Honda WR-V: Jack of All Trails

Honda’s latest crossover, the WR-V, seems pretty comfortable going on road and off it, and even across the sunny beaches of Goa.

- Sarmad Kadiri

The new Honda WR-V might take many car-buyers in India by surprise as there weren’t many spy pics or pre-launch buzz about the car. Those still wondering about what it is, here is a quick look at the latest crossover from Honda Cars India.

We were invited to get a taste of the sun, sea and sandy beaches of Goa and, of course, the new WR-V. Based on the premium hatchback, Jazz, this muscular, sporty and spacious crossover comes in to fill the void for a compact SUV/crossover in Honda’s car line-up in India. So what the i20 Active is to Hyundai and Etios Cross to Toyota, the WR-V hopes to achieve the same for Honda. A unique looking car that caters to the growing needs and aspirations of urban India.

However, unlike some of its competitors which have kept the changes more cosmetic by simply incorporating plastic cladding and a roof-rail to the existing hatchback to give it a more butch look, Honda have done a more thorough upgrade on the Jazz to make it evolve into a proper crossover in the shape of the WR-V. Apart from the superficial upgrade, Honda engineers have tweaked the suspension setup, increased the ground clearance and even elongated the wheelbase. Compared to the Jazz, the WR-V, at 3,999 millimetres, is 45 mm longer, taller by 57 mm and the wheelbase has been stretched by another 25 mm.