1. What is it?
It’s muscular, sporty and spacious and Honda Car India call it the WR-V. With the new car model, Honda fill the void for a compact SUV/crossover. It’s a car that aims to cater to the growing needs and aspirations of urban India.
Essentially, the Honda WR-V will compete with the likes of the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza and Hyundai i20 Active. Based on the Jazz, it shares a lot of parts from Honda’s premium hatchback, which, in turn, will help it achieve a competitive price. It is the first car model to be developed by Honda Car India’s R&D centre which has worked closely with Honda Japan to come up with the production model.
2. When will Honda WR-V launch in India?
Honda Car India have confirmed to Car India that the WR-V will be launched on 16 March 2017. The crossover will be launched in various cities of India in the third week of March. What’s interesting is that the crossover will be launched in India before any other country in the world. Although, the car was showcased at the Sao Paolo International Motor Show this past November.
3. What is the Honda WR-V crossover price?
The new Honda WR-V is set to cost between Rs 7.75 lakh and Rs 10.00 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), which is more than the Honda Jazz which starts at Rs 5.9 lakh and goes up to Rs 9.3 lakh.
4. What are the differences between the WR-V and the Jazz?
A lot, actually. Although it’s essentially based on the Jazz, the WR-V, at 3,999 mm, is 45 mm longer than the Jazz. The crossover is also 57 mm taller at 1601 mm and the wheelbase has been stretched by 25 mm to 2555 mm. The front design is all new and much bolder than its hatchback sibling. The new swept-back headlamps and chunky grille complete the SUV-like stance. Then, there’s all-round plastic cladding and silver skid-plates to further accentuate the WR-V’s sportier stance. The side profile is very similar to that of the Jazz but the WR-V can be differentiated by its roof-rails, sunroof (higher variants) and larger 16-inch alloy wheels.
5. Does it offer new engine options?
Nope. Sadly, to avail tax benefits most car manufacturers have to play it safe when it comes to engine size. Not surprisingly the Honda WR-V borrows the petrol and diesel engines from the Honda Jazz.
It gets the same 1,199 cc i-VTEC petrol engine producing 90 PS at 6,000 rpm and 110 Nm of torque at 4,800 rpm. Honda claim they have worked on the five-speed manual transmission which has been tweaked to offer better performance. They also claim a fuel efficiency of 17.5 km/l.
The 1.5-litre i-DTEC turbo-diesel engine has also been worked upon to improve fuel efficiency, as it now has a claimed fuel efficiency of an impressive 25.5 km/l. There also a six-speed manual transmission with gear ratios that not just improve fuel economy but also “improve uphill climbing ability and smooth acceleration.”
6. What’s changed in terms of dynamics?
The increased wheelbase and tread of the WR-V improves stability. With a larger set of wheels and higher ground clearance of 188 mm, it can take on severe road undulations. To aid ride quality and to tame bad roads, Honda have also improved the suspension setup.
7. What’s the cabin like?
It’s a smart looking cabin with one of the best examples of space utilisation in this segment. The reasonably large boot space of 363 litres is nine litres more than what the Jazz offers. The dashboard is offered in two colour options: black-and-bluish-grey, or a more chic black-and-silver combination. The WR-V also gets a new seven-inch touchscreen infotainment system, with MirrorLink to connect smartphones. The one-touch sunroof, touch-panel auto climate, cruise control (only available in the diesel variant) and plenty of storage space.
