional transmission it is a cvt transmission but it is designed and built by honda and they do a pretty good job with them the handling is fine for a little less uv the brakes are perfect the abs system works fine got a few rattling bottles in here drinking water on the trip because it's hot today but other than that it's a very quiet vehicle now he told me that he's never ever floored but he gave me permission so since he's a major yes sir i'll floor it we're going around the bend and it handles quite well so here we go we stopped and now we're in florida and you can tell it's a cvt now it's picking up and it's got decent acceleration there's no arguing that because it's got a turbo charger in it now you notice it's not shifted up and down because it's a cvt it doesn't really shift at all but as you can see even though i'm driving like a maniac it's making his average gas mileage go down it was at 40 and now it's gone down to 39.8 now he drives in an eco mode so vehicle mode but now it's in eco mode now we'll see what happens it really didn't take that much acceleration away with that extra lift being an suv somewhat higher up in here hey you feel secure in this thing you don't have to worry that you're gonna get stuck in some little rut or that you know it snows too much and the snow's too deep realize that the super high gas mileage ones you live in a snowy area you got to think about that because my son just bought one of those new toyota sienna hybrid vans right and it gets a phenomenal gas mileage but it's really low to the ground and if it did snow a lot he wouldn't be able to drive because it would turn into a little snow plow the front of the car would be plowing snow the whole time if you live in areas like that you really want something like this that's a little bit higher the dash is perfectly designed because it fits in all the steering wheel you see everything nothing is hidden there's no hidden parts everything is open and obvious to read to make steering wheels some weird shape like tesla's you can still make nice little round ones as long as the dash is designed with the steering wheel in mind so you don't lose any type of visibility doesn't particularly oversteer or understeer when you're taking cars it's a pretty well thought out vehicle you got to realize they've been making them for six generations so as with many japanese companies hey they just perfect them over time now if you wondered how honda sold over 300 000 of these for each of the last eight nine years realize couple things one they're all made in the united states and two realize it's like goldilocks on the three bears for many people behind a pilot is too big but the honda hrv is too small well for them the crv is just right i agree too like i said i'm always a little fishy about little engines that are turbos on the other hand this isn't a fiat or gm product this is a honda product their engines generally last forever if you take care of them so i really wouldn't worry about that and if you don't like the excess technology of a hybrid don't buy a hybrid crv you only get one mile gallon better gas mileage on a highway a lot better than a city but only one on a highway if you don't want something as big as a pilot or as little as an hrv hey this is a very good choice and here's some bonus questions and answers marcellus says i got a toyota 5vz engine v6 and the fan bearings need replacement makes noise now you can't replace the bearings nobody sells them i got to buy the whole unit and oh you're going to cost 50 times more than the bearings should cost you can go after market they'll cost a lot less but unfortunately a lot of the chinese aftermarket fan clutch assemblies are crap and don't work worth beans but from my experience a company that sells good ones is dorman d-o-r-m-a-n you can find one for yours the dorman makes buy it they stand behind their products they're well made and normally places like autozone pep boys whatever they can get you dormant products the company stands behind and gives a warranty if there's a problem you get another one i've been using dormant products for decades and you generally have pretty good luck with them you could go that route so if you never want to miss another one of my new car repair videos remember to ring that bell you\n"
