cars news 10: 2016 Honda HR-V EX Update 4: Smiles Per Gallon

After taking over the HR-V as a new long-termer, it did not take much time to notice how well this little CUV handles curves. Freeway on-ramp speeds just kept climbing way past the point I expected to hear tire screech and understeer. This suggested it would be fun on a mountain road, and the opportunity to confirm this recently arose when I went to shoot a Model X up on Angeles Crest.

As expected, the HR-V is quite fun on a curvy mountain road. Turn-in is quick, and although not sports car telepathic, steering does give some feedback. It takes a bit of time for it to start to push, and until that point, it still responds to mid-corner corrections. Rarely did I experience understeer, but that could be attributed to inability of the lackluster 141-hp engine to get it going fast enough to do so—at least heading up the hill. I was practically at wide-open throttle all the way up the mountain to our shooting spot and barely had to touch the brakes. I’ve complained about the engine previously, but one bonus of an underpowered engine is gas mileage. Even after constant WOT up Angeles Crest, the car was still indicating 26 mpg. I’d say that’s pretty good in terms of smiles per gallon, but Honda’s 1.5-liter turbo would make this thing a riot. Like a NISMO Juke but with better ergonomics.

It would be interesting to drive the HR-V back to back with a manual Honda Fit because after looking back at our test numbers, the HR-V outperforms the Fit in every measure other than acceleration. That’s odd because they share the same platform, and the Fit is 300 pounds lighter and sits about 3 inches lower. The better cornering performance of the HR-V could be contributed to its 225 series tires compared to the Fit’s 185s, but the higher center of gravity and added weight should negate that. I guess if you want a better-handling Honda Fit, buy the one that’s basically on stilts. Go figure.