Honda HR-V launched in Thailand

[ignis]

Mazda 2 says will have the SkyActiv-D 1.5 diesel ?

Remember reading about the all new last year [uK] Honda 1.6 i-DTEC diesel engine, being the best in class, being light and very fuel effective......... BMW uses 1.5 diesel... why must Thailand only have larger engine sizes ? both petrol and diesel

[IMHO]

Mazda 2 says will have the SkyActiv-D 1.5 diesel ?

Remember reading about the all new last year [uK] Honda 1.6 i-DTEC diesel engine, being the best in class, being light and very fuel effective......... BMW uses 1.5 diesel... why must Thailand only have larger engine sizes ? both petrol and diesel

There are no "musts", just business cases

Hopefully the 1.5L diesel 2 and CX-3 can help start converting the buying public over, it happened in luxury cars (triggered by BMW, followed by Benz), and public opinion towards hatchbacks was successfully converted by the Jazz and Yaris. Give it time

The CO2 based excise taxes coming in 2016 will help too - passenger diesels are more expensive to manufacture, plus they often have more CC's - both of which conspire against them with the current taxation system.

Edited December 3, 2014 by IMHO

[ignis]

Same size cars here Honda Accord and Toyota Camry 2.0 or 2.4 lt........ UK Ford Mondeo 1.0 lt or the 1.5 lt + much lower CO2 than the old cars with 1.6 or 2.0 lt engines.. which were much lower than the bigger engines before them.

Same HR-V here 1.8 lt engine, UK 1.3 lt or 1.5 diesel + ? next year the Turbo 1.0 lt..

[MrJ]

just been to the show room of Honda Pattaya and have to admitt - really nice car, the top model has all the spec and security features as the European standard, but no test drive possible and bad for me just bought my current car 9 months ago

[eppic]

FWIW, I just booked the top EL version of the HR-V at the motor show yesterday. My rationale was as follows:

• I live in central BKK, and will use the car only occasionally, but the size is ideal for city driving and parking. I had a rented CR-V last week, but it felt-boat-like and always felt like I would be side-swiping something.
• Interior space is ideal for a male farang. Has actual elbow and head room. Same cannot be said for the Juke, Ecosport, Escort, and most other similar sized vehicles. It was the only one in the range that did not make me feel claustrophobic.
• Six airbags was a must for me given Thai road hazards, and most do not offer this. I also strongly prefer a rear-view camera.
• The sunroof is pretty much useless, but it is also a moonroof setting, and that can be nice at times
• Overall, it is very well-equipped for a smaller car, and does not have the cheap feel I got in the City, Mazda 3, and others.
• Storage space is outstanding, and seating design is very practical.
• Overall, felt it is the best choice for use primarily in BKK, but also not uncomfortable for the occasional longer roadtrip
• As for looks, I prefer what I have seen of the Mazda CX-3, but timing for that is TBD and I really don't want to wait when I may ultimately prefer the HR-V anyway

Regarding timing, I was told I will get January delivery, although a dealer I spoke to previously (not at the motor show) said March for the EL version. We'll see, but I don't mind a wait, I don't need a car urgently.

Anyway, that was my logic...I would say for those comparing it to an Ecosport or Juke, please see the HR-V in person, sit inside it, and you will change your mind very quickly.

Edited December 3, 2014 by eppic

[fish fingers]

Cd someone be good enough to explain the different specs?Is there a hybrid version coming out too?

Tough decision between this and the CX3.. I love the looks of the mazda, altho space is an important buying decision for me.

[MrJ]

what color did you order? any testdrive prior order? any discount freebees?

FWIW, I just booked the top EL version of the HR-V at the motor show yesterday. My rationale was as follows:

• I live in central BKK, and will use the car only occasionally, but the size is ideal for city driving and parking. I had a rented CR-V last week, but it felt-boat-like and always felt like I would be side-swiping something.
• Interior space is ideal for a male farang. Has actual elbow and head room. Same cannot be said for the Juke, Ecosport, Escort, and most other similar sized vehicles. It was the only one in the range that did not make me feel claustrophobic.
• Six airbags was a must for me given Thai road hazards, and most do not offer this. I also strongly prefer a rear-view camera.
• The sunroof is pretty much useless, but it is also a moonroof setting, and that can be nice at times
• Overall, it is very well-equipped for a smaller car, and does not have the cheap feel I got in the City, Mazda 3, and others.
• Storage space is outstanding, and seating design is very practical.
• Overall, felt it is the best choice for use primarily in BKK, but also not uncomfortable for the occasional longer roadtrip
• As for looks, I prefer what I have seen of the Mazda CX-3, but timing for that is TBD and I really don't want to wait when I may ultimately prefer the HR-V anyway

Regarding timing, I was told I will get January delivery, although a dealer I spoke to previously (not at the motor show) said March for the EL version. We'll see, but I don't mind a wait, I don't need a car urgently.

Anyway, that was my logic...I would say for those comparing it to an Ecosport or Juke, please see the HR-V in person, sit inside it, and you will change your mind very quickly.

[eppic]

what color did you order? any testdrive prior order? any discount freebees?

FWIW, I just booked the top EL version of the HR-V at the motor show yesterday....

I ordered the Ruse Black, which is really more of a very dark, metallic grey. It has maybe a hint of purple tinge in the light. My wife and I both thought the Modulo version (white with black trim) looks very sharp, but apparently it's only available with the E trim, at least according to our clueless sales rep...neither my wife nor I speak much Thai and didn't bring a friend, so we were at a bit of disadvantage. The pearl black version was an incredible, glossy fingerprint magnet, can't imagine buying that one -- the one on display had obvious handprints all over it.

I would have preferred a brown or cream interior, but it's black or nothing, the same as we saw in others such as the CX-5. Lack of interior color choices is a real irritation here -- black leather in the Thailand heat? But it it what it is.

Test drive at the motor show is minimal, a couple of rounds through some cones and ramps in the back of the expo. Enough for a modest test of the acceleration (quite good) and handling (not great, as expected -- worse than a small sedan, but better than the CR-V). The dealer at Pathumwan Honda told me I had to wait two weeks for a test drive, so the mini-test at the motor show was better than nothing.

Freebies are minimal since it's a hot new launch: window film, mats, lining, and the red plate. Insurance (80%, 1st class) is 21.5k. The usual 10k deposit, so not a big deal to walk away. All of these were verified in advance by a Thai friend at a dealer, so we got exactly what was expected at the motor show.

[kalbz]

Interesting thing about insurance.

I was doing my research on preparing to buy the HR-V EL.

I sold my Nissan March which i had insured with Viriyah top cover, i carried with it a 40% no claim bonus.

I asked Viriyah for a quote, which was 23,000 Bt. Then i asked what if i declared "me as only driver" & the new quote became 13,000 Bt.

That, i thought was cheap, anyway, i don't want anyone else to drive it.

[kalbz]

I ordered today the "EL".

won't be delivered till February or March.

I asked for the english language owners manual.

5,000 Bt deposit.

6,000 Bt extra for Blue color.

4,000 Bt for number plates & registration.

freebies i got were:

cargo mat

floor mats

door visors

side step plates

full tank of fuel. Salesman said he couldn't give full tank, so i said ring me when can do, then i will put deposit down, then he agreed to full tank of fuel on delivery.

[eppic]

I ordered today the "EL".

won't be delivered till February or March.

I asked for the english language owners manual.

5,000 Bt deposit.

6,000 Bt extra for Blue color.

4,000 Bt for number plates & registration.

freebies i got were:

cargo mat

floor mats

door visors

side step plates

full tank of fuel. Salesman said he couldn't give full tank, so i said ring me when can do, then i will put deposit down, then he agreed to full tank of fuel on delivery.

It will interesting to see the true delivery date. I have heard everything from January to April for the EL version. Rookie salesman at the motor show said January for mine, and that is written on the paperwork, but he was so clueless he didn't know which options were on each version of the HR-V, nor did he know which copy of the paperwork to give me. Do they hire temps at motor shows? He knew absolutely nothing, but was the only guy we could find that spoke a few words of English.

BTW, well done with the 5k deposit, I thought the standard was 10k. No big deal to walk away from either, but obviously 5k is better if delivery is canceled (for example, if the CX-3 turns out to be irresistible).

[AaronLV]

I ordered today the "EL".

won't be delivered till February or March.

I asked for the english language owners manual.

5,000 Bt deposit.

6,000 Bt extra for Blue color.

4,000 Bt for number plates & registration.

freebies i got were:

cargo mat

floor mats

door visors

side step plates

full tank of fuel. Salesman said he couldn't give full tank, so i said ring me when can do, then i will put deposit down, then he agreed to full tank of fuel on delivery.

It will interesting to see the true delivery date. I have heard everything from January to April for the EL version. Rookie salesman at the motor show said January for mine, and that is written on the paperwork, but he was so clueless he didn't know which options were on each version of the HR-V, nor did he know which copy of the paperwork to give me. Do they hire temps at motor shows? He knew absolutely nothing, but was the only guy we could find that spoke a few words of English.

BTW, well done with the 5k deposit, I thought the standard was 10k. No big deal to walk away from either, but obviously 5k is better if delivery is canceled (for example, if the CX-3 turns out to be irresistible).

We ordered a White EL on launch day and just got a call that we can pick it up this week. When we ordered they told us the end of December.

[kalbz]

The salesman told me that white, silver & crystal black were available. But blue & ruse black would be a long waiting list.

[eppic]

We ordered a White EL on launch day and just got a call that we can pick it up this week. When we ordered they told us the end of December.

Maybe you can report back after you take delivery? I'm really interested in your comments after you've had a chance to actually spend a fair amount of time in the vehicle. Test drives here tend to be either nonexistent or minimal, so it would be nice to get some real world feedback on a Thailand production unit.

[fish fingers]

Silver looks best imo, with tinted rear windows and those 'telephone' wheels. The Modulo doesn't seems to offer that much and I dont like the chrome grill anyway, looks tacky

Is the sunroof a panoramic type? Or is there an optional one? Shame about the lack of white leather option in Thailand

[eppic]

Not sure if you have actually seen the vehicle at a showroom, but I personally found the silver somewhat boring. Maybe because I already keep a much nicer liquid-silver color car for summer use in my home country. I also found the blue to be different at the showroom vs what I saw in photos, but obviously color is a matter of personal preference. Thais love white and black, anything with color is tougher on resale...silver probably a distant third to B&W. As for the Modulo, I think it looks better than in the photos, and was surprisingly sharp in white/black, didn't find it tacky at all -- it spruced up an otherwise generic look.

Some people find the HR-V hideous, others really like it...for me the looks are just OK -- pretty dull but at least not offensive. And at least it is a proper SUV, while the much better-looking CX-3 really seems to be a glorified hatchback, and I hate that protruding screen in the dash (also found it fugly in the Mazda 3)

Oh, and yes, the sunroof is panoramic:

Edited December 8, 2014 by eppic

[kalbz]

In what way was the blue different in the showroom vs the photos ? Was it darker or lighter than in the photos?

I noticed when i first came to Thailand that they didn't like colors, I was told by Thai's that white & black are colors of status. I just accept that i am a mere commoner. I've been driving silver & white vehicles for the past 25 years, so thought it was time for a change plus it will be easier to find my car in the carpark. I had a silver Nissan March which i recently sold, talk about trying to find your tiny car in a sea of pickup trucks. Sometimes i thought it was stolen.

When i first researched the HR-V it was already on the market in Japan under the name Honda Vezel.

The Japanese made a range of colors & engines that are not available in the Thai & European markets. I really liked the green & the burgundy/red. I guess those colors will come out here over the following years. The Japs have made 1.5L petrol, 1.8L petrol & 1.6L diesel.

If you want to see the other colors, look up Honda Vezel on google images.

[2unique]

Note the sunroof is in 2 halves and only the front half opens. There is an interior cloth cover that slides back completely (on a separate switch)

[AaronLV]

We ordered a White EL on launch day and just got a call that we can pick it up this week. When we ordered they told us the end of December.

Maybe you can report back after you take delivery? I'm really interested in your comments after you've had a chance to actually spend a fair amount of time in the vehicle. Test drives here tend to be either nonexistent or minimal, so it would be nice to get some real world feedback on a Thailand production unit.

Will do. We are picking it up either tomorrow or Thursday, depends on the 'correct' day to pick up your new car. Wife picked the color hence the white. Silver or the blue would have been my first choice, but didn't get to see the blue in person yet, so it is hard to say what it looks like. I did like the sliver when I saw it in person. We did go look at it yesterday to finish up the paperwork and get the exact amount of money to transfer, the white is better looking than I expected, it has a nice pearl to it in the sun.

We will be making a drive to Bangkok over the holidays so we will be putting some distance on it.

I have always been a big fan of Mazda (having owned 3 Mazda 3's in the US, as my daily commuter), but the new interiors with the protruding monitor has really turned me off.

[eppic]

In what way was the blue different in the showroom vs the photos ? Was it darker or lighter than in the photos?

I noticed when i first came to Thailand that they didn't like colors, I was told by Thai's that white & black are colors of status. I just accept that i am a mere commoner. I've been driving silver & white vehicles for the past 25 years, so thought it was time for a change plus it will be easier to find my car in the carpark. I had a silver Nissan March which i recently sold, talk about trying to find your tiny car in a sea of pickup trucks. Sometimes i thought it was stolen.

When i first researched the HR-V it was already on the market in Japan under the name Honda Vezel.

The Japanese made a range of colors & engines that are not available in the Thai & European markets. I really liked the green & the burgundy/red. I guess those colors will come out here over the following years. The Japs have made 1.5L petrol, 1.8L petrol & 1.6L diesel.

If you want to see the other colors, look up Honda Vezel on google images.

We were interested in the blue initially, but of course our Thai friends warned us against getting it because it was not popular here and could be hard to sell (we are not committed to stay here for long term). Same thing happened at the showroom when I was looking at a red car a few months back.

At the motor show, both of us thought the blue version had a bit of purple tinge under the showroom lights. Not sure if it would look different under natural lighting. If it were say, a very dark, metallic blue, we probably would have gone for it despite our friends' warnings.

My wife (not a Thai) does not want pure white. We rented a white City for a couple of months here, and sometimes at a BKK stoplight we would literally be surrounded by three or four other white City's. Certainly doesn't make one feel special. She really liked the modulo in person, with the black accents offsetting the pearl white. I also liked it, but the salesmen told us it's only available in the E version --- not sure if it's true, so maybe we should have verified this with someone less clueless.

Honestly speaking, we weren't thrilled about ANY of the colors (other than pehaps white.black modulo), but as you said, the best colors don't seem to come to Thailand (nor the best engines, options, etc.). The pearl black looked like a black screen with finger smudges everywhere, so we defaulted to ruse black, which is certainly not exciting but can have an interesting look under the right lighting. Probably a safe bet if we decide to sell it and leave Thailand in the next year or so.

[fish fingers]

Didn't realise the white colour had a slight pearl. Its not the best silver agreed but it does look really nice with the roof and those alloys. I'd choose a colour that enhances that side accent line- it makes the rear end less slabby (not helped by the tiny wheels)

Shame it doesn't come with the white leather dash and seats in Thailand!

Edited December 9, 2014 by fish fingers

[ignis]

On Malaysia website shows light grey leather seats + says made in Thailand.... on Japan website shows bright Red leather seats.

[sotsira]

After looking at the interior design of the centre console, i was bemused as to why

the storage area under the gear shift lever is so inaccessible.

All the utility plugs are there also which makes it very difficult to access and even see

from the seated position.

The centre armrest is also too far set back, which is probably why it has a sliding feature

to move forward, but that would then slide over the cup storage area, very bad design

from Honda who usually always get these things spot on in previous models.

[Ace of Pop]

Whats a Utility Plug.?.

[kalbz]

In what way was the blue different in the showroom vs the photos ? Was it darker or lighter than in the photos?

I noticed when i first came to Thailand that they didn't like colors, I was told by Thai's that white & black are colors of status. I just accept that i am a mere commoner. I've been driving silver & white vehicles for the past 25 years, so thought it was time for a change plus it will be easier to find my car in the carpark. I had a silver Nissan March which i recently sold, talk about trying to find your tiny car in a sea of pickup trucks. Sometimes i thought it was stolen.

When i first researched the HR-V it was already on the market in Japan under the name Honda Vezel.

The Japanese made a range of colors & engines that are not available in the Thai & European markets. I really liked the green & the burgundy/red. I guess those colors will come out here over the following years. The Japs have made 1.5L petrol, 1.8L petrol & 1.6L diesel.

If you want to see the other colors, look up Honda Vezel on google images.

We were interested in the blue initially, but of course our Thai friends warned us against getting it because it was not popular here and could be hard to sell (we are not committed to stay here for long term). Same thing happened at the showroom when I was looking at a red car a few months back.

At the motor show, both of us thought the blue version had a bit of purple tinge under the showroom lights. Not sure if it would look different under natural lighting. If it were say, a very dark, metallic blue, we probably would have gone for it despite our friends' warnings.

My wife (not a Thai) does not want pure white. We rented a white City for a couple of months here, and sometimes at a BKK stoplight we would literally be surrounded by three or four other white City's. Certainly doesn't make one feel special. She really liked the modulo in person, with the black accents offsetting the pearl white. I also liked it, but the salesmen told us it's only available in the E version --- not sure if it's true, so maybe we should have verified this with someone less clueless.

Honestly speaking, we weren't thrilled about ANY of the colors (other than pehaps white.black modulo), but as you said, the best colors don't seem to come to Thailand (nor the best engines, options, etc.). The pearl black looked like a black screen with finger smudges everywhere, so we defaulted to ruse black, which is certainly not exciting but can have an interesting look under the right lighting. Probably a safe bet if we decide to sell it and leave Thailand in the next year or so.

Ok, that may explain the naming of the Blue color, "Morph Blue". At different angles in the light the color can change. I once had a Nissan Patrol which would morph from green to black under the sunlight depending on where you stood.

[sotsira]

Whats a Utility Plug.?.

The plug sockets for mobile devices that need USB, HDMI and 12v cigar lighter sockets.

[eppic]

Didn't realise the white colour had a slight pearl. Its not the best silver agreed but it does look really nice with the roof and those alloys. I'd choose a colour that enhances that side accent line- it makes the rear end less slabby (not helped by the tiny wheels)

Shame it doesn't come with the white leather dash and seats in Thailand!

If it were this color (tinted silver metallic, similar to Mazda's dolphin gray), we would have booked it immediately.... But sadly, not in Thailand, we get a lighter silver here. In fact, the silver shown on the Honda website is not bad, but again it didn't look quite the same in person...still probably as good as any other choices though (unless you already own a silver car, like I do).

[AaronLV]

Picked up the car today. Wife filled out all the paperwork, etc.. The sales girl went through most of the features in the car, and then it was onto my first stop, the GAS STATION, I really thought I was not going to make it as we were sitting there idling while going over all the features. I didn't know I needed to request a full tank when ordering, standard practice in the US, full tanks on new cars, even buying used cars from people were almost always full. Not a big deal just lesson learned.

Didn't drive much today about 50 km, but my first impressions are quite positive. The seats are comfortable enough, much better than Jazz that I test drove, 15 minute test drive in the Jazz and I was dying. The seats in the HRV much more comfortable, but the real test will come on our drive from CM to BKK over Christmas. I was a bit worried with the 1.8L being gutless in the car, but so far it drives very smooth overtaking at highway speeds was a non-issue, but again will have a better impression on the road trip. The ride is not overly harsh, but some people might complain the suspension is a bit stiff, but I prefer it stiff to loose, but I am probably not the best judge on this as most of my cars in the states have always been sports cars with stiff suspension. The brakes are very linear, not grabby at the top, braking is very confident in the car. So far the only item that is typical Honda is the vague steering very light, not a lot of feedback, which is good and bad, but we didn't really buy the car for twisty mountain roads so not a real big deal, the Subaru-XV I drove was much better in the steering feel, which is what I would expect from them.

The fit and finish of the car is excellent all the doors are solid when opening and closing, not loose or cheap or flimsy filling. The interior is very nice, quality is good, bluetooth connectivity no issues connected immediately to my iPhone and then reconnected when I got back in the car without prompting. Much different than my last Mazda 3 where I had to constantly pair my phone when getting in the car. As someone mentioned above about the sliding arm rest, it is a non-issue, it does cover one drink holder, but the cup holders can be set shallow or deep and I don't really seeing myself sliding the arm rest out as I sit back far enough that I don't need to. If you are short legs then you will probably need to slide it out. The USB / HDMI / 12v ports are actually in a rather clever location, as all the wires coming out of the ports will be tucked away, as I will plug my iPhone cable in and leave it, just connecting when I need to, as I suspect most people just leave their USB cables plugged in, and if you are using the HDMI adapter for mirroring then it is even better the cables are not hanging all over the place. Sitting in the drivers seat it is easy to grab the cable plug in the phone and then set the phone down there and forget about it.

The panorama roof is interesting, only the front part opens, but the shade goes all the way back, or can be stopped in the middle. The 3 year old loves watching it open and close.

We are getting the rubber mat for the trunk area, but that won't be here until next month, as it seems most of the accessories are not here yet. The sales girl ordered an English Manual for me, but won't be here until next month. Not that I will look at it but some of the subtle features would be nice to refer to the manual. For instance the smart key system currently is unlock all the doors when I press the button on the door handle and I would prefer it to just unlock the drivers door, i am sure it is a setting, as it was on the CRV in the states. Also somehow unlocking the doors with the button on the handle today at subway re-locked the doors and then folded the mirrors in. I am sure it was some combination of pressing the button, but yet to be able to get it to work again, which would be nice to fold the mirrors in after getting out of the car on a street.

Not much else to report at this point, will add more feedback as I spend more time in the car. I am very pleased with the purchase, given the choices around the 1 million baht range for family cars, with versatility, and safety, this is a great buy in Thailand.

[eppic]

Thanks for the report, glad to hear it's mostly positive.

My summer car in the States is an MX-5, so I also personally don't mind the firm suspension, but I will miss the tight steering. I already knew from my mini test drive at the motor show that handling will not be great, but as long as it's better than the boat-like CR-V, it should at least be tolerable. I'm sure the driving experience (and exterior looks) won't compare to the CX-3, but should it be more practical and have a better interior.

I agree that hidden HDMI/USB plugs is actually better, since they are ugly if exposed and I will also simply leave a cord attached at all times...and certainly, a sliding center arm rest is much better than none at all (as per CX-3).

The fuel thing is a "TIT" moment...I would never have thought to ask for a full tank, just assumed that would be the case, but obviously @kalbz knew better and was savvy enough to demand and get it.

I appreciate the detail, and look forward to your thoughts after a longer road trip -- not too late for me to change my mind if I hear anything too alarming.

Edited December 10, 2014 by eppic

[kalbz]

I hope all you HR-V owners will have a dashcam. Cheap for the peace of mind & proof if needed. I'm getting the Garmin DDR-33, small and good quality.