2016 Honda HR-V 1.5 and 1.8 CVT

**Walter** · June 28th, 2015 06:43 AM

Much better insight regarding the interior from Snail.

**Aleman** · June 29th, 2015 08:37 AM

Originally Posted by snail

Everything is relative. To which car(s) is the poster comparing it to?

I find the interior finish very good, definitely better compared to Asian SUVs like the Fortuner and the Montero. We had a Montero and my mother-in-law drives a Fortuner, so I'm not biased. The interior design is subjective, of course.

I agree that it can be subjective most of the times, it just so happened that I happened to check out as well the interiors of the M3 and CX5, so I happened to compare it to the layout and finish of the two Mazda's.

**Walter** · June 29th, 2015 09:41 AM

Mazda interiors seem to be better than other brands of the same class.

**snail** · June 29th, 2015 12:06 PM

Originally Posted by Aleman

I agree that it can be subjective most of the times, it just so happened that I happened to check out as well the interiors of the M3 and CX5, so I happened to compare it to the layout and finish of the two Mazda's.

Point well taken sir.

I haven't seen both cars' interiors so I can't objectively comment on them.

Thanks

**Aleman** · June 29th, 2015 01:21 PM

Originally Posted by snail

Point well taken sir.

I haven't seen both cars' interiors so I can't objectively comment on them.

Thanks

Sir Snail, I was actually considering XV or Forester base model as well. I like the safety features of the two, the exterior looks of the XV and the spaciousness of the Forester, but I guess it's quite hard to decide which car to choose especially if you have a budget to consider. Hehehe...I sincerely apologize for my inquiries is out of topic in this thread, I hope you can give me feedback as to the performance of your XV (reliability in particular, I have test driven the XV it's just that the test drive unit have already lots of unnecessary noise from the cabin which I think are coming mostly from the hard plastics that are getting loose). A PM will be very much appreciated. Thanks

**snail** · June 29th, 2015 02:56 PM

Originally Posted by Aleman

Sir Snail, I was actually considering XV or Forester base model as well. I like the safety features of the two, the exterior looks of the XV and the spaciousness of the Forester, but I guess it's quite hard to decide which car to choose especially if you have a budget to consider. Hehehe...I sincerely apologize for my inquiries is out of topic in this thread, I hope you can give me feedback as to the performance of your XV (reliability in particular, I have test driven the XV it's just that the test drive unit have already lots of unnecessary noise from the cabin which I think are coming mostly from the hard plastics that are getting loose). A PM will be very much appreciated. Thanks

It's ok sir, I'll just post it here for the benefit of everyone who might be in the same situation.

I can't really extensively comment on the XV since it's not my daily drive. However, some things I'd like to point out are:

1. Cargo area can be frustratingly small sometimes. One (1) full-sized baby stroller is all it can handle plus a couple of grocery bags. If you carry a lot of stuff on a daily basis, get the Forester instead. Side by side, the interior space difference between the two is very noticeable.

2. After about a year with us, I noticed a rattle coming from the upper left side of the dashboard.

3. FM radio reception is really bad. Have never experienced this with any of our other cars.

4. Overall performance is nothing to write home about. But if you're coming from say, a compact sedan like a 1.8 Civic or Altis, it's definitely a step above in the acceleration and handling department. After driving it, my father-in-law complained that it felt slow, probably because he was not used to the feeling of a CVT as it was his first time to drive one. Personally though, I find the CVT's "droning" sound very unappealing.

5. Maintenance cost is a bit on the expensive side compared to our other Japanese cars from Toyota and Honda.

6. Reliability - We've had our XV since November of 2013, and other than a busted rear light bulb, everything is ok.

All in all, the fact that we already have one and yet I still even considered getting another one for my wife means I'm satisfied with our XV. If not for that reason alone, I think I might have ordered this over the HR-V.

HTH

**krm** · June 29th, 2015 03:53 PM

Originally Posted by Aleman

Sir Snail, I was actually considering XV or Forester base model as well. I like the safety features of the two, the exterior looks of the XV and the spaciousness of the Forester, but I guess it's quite hard to decide which car to choose especially if you have a budget to consider. Hehehe...I sincerely apologize for my inquiries is out of topic in this thread, I hope you can give me feedback as to the performance of your XV (reliability in particular, I have test driven the XV it's just that the test drive unit have already lots of unnecessary noise from the cabin which I think are coming mostly from the hard plastics that are getting loose). A PM will be very much appreciated. Thanks

I also have an XV for over a year now and like sir Snail I also have some rattle the right side dashboard and on the right pilar. Coming from 2 Honda's (FD 2.0s & jazz) I find the handling and acceleration better. and Yes the maintenance is more on the expesive side compared to Honda probably because of the AWD system, the cost of parts though is definitely much more than Honda.

I was considering the HR-V as a second car since after getting into a minor fender-bender on the XV, I learned that they don't repair panels, they simply replace it. And it takes 4-6 weeks for parts to arrive. Not to mention the cost of the parts bill on your insurance claim limits will take a major hit even just for 1 panel.

Only thing really to consider with regards to the HRV is you can easily get a mid-tier CRV for the price of the mid tier HRV plus some change. I mean the price difference in that price bracket is a bit negligable already.

**snail** · June 29th, 2015 04:39 PM

So true. The only problem is, I personally cannot get over the CRV's rear-end design hehe

**Aleman** · June 29th, 2015 04:50 PM

Thank you very much Sir Snail and Sir Krm for the inputs, very informative indeed. I don't own any honda nor a Subaru, but my friend said that Honda is a bit expensive to maintain than Toyota. At least now I have an idea that owning a Subaru will cost more than a Honda. I own a Toyota and a Ford. My ford ranger xlt averages at around Php 16k-17k for every 10km or every six months.

As with regards to the HRV's price, I guess it's quite comparable to the XV. I prefer the XV's exterior and safety features of the base model as compared to the HRV's base and mid-range model. With regards to driving it, I don't have any idea...hehehe...Sir Snail and Krm's inputs for XV I think will do.

**germs** · June 29th, 2015 08:06 PM

Originally Posted by Aleman

Thank you very much Sir Snail and Sir Krm for the inputs, very informative indeed. I don't own any honda nor a Subaru, but my friend said that Honda is a bit expensive to maintain than Toyota. At least now I have an idea that owning a Subaru will cost more than a Honda. I own a Toyota and a Ford. My ford ranger xlt averages at around Php 16k-17k for every 10km or every six months.

As with regards to the HRV's price, I guess it's quite comparable to the XV. I prefer the XV's exterior and safety features of the base model as compared to the HRV's base and mid-range model. With regards to driving it, I don't have any idea...hehehe...Sir Snail and Krm's inputs for XV I think will do.

Have you considered the new CX-5 variant called the CX-5 Maxx? Sells for 1.345M, a bit nearer to the XV's and the HR-V's price compared to previous CX-5 variants.

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Originally Posted by Aleman

Thank you very much Sir Snail and Sir Krm for the inputs, very informative indeed. I don't own any honda nor a Subaru, but my friend said that Honda is a bit expensive to maintain than Toyota. At least now I have an idea that owning a Subaru will cost more than a Honda. I own a Toyota and a Ford. My ford ranger xlt averages at around Php 16k-17k for every 10km or every six months.

As with regards to the HRV's price, I guess it's quite comparable to the XV. I prefer the XV's exterior and safety features of the base model as compared to the HRV's base and mid-range model. With regards to driving it, I don't have any idea...hehehe...Sir Snail and Krm's inputs for XV I think will do.

Have you considered the new CX-5 variant called the CX-5 Maxx? Sells for 1.345M, a bit nearer to the XV's and the HR-V's price compared to previous CX-5 variants.