All-new Honda WR-V revealed: Gets ADAS and many new features

Honda has just revealed the all-new WR-V sub-4 meter compact SUV for the Indonesian car market. The all-new car features fresh styling and is based on the new Amaze platform.

The 2023 Honda WR-V is being considered for the Indian car market as well but the Japanese automaker is yet to take a final decision on this. The current Honda WR-V rivals the likes of the Tata Nexon, Kia Sonet, Maruti Brezza, Renault Kiger and Nissan Magnite to name a few sub-4 meter SUVs sold here. The new model will also sit in the same space if brought into India. For now though, let’s look at what’s changed in the all-new WR-V.

What’s new?

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For starters, there’s the styling. While the older WR-V was essentially a raised Honda Jazz hatchback with tweaked styling, the new model is a clean sheet design as far as styling is concerned. Honda has based the new WR-V on the RS concept that was showcased sometime earlier, and the new model comes across as a good looking compact SUV. The front shows inspiration from the Honda Amaze with the key differentiating factor being the grille. The rear has hints of the previous generation Hyundai Creta.

The new SUV is also larger than before. Length, height and width stand at 4,060 mm, 1,608 mm and 1,780mm respectively, and ground clearance has gone up to 220 mm. The boot is marginally bigger too, with a capacity of 380 liters. To sum it up, the all-new WR-V is a bigger car compared to its predecessor. If Honda does bring the 2nd-gen WR-V to India, it’ll have to shave the bumpers a bit to make the car duck under the 4 meter mark.

Revamped interiors, but lifted straight from the Amaze!

On the inside, the all-new Honda WR-V gets new interiors when compared to the outgoing version. However, these interiors are very similar to what Honda offers on the Amaze compact sedan, further reinforcing the fact that the new WR-V is a SUV/crossover version of the Amaze. As for features, there’s a big bump up in terms of what’s on offer.

Safety gets a step up with ADAS that consists of Honda Sensing, lane keep assist, automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control and automatic levelling high beam. The regulation 6 airbags, ABS, EBD, traction control, ESP and reverse parking camera are other key safety features on the new WR-V. The compact SUV gets connected car technology, automatic climate control, a touchscreen infotainment system, LED headlamps, 17 inch alloy wheels, automatic wipers and headlamps among other features.

What’s under the hood?

The tried and tested 1.5 liter i-VTEC naturally aspirated petrol engine good for 121 Bhp-145 Nm. This silky smooth motor has been offered on the City sedan and Jazz hatchback for multiple generations and has been a constant on the previous generation WR-V sold in markets abroad. In India though, this motor made way for the smaller, less powerful 1.2 liter i-VTEC unit as Honda had to use a smaller engine to get excise duty benefits under the sub-4 meter rule. So, if the all-new Honda WR-V does end up getting launched in India, expect it to get the 1.2 liter i-VTEC petrol engine, with 5 speed manual and CVT automatic gearbox options.

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