The Honda WRV is here to WOW; at least that is what Honda adamantly claims. They even have a poem on their website that describes how they are prepared to “WOW the world”. However, it is a tall order since it is enter­ing the crosshatch segment where the likes of the Hyundai i20 Active, Toyota Etios Cross, and Volkswagen Cross Polo have already tried their hand at “Wowing”. Much like its rivals, the WRV is a hatchback that gets a crash course in masculinity and bodybuilding. Nonetheless, it is worth noting that the platform that the WRV shares is the same as the popular Jazz hatchback and City sedan. Also, the WRV is the first sub 4-meter offering from Honda and this means that it falls under the excise duty benefit bracket. This in turn implies that Honda will enter a segment where the pri­mary objective is competitive pricing. Not exactly Honda’s strong suit. But this does make the prospect of exploring the WRV more exciting.

 

Exterior

 

Taking the middle road, the Honda WRV doesn’t resort to extremes in terms of its design. It has a clean design with a few stylistic elements thrown into the mix. Honda gives the WRV the generic urban SUV treatment by equipping it with elements like the roof rails, faux skid plates and black plas­tic cladding along the bumpers, sides and wheel arches.

 

There is more effort and style in the design compared to the Jazz, especially in the front and rear. This goes a long way in their effort to pluck it away from the MPV-ish territory and plants it somewhere in the SUV design periphery. The ground clearance of 188mm is decent for the segment, but not the best. Overall, it is a vehicle that is pleasing to look at.

 

Interior

 

The all black interior theme and design of the dashboard comes from the Jazz and there is very little to com­plain. This is made even better by the amount of glass area in the cabin, including a sunroof, which allows plenty of light and brightens the black interiors.

 

The large touchscreen info­tainment unit is easy to use and angled slightly towards the driver for easier visibility and access. It doubles as a dis­play for the reverse parking which helps make up for the absence of parking sensors and a small rear window. Keyless entry is only available in diesel variant, not in the petrol that we were driving.

 

Legroom is more than enough for the driver and pas­sengers, but seating three large people in the rear can be a bit of a tight fit. Headroom won’t be a problem for anyone under 6 feet. The seats are extremely comfortable and will provide plenty of support even for long trips. If you do decide to go on long trips, the boot space is plenty for your family’s weekend luggage.

 

Performance

 

For the 1.2-liter petrol vari­ant we were driving, the per­formance isn’t something you’d write home about. Fully packed, with pretty heavy peo­ple on board, the 89bhp and 110nm of torque struggled to make a strong impression. We had to really work the 4 cylin­der i-VTEC engine to get the WRV moving. You’ll be con­stantly shifting gears to com­mute in the city.

 

Thankfully, the gearshifts are smooth and the clutch is light. Although not very powerful, the WRV is a very comfort­able car to drive. The suspen­sion does a good job of soak­ing up road undulations and the brakes (discs in the front, drums in the rear) do a decent job of bringing the car to a stop.

 

The verdict

 

Overall, the WRV is a pretty good crosshatch. Honda has put in more effort than most of its rivals in terms of exterior design. It is also a very pleas­ant experience when you’re inside the cabin, complete with a sunroof and a decked out infotainment system. How­ever, with the 1.2L petrol vari­ant, you’re always left want­ing more from the WRV. For a vehicle that really finds a sweet spot in terms of aesthetics, it’s a shame they didn’t go for the 1.5L i-VTEC from the City.

 

That said, they have to contend with rivals in terms of price. And at Rs 46,00,000 it hasn’t really done a great job on that front. The saving grace is that it does have a premium feel in terms of the amenities included and the appearance. The Honda WRV deserves a small, halfhearted wow for the effort.