Competitors:
HR-V’s added space is welcome along with a smoother ride, techier displays, more upscale surrounds and more standard features. Despite a more powerful 2-liter, 158-horsepower engine, however, HR-V struggles to get up to speed off the line and in the passing lane. Surprisingly, neither the subcompact Honda or Toyota models lead the niche when it comes to sales this year. Subaru Crosstrek logged 95,252 units through August versus 84,120 HR-Vs sales, which should gather steam with the new model released in June.
Front buckets are comfy even on long hauls while the back row gains space and is fine adults as long as those in front don’t lean their seats way back. I was surprised by the generous cargo area, which gained a couple cubes over the previous generation.