Honda outs HR-V pricing

HONDA'S Jazz-based HR-V will start from $24,990, plus on-road costs, when it goes on sale next month, undercutting some of its main rivals in the baby SUV segment, including the Holden Trax.

The opening price for the jacked-up crossover is for the base VTi which, like all variants in the HR-V range is matched with Honda's continuously variable transmission (CVT) as standard.

Holden's Barina-based Trax kicks off at $23,990 in base LS guise, but that is for the manual. Opting for the six-speed auto adds $2200 and brings the price up to $26,190.

Other rivals include Peugeot's 2008 1.6 Active auto which matches the price of the base HR-V, and Mitsubishi's ASX LS CVT that starts from $26,990.

Rivals priced under the HR-V include the Ford EcoSport Ambiente auto at $22,790, and Nissan's Juke ST auto at $24,490, plus on-road costs, while Suzuki has a special offer on its S-Cross GL at $22,990 driveaway with free auto.

Further up the Thai-built HR-V line-up, Honda has priced the mid-range VTi-S from $27,990, the more generously specified VTi-L from $32,990 and the VTi-L with Honda's Advanced Driver Assist System (ADAS) rounds out the range at $33,990. Metallic paint is a $575 option on all variants.

Honda previously revealed that the front-wheel drive only HR-V will be powered by its 1.8-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, producing 105kW/172Nm.

The Japanese car-maker's now familiar Magic Seats that offer 18 configurations are standard in the HR-V, while the base VT-i also features LED tail-lights, Honda's Display Audio with a seven-inch colour touchscreen and Bluetooth connectivity, single-zone climate control air-conditioning, a reversing camera with three modes and 16-inch alloy wheels.

VTi-S adds roof rails, front foglights, rain-sensing wipers, LED auto headlights and daytime running lights, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and ups the wheel size to 17 inches.

Shelling out for the top-spec VTi-L adds paddle shifters, leather-appointed trim, front and rear parking sensors, a panoramic sunroof, rear centre armrest, privacy glass, dual-zone climate control, and chrome door handles. This variant also features 17-inch alloys.

On the safety front, Honda offers its anti-collision City Brake Active system and blind-spot monitoring on VTi-S and above, while the VTi-L ADAS gains a forward collision warning, lane departure warning and a high-beam support system.

The HR-V will go on sale in Australia in February, arriving in showrooms just one month ahead of the Mazda2-based CX-3 crossover.

Sales of sub-$40,000 small SUVs were up 16.2 per cent last year, due in part to solid growth for the Nissan Juke (+ 292 per cent), Holden's Trax (+293 per cent) and Mitsubishi's ASX (+34.7 per cent).

Honda HR-V pricing*

VTi (a)	$24,990
VTi-S (a)	$27,990
VTi-L (a)	$32,990
VTi-L with ADAS (a)	$33,990

*Excludes on-road costs.