Review: Honda WR-V 1.5L RS – A Decent, Winsome Vehicle?

Fancy Yourself A ‘Winsome Runabout Vehicle’?

Making its global debut back in Nov 2022, the Honda WR-V is a uniquely ASEAN product – it was developed by the Honda ASEAN team for ASEAN markets. In Malaysia, this subcompact crossover SUV replaces the first-gen BR-V from Honda’s ‘-V’ series, with the firm opting to skip the second-gen 7-seater FOR this subcompact crossover.

The Honda WR-V is a looker indeed, especially in its range-topping RS form

Like its ‘Winsome Runabout Vehicle’ naming, the WR-V’s design is unmistakably Honda too as it features a slew of familiar design cues in a much more compact and funky-looking form –  L-shaped LED combination taillights a la FE5-gen Civic, ‘hidden’ rear door handles, and segmented front grille design inspired by the HR-V included.

In this top-specced RS variant, the WR-V also gets several additional pieces of equipment over the low-speeced models, such as the aforementioned front grille finished in chrome, full LED headlights with DRLs and sequential turn signals, and RS badging on either end. Completing things here are its 17-inch alloy wheels.

To no one's surprise, Honda Malaysia's smallest SUV is smaller than its closest rival, the Perodua Ativa

Dimensionally, the WR-V is very compact to say the least. Measuring 4,060 MM long (2,485 MM wheelbase), 1,780 MM wide, and 1,608 MM tall, Honda’s smallest SUV model is in fact slightly smaller than the Perodua Ativa – one of the best-selling small SUVs in our market today, which also happens to be its fiercest rival.

Personal preferences aside, it is agreeable that the Honda WR-V is a looker indeed, not to mention the great job Honda did in speccing-up the RS model’s exterior.

An Interior That Blows Hot and Cold

With such a small car and equally small footprint to cover, the WR-V RS does boast a decently-equipped cabin, though keen eyes may find some glaring omissions that are not expected at this price point.

Modern amenities like leather-wrapped seats, infotainment screen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are all present in this top-specced WR-V

Present are leather-wrapped seats and steering wheel treated with the RS badge’s red contrast stitching, two USB-A ports up front, six-speaker audio, plush black combination leather upholstery with red contrasting stitches, an 7-inch infotainment display offering both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay – the latter being standard kit across all variants.

While that list sounds decent, the WR-V RS does lack a few key bits to justify its hefty price. For instance, rear passengers only get a 12-volt socket instead of dedicated USB charge ports, whilst drivers are given lever-operated handbrake instead of an electronic parking brake (EPB), and a semi-digital metre cluster instead of a fully-digital one.

Even in this range-topper, the boot has no tonneau cover or parcel shelf to provide privacy over the boot space from prying eyes. Depending on your physique, perhaps the surprising absence of telescopic steering adjustment is cause for concern too. Nevertheless, this WR-V seems to make up for these downsides elsewhere.

Practicality is surprisingly not an issue as the WR-V boasts a respectable 380-litre boot space – large enough to stow a full-sized, 16-inch spare wheel too. Although the rear seats lack Honda's versatile 'magic seat’ functionality, they still offer 60:40 split-folding ability to grant some added flexibility with their cargo spaces.

All in all, the Honda WR-V, even in its range-topping RS form, does lack key equipment that is otherwise ‘expected’ at this price point. And fortunately, things are about to get better from here…

How Does It Drive?

This is where the WR-V excels the most. All four variants of the WR-V available share a 1.5-litre 4-cyl i-VTEC mill under the hood, all mated to a CVT automatic to deliver 121 PS and 145 NM to the front wheels (FWD). Though some (including us) might loathe the absence of an e:HEV hybrid option, this nat-asp mill is easily capable of propelling this small SUV from nought to 100 KM/H in 11.3 seconds and hit a V-max of 160 KM/H.

This ‘hassle-free’ powertrain setup gets matched with mechanical bits that promise decent driving dynamics. For starters, the WR-V gets a shortened version of the new BR-V’s chassis, plus a Torsion beam-McPherson strut damper setup that has been fine-tuned by Honda ASEAN engineers to tackle the region’s many subpar road conditions.

As expected, the Honda WR-V delivers a nice balance between driving performance and comfort

As a result, the Honda WR-V delivers a nice balance between driving performance and comfort – an SUV crossover that you can confidently manoeuvre through corners with, but at the same time offer a decent amount of damping that grants a comfy ride. Factor in its compact size and tight 5.2-metre turning radius, even less-skilled drivers won’t find piloting this small SUV through city streets and tight parking spaces to be difficult.

Under hard acceleration, there are some noticeable engine and tyre roar to note in the cabin. That aside, overall noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) levels are kept sufficiently in check for the most parts. Wind noise, on the other hand, only becomes noticeable beyond the national highway speed limit.

Honda's big gamble to develop ASEAN-tailored products like the WR-V turns out to be worth it, as evidently shown in this subcompact SUV crossover

These aside, there’s little to gripe about driving ease and comfort levels. If anything, it all stands as proof that Honda knows how to tailor a product for our road conditions – a testament to the marque’s effort at developing products specifically for ASEAN too.

How About Safety?

In this top-specced RS form, the WR-V is brimmed with safety equipment on both the passive and active fronts, as expected of any vehicle in this day and age.

Honda LaneWatch camera system

Aside from the standard passive safety kit like six airbags, ABS with EBD, ESS, as well as both traction (TCS) and stability (VSA) controls, the WR-V RS is primed with the latest Honda SENSING safety suite and the novel Honda LaneWatch camera system.

The WR-V is brimmed with key ADAS functions, thanks to the addition of the Honda SENSING safety suite

The Honda SENSING suite grants the AR-V with standard ADAS functions like Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB), Lane-Keeping Assist (LKAS) with Lane Departure Warning (LDW), Lead Car Departure Warning (LCDN), and many more.

Furthermore, the RS model also supports the Honda CONNECT service. First introduced to the Civic e:HEV RS, this connectivity service grants access to several remote vehicle functions like remote unlocking and ignition, pre-conditioning, telematics functions to trace your car’s location, as well as checking out your car status – all via a dedicated mobile app.

Though lacking features like a 360-degree camera and Blind-Spot Monitoring (BSM), the Honda WR-V RS is still on par with most of its contemporaries on the safety front. Perhaps the addition of the novel Honda CONNECT service might just entice more prospects into this RS range-topper’s favour over other variants.

Is It Reliable, Though?

Although it is near impossible to gauge the WR-V’s reliability from our short weekend stint with it, we’ll agree with the argument that modern Japanese cars tend to have very little mechanical gremlins to deal with, even for long-term ownership.

The WR-V's L15ZF Earth Dreams i-VTEC mill is part of Honda's L-series engine dated all the way back from the first-gen Honda Jazz/Fit hatchback

The promise of bullet-proof reliability stems from Honda’s decision to fit the WR-V with a simplistic, ol’ reliable powertrain setup – no complicated electrification or forced induction here, just a simple unit that sees its roots date back to the first-gen Honda Jazz. Surely, this mill’s continued use by Honda in newer models like the WR-V only proves both its durability and reliability.

Despite boasting an extra cylinder with slightly larger capacity over its closest rival (read: Perodua Ativa), Honda claims the WR-V has a pretty decent fuel economy rate of 6.0 litres/100 KM, or 16.67 KM/litre. We managed just 12.3 KM/litre during our weekend test mostly filled with city driving. Nevertheless, what’s certain is that WR-V’s 40-litre tank is more than enough to grant over 400 KM of travel with each full fill-up.

Still not convinced of the claimed reliability this small SUV promises? Then perhaps the 5-year, unlimited mileage warranty it comes with ought to keep any concerns at bay, not forgetting the security to ensure which borne out of Honda Malaysia’s vast dealership network established.

What’s The Cost Of All This?

At RM107,900, the range-topping Honda WR-V 1.5L RS as tested is certainly no bargain. Despite boasting pretty styling, well-balanced driving dynamics to match, as well as respectable high safety features to boot, this supposed range-topper still has some key omissions that would otherwise make its princely price tag justified.

Also, at this price, it makes the newly-updated Honda City sedan stablemate a much more reasonable choice, with the B-segment sedan arguably offering better practicality, but not the WR-V’s quirky styling. One could also argue that the baseline Honda HR-V would make more fiscal sense too as it grants a bigger, more practical car at just a slight premium.

Has the WR-V's quirky styling, stellar driving performance and richly-kitted nature has done enough to entice you over other compact SUV crossovers?

Nevertheless, we’re certain our local market is fortunately vast and varied enough to accommodate the Honda WR-V. This small crossover SUV makes for a decent proposition for those willing to splurge a little more on both styling and brand prestige while not overtly sacrificing performance, comfort, and practicality.

If you longed for a stylish crossover SUV that’s neither too big for the urban setting but still adequate and practical enough for occasional interstate travels, plus decently-kitted inside out, then the Honda WR-V 1.5L RS should be high up in your list of options indeed…

SPECIFICATION

2023 HONDA WR-V 1.5L RS