Honda HR-V: Gentle refresh for the bestseller

The revised Honda HR-V can be recognized by the smaller radiator grille and the darkened headlight details. The facelift ensures a more striking, modern appearance, which is emphasized by the clearer lines of the bumper with integrated fog lights. The rear has also been redesigned; the LED light strip now runs across the entire width. The dimensions (LxWxH 4.36 x 1.79 x 1.58 meters) have not changed and continue to make the Honda a very clear car.

In the tidy cockpit a leather steering wheel is now available for all models. The gearshift also has a new leather trim, and the flatter and more ergonomically designed center console offers new storage compartments. In Switzerland, the Japanese compact SUV is now offered in five instead of three equipment variants. All equipment lines have darkened privacy glass, and in the new top version "Advance Style Plus", the HR-V comes with a panoramic glass roof as standard, which ensures a light-flooded interior. There are also three new colors: Sage Green, Seabed Blue Pearl and Urban Grey.

No change to the drive - and that's a good thing. The HR-V will continue to be powered by a 1.5-liter petrol engine in combination with two electric motors. This is then called HR-V e:HEV and delivers 96 kW/131 hp and 253 Nm of torque. Even if the driving mode switch can be changed to "Sport", the Honda does not become a wild dynamo: it goes from 0 to 100 km/h in 10.7 seconds. The HR-V remains a solid, comfort-oriented SUV in which you can select the level of recuperation via paddles on the steering wheel and thus drive even more efficiently, depending on your preference. According to the WLTP, the average consumption should be 5.4 l/100 km. On the short test drive in the rolling hills of the Jura, it is a little more, but the HR-V is still very pleasing. Prices for the Honda HR-V e:HEV now start at 37,490 francs. That's 1,000 francs more than before, but the revised version has more to offer.

Hybrids have a long tradition at Honda

In Switzerland, the segment of full and mild hybrid vehicles in particular is currently growing. And this is exactly what Honda has to offer with its diverse hybrid range. But not just since 2025, but for more than 25 years. The Japanese company started out in 1999 with the first generation of the Honda Insight. It was not only the shape of the aluminum body with the semi-covered rear wheels that was special, but also the drive system. The Honda Insight used a 1.0-liter three-cylinder engine combined with a 10 kW electric drive. "It was designed as a parallel hybrid, and the electric drive was placed as a sandwich between the engine and transmission," recalls Kotaro Yamamoto, Technical Advisor Honda Motor Europe.

Since these hybrid beginnings a lot has happened. And the Japanese have not only implemented the drive system as an ultra-economical variant. Honda's NSX sports car demonstrates with the SH-AWD hybrid system with 373 kW/507 hp and 550 Nm that a hybrid with all-wheel drive and nine-speed dual-clutch transmission can be dynamic. Last year, Honda then presented the latest hybrid generation, the i-MMD. "We later renamed it e:HEV, and it now powers almost the entire Honda hybrid range," explains Yamamoto. "We can recover almost 75 percent of the energy needed for acceleration through recuperation. That's what makes a hybrid that repeatedly benefits from recuperation phases so efficient - especially in city traffic."

The second important reason for the efficiency is that, thanks to its high efficiency, the electric motor delivers full torque immediately from the start, which is ideal for accelerating. "At high speeds, we also have a clutch that connects the petrol engine directly to the wheels without a generator or electric motor in between," explains the technology expert. "In addition, the Honda solution does not use a gearbox, which further reduces friction."

The hybrid is always in the ideal Load range on the road: Depending on the load and torque, a gasoline engine operates with very different levels of efficiency. It should therefore always be operated in the ideal range. But with a manual transmission, you almost never get into this range. Thanks to the additional electric motor, however, the petrol engine can almost always be operated at the ideal load. "Either the combustion engine receives e-support or, if it would otherwise leave the ideal range due to insufficient power requirements, it supplies additional energy to the battery via the generator in order to continue running in the ideal engine range," explains Kotaro Yamamoto.

Thanks to the experience gained from the previous hybrid generations, Honda can make even better use of the effect of the so-called Linear Shift Control and increase efficiency. "In addition to the HR-V, the latest hybrid generation is also used in the CR-V. The compact SUV is also available as a plug-in hybrid with a pure electric range of up to 82 kilometers and a dual-clutch transmission to provide more tractive power for towing trailers," explains Kotaro Yamamoto. "The Honda future also has a lot to offer: For example, the Prelude, which is also coming as a hybrid. The Prelude not only has a sporty design, but also a sporty hybrid drive with a two-liter petrol engine and simulated eight-speed dual clutch. So you can look forward to 2026," explains Technical Advisor Honda Motor Europe with a meaningful smile.