2022 Honda HR-V Reviews, Pricing & Specs

Honda’s smallest SUV offers good space inside, solid cargo capacity, and a comfortable ride. Honda will introduce an all-new HR-V in 2023, but for 2022, the SUV arrives unchanged.

Honda’s vehicles may not be the flashiest on the market, but they typically offer solid engineering, good features, and family-friendly interiors. Though the HR-V is Honda’s smallest SUV, it offers good space inside, solid cargo capacity, and a comfortable ride. Honda will introduce an all-new HR-V in 2023, but for 2022, the SUV arrives unchanged.

Honda offers four trims for the 2022 model: LX, Sport, EX, and EX-L. The HR-V comes with a 1.8-liter inline-four-cylinder engine that produces 141 horsepower and 127 pound-feet of torque. A continuously variable transmission (CVT) and front-wheel drive (FWD) are standard, and all-wheel drive (AWD) is available. The powertrain delivers modest specs on paper, equating to lackluster performance in the real world. The CVT tends to let the engine howl and whine under heavy throttle, and the lack of overall grunt is noticeable at almost all speeds.

The five-seat HR-V is well built and thoughtfully constructed, but its cabin is not a beacon of refinement or luxury. Cloth upholstery is standard, while the top EX-L trim gets leather. Heated front seats become standard with the EX trim. Headroom and legroom are decent up front, but taller passengers may suffer in the back seat, due to insufficient headroom. The upside here is that the HR-V is surprisingly generous with legroom in the second row, so the situation isn’t all bad.

Though small, the HR-V is able to carry a good amount of cargo, thanks to its folding rear seats. Using the easy controls, the seat folds flat to the load floor for better capacity. The SUV’s rear hatch opening is large and conveniently shaped to make loading easier. Aiding with loading and unloading, the HR-V’s load floor is low and easy to access.

The base HR-V is likely more basic than most people would expect. It lacks a touchscreen and does not offer Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. It’s also without SiriusXM radio and other common features. Stepping up just one trim level to the HR-V Sport brings a 7-inch touchscreen display that offers smartphone connectivity, Bluetooth, a four- or six-speaker stereo, SiriusXM radio, and HD radio.

The HR-V missed a Top Safety Pick award in testing performed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The SUV earned “Good” scores in most categories, but its side crash tests, headlights, and seatbelt reminder systems all earned “Poor” ratings. This doesn’t mean the SUV is unsafe. The IIHS’s safety scores target specific characteristics, such as how well headlights illuminate the road on a curve, and a few misses in key areas can cause a drastic lowering of the score. Honda reserves advanced safety tech for the EX and EX-L trims. They come with lane-keep assist, adaptive cruise control, automatic high beams, and Honda Lane Watch.