Following normal Honda practice, the 2016 Honda HR-V will be offered in LX, EX and EX-L Navi trim levels. HR-Vs are available with FWD or AWD, except for the EX-L, which is only available with AWD. Standard equipment includes heated front seats, seven-inch audio display, rear-view camera, alloy wheels, heated mirrors, LED rear lights, front wiper de-icer and air conditioning.

Higher trim levels include items like LaneWatch (an image is displayed in the centre console via a camera in the passenger-side mirror), moonroof, auto on/off headlights, leather seat trim, navigation, lane departure warning, forward collision warning and satellite radio. No blind spot warning or cross traffic alert is available for the HR-V, but the expanded view exterior mirrors and multi-view rear camera are helpful substitutes.

Inside HR-V is all flowing lines and modern minimalism. Honda calls it a “Smart Touch” interior. One-touch turn signals, electric parking brake, infotainment and navigation managed from the touchscreen “Display Audio” and even the climate controls use a touch panel. No buttons and knobs here, except on the multi-function steering wheel.

Virtually all the interior panels are soft-touch with embossed stitch lines designed to deliver a feeling of craftsmanship, according to Honda. There are piano-black surface treatments and a precise look to the instruments.

Like the Fit, HR-V features “Magic Seats,” which means the rear seat squabs fold up, opening a huge cargo area floor to roof behind the front seats. It’s a most practical feature that would enable the easy transportation, for instance, of a large flat-screen TV. You’d just slide it in behind the front seats. Otherwise, the split-folding rear seats open up an equally impressive cargo area that with the front passenger-seat folded forward permits accommodation of a full-size surfboard. Relevant, I guess, if you’re in Miami, but admittedly also useful for carrying ladders, bookshelves and the like. The wide rear door and low floor (650 mm) also aid in loading and unloading the HR-V.

You sit higher in the HR-V than you would in a sedan and the higher hip point makes it easy to enter and exit (you pretty much just move sideways to get in and out). The high driving position naturally gives good outward visibility, with the standard multi-angle rear-view camera helping when backing up.

On the road the first impression is that this is one quiet vehicle. There’s lots of sound deadening material and underbody covers to improve aerodynamics and reduce noise. The ride is very smooth (HR-V is fitted with Amplitude-Reactive, dual-piston dampers) and the handling satisfyingly sharp. It feels sporty, nimble and very car-like to drive.

CVT transmissions do come in for criticism by auto journalists, but this one is fine and it is the transmission of choice for the HR-V in my opinion. Not only does it deliver the best fuel economy, but the 6MT in contrast seemed nervous to me. Shifts were not particularly smooth, the engine seeming to rev unnecessarily from one gear to the next (I recall this behaviour from Hondas in the past; an unwanted little blip of the throttle between gears that adds busyness to the driving experience).

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