Thai Motor Expo 2014 – Honda HR-V on display
Honda’s pavilion at the Thai Motor Expo is showcasing a total of 15 models being offered in the Thai market. Grabbing our interest, notably, is the HR-V compact SUV that was recently launched in Thailand and heavily anticipated for its impending arrival in Malaysia next year.
Unveiled globally at last year’s Tokyo Motor Show as the Vezel, the handsome-looking little SUV has already picked up a total of 4,000 bookings from Thai customers in just 10 days after its launch in the kingdom. Judging from the interest brewing in our shores, Honda Malaysia could probably look forward to similar demand.
Based on the Jazz/City B-segment platform, Honda Thailand positions the HR-V as a premium sport crossover, and has accordingly specced it brimming with equipment. On the display cars, we observed equipment such as electronic parking brake, reverse camera, LED headlamps, engine start button, keyless entry, panoramic sunroof, electronic stability control, and touch panel interface. Unsurprisingly, much of its switchgear appears shared with the Jazz and City.
Engine, however, departs from the default choice of its passenger car siblings, as the Civic’s 1.8-litre SOHC i-VTEC is shoehorned into the engine bay, presumably accounting for its heavier weight, ranging from 1,255 to 1,292kg in Thai specification. In this application, the naturally-aspirated four-cylinder engine, which is mated to a CVT driving the front wheels, pushes out 139hp and 172Nm. All-wheel drive is not offered for the Thai market.
Another display to interest Malaysian readers is the newly-facelifted CR-V, which continues to be offered in 2.0- and 2.4-litre displacements, each with the option of front- and all-wheel drivelines. The existing 153hp/190Nm 2.0-litre engine carries on its tried and tested partnership with the proven 5-speed automatic transmission, but the 2.4-litre version picks up a new 173hp/225Nm Earth Dreams engine mated with a CVT. It also gains LED daytime running lights and the LaneWatch system that debuted in the Accord 2.4.
