Video: 2016 Honda HR-V - First Look

Honda's version here is based on the Fit sub-compact, and so that means it has a few tricks up its sleeve in terms of utility, we'll show you them. Now in terms of styling, the HR-V has a lot of similarities to Honda CR-V, its very popular, sort of compact SUV. The grill here kind of dives in the center, got a few Hyundai cues here, sort of joining the headlamps into this center portion here that comes down very low. You get around the side and it's very clear that the HR-V actually looks like a real SUV, it doesn't just look like a butched up Honda Fit. In back, very different styling versus the Fit, actually, a lot of Acura cues going on, that makes sense, Acura is Honda's luxury brand. Plenty of storage areas up front, dual level cup holders, some areas down here below the gear shift to store more things, and very interesting detailing, actually much better than in the fit, the Honda Fit. As far as stitching along parts of the center console here along parts of the upper door with soft touch areas where your arms and your elbows fall, I like all of that. Now one area of concern involves Honda's display audio system here. It's a seven inch screen and what appears to be capacitive touch controls below it for the climate controls in the HR-V. We've never really liked capacitive controls, we'll see how these turn out, but potentially a problem there. It's quite impressive that even in an entry-level SUV, cabin materials are uniform all the way to the back seat here in the HR-V. Still padded stuff along the upper doors that means your passengers aren't gonna be complaining back here about being uncomfortable. Same goes with roominess, that's where I'd sit to drive and I'm six feet tall, lots of leg room leftover, and a decently high seating position off the ground. You do lose a little bit of headroom in response to that, kind of a similar situation to the Honda Fit. But, Honda has a magic seat back here, actually, which allows a lot of utility 'cause it can come up in sort of a 60-40 split section right here in both areas across. Which means, like in the Fit, you can fit in a lot of really tall cargo if you need to get here, you haven't even touched the cargo area yet. In the back, cargo space has a low flat opening you can easily get things in. The seats fold down here, Honda's magic seat makes for a really, really actually flat seat 'cause the cushions come down as the seat backs fold forward. Nearly 60 cubic feet of maximum cargo space, Honda says, that's very impressive for the segment. It actually beats the Chevy Trax, absolutely smokes small crossovers like the Nissan Juke. With a 1.8 liter four cylinder engine and CVT automatic transmission, Honda promises class leading fuel economy for the HR-V, but we don't know specifics or pricing until closer to the SUV is on sale date in early 2015. (car engine revving)