cars news 10: Japanese-Spec Vezel Likely Previews Refreshed 2019 Honda HR-V

The refreshed Japanese-spec Honda Vezel may have just given us a look at the refreshed 2019 Honda HR-V. Much of the exterior remains the same, but it’s been freshened up to keep it competitive with the growing subcompact crossover class. Seen here in hybrid guise, Honda’s smallest crossover gets a couple of exterior design tweaks including a revised grille, new alloy wheels, redesigned LED headlights, and new LED foglights in the lower front fascia.

Inside, the cabin layout remains the same; however, Japanese-spec hybrid models get a cool-looking electronic shifter instead of a traditional mechanical one. The dash and center console are essentially carried over, but based on the interior shot, we can’t tell whether the all-important volume knob has returned on the refreshed Japanese-spec Vezel.

Honda Sensing, an active driver assistance suite that bundles together features like lane keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, and road departure mitigation, is now available on the refreshed Vezel and we expect it to make an appearance on the U.S.-spec 2019 Honda HR-V as well. The U.S.-spec HR-V will likely retain the same 1.8-liter I-4 paired to either a six-speed manual or a CVT. The hybrid model seen here will probably remain exclusive to the Japanese market.

The latest version of Honda’s infotainment system, on the other hand, should find its way into the refreshed 2019 HR-V and finally give the crossover a much improved infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

Check out the video below to see the refreshed Honda Vezel in action

Source: Honda