Honda’s new HR-V will offer a choice of 1.5-litre petrol and hybrid power in Australia, government documents confirm, with up to 96kW/253Nm.
The 2022 Honda HR-V will launch next year with a choice of 1.5-litre petrol and hybrid powertrains, it has been revealed.
Australian government certification documents confirm the new HR-V will offer a choice of two powertrains when it reaches Honda showrooms in the first half of 2022: an entry-level 1.5-litre non-turbo petrol engine, and a frugal ‘e:HEV’ hybrid model also based around a 1.5-litre petrol engine.
Opening the range on price will be the pure petrol engine, expected to be the same unit in Japanese-market HR-V models: a 1.5-litre non-turbo four-cylinder developing 87kW and 142Nm, driving the front wheels through a CVT automatic gearbox.
Those outputs are 18kW and 30Nm lower than those quoted by the outgoing HR-V’s 1.8-litre non-turbo four-cylinder, and make the new Honda one of the least powerful vehicles in the small SUV class, just outperforming the 85kW (but 200Nm) Toyota C-HR’s 1.2-litre turbo four-cylinder.
Meanwhile, the e:HEV hybrid model pairs a 78kW/127Nm 1.5-litre petrol engine with two electric motors and a small lithium-ion battery for combined outputs of 96kW and 253Nm, enabling a WLTP combined fuel consumption claim of 5.4 litres per 100 kilometres.
Hybrid drivers can choose between a selection of drive modes – including one that locks the car in electric mode, until the battery is depleted – with the system charged up using the petrol engine and regenerative braking under deceleration.
Full specifications for Australia are yet to be confirmed, however the 2022 Honda HR-V is expected to offer buyers a choice of multiple variants – given its crucial role in Honda Australia’s future sales performance – rather than the VTi LX-only line-up of the new Civic hatchback.
The goverment listing makes reference to “optional parts” that increase the overall body length to 4346mm – possibly hinting at a sporty RS variant, with unique bumpers with slightly different profiles to those of the base vehicle.
While the outgoing HR-V is priced from $31,300 drive-away in base VTi guise, price rises are highly likely, given the Japanese car maker is expected to focus on more expensive (and therefore more profitable) models, as seen across the Civic and Accord ranges.
It remains to be seen if prices will increase by the same magnitude as the new Civic range, which underwent an increase of $7800 drive-away when comparing flagship old and new models (but a $16,200 increase in the starting price).
To read more about the 2022 Honda HR-V – ahead of its local launch in the first half of 2022 – click here to read Drive’s story from the car’s full reveal, published in February.
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