2001 Honda HR-V 1.6 petrol

Summary:

Reliable, enjoyable car to own and drive

Faults:

Oil leak due to poor service by Honda dealership

Front alloys 'rusting' - replaced under warranty.

General Comments:

Front seats are very comfortable, but rear can become tiring on long journeys.

The car handles very well, especially on the motorway.

I was impressed by the tyre mileage. Fronts lasted 19,000 miles & rears replaced after £33k (but probably had 5k left).

Insurance is very reasonable at under £300 fully comprehensive.

If you don't need a 'proper' off-road vehicle, the HR-V is worth a look.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 27th August, 2004

2000 Honda HR-V 1.6vtec

Summary:

All show and no go

Faults:

Rain water filled the driver's foot well after driving through puddles.

Seat stitching stretched and split within weeks of purchase.

Body panels dented incredibly easily- very thin gauge steel.

Central locking sometimes wouldn't respond.

General Comments:

Upholstery fabric very slippy and uninviting.

VTEC seldom cuts in as it is set at unusably high revs for UK motoring conditions, and the engine sounds very raucous and unpleasant at that point.

Its only saving grace is that it handles beautifully.

A surprisingly poor car from a company I assumed had a great reputation.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 26th February, 2004

1st Oct 2004, 12:43

I fully agree about the ease of denting HR-V's. The side panel metal is very thin and my HR-V is covered in little dents caused by other car doors. A very expensive problem to fix which of course severely affects resale value.

1999 Honda HR-V 1.6 4wd 1.6 petrol

Summary:

A strange looking car, but very practical

Faults:

Nothing major has went wrong with the car - slight rattles from inside the drivers door is the only major defect to date.

General Comments:

A strange vehicle to look at, especially because it is the bright yellow version, but drives like a dream. This vehicle gives you the ride height of a large 4x4 and the performance of a saloon car just the combination that I needed.

The car is a little heavy on the juice of such a small engine, but it is nothing that will break the bank.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 22nd December, 2003

10th Nov 2005, 23:25

If the colour of the HR V is to feminine for you that's one thing, but you could solve your fuel issue by not thrashing the... out of it. Try a service every 5000kms/3100mile and you may receive the same results as my 540kms/336mile per tank... and yes I do get the honda dirty.

In reply to 10th Nov 2005, 23:25

30th Aug 2015, 13:04

336 miles per tankful?

The fuel tank is 12 gallons so you're getting 28 MPG, just 1 MPG better than the reviewer you accuse of "thrashing" their HRV.

2000 Honda HR-V 1.6i VTEC 1.6i VTEC

Summary:

Seriously reliable

Faults:

Absolutely nothing with the car itself - not even a blown light bulb!

At more than 48k miles, its even still on its original set of brake pads!

The first Japanese car I've had possession of - but probably not the last!

Did have two damaged tyres, though - both with nails through them. They are a very unusual size in the UK - only Yokohama and Bridgestone make them, I discovered. The problem is that they are not generally stocked, and are difficult to get. This means they are expensive (£118 for the last one) and you may have to run a long way on the 50mph limited spacesaver spare.

General Comments:

We've enjoyed using the car enormously. It's worth saying it's a company car, so I only have to pay for the fuel - hard to say if I would have spent my own money on the servicing costs.

It is safe and secure - yesterday's journey was a 521 mile round trip, including motorways, the wilds of Wales and an old opencast coal mine! The old Hervy takes them all in its stride.

There are only a couple of niggles:

1. Visibility to the rear when reversing is limited due to the high back and smallish window.

2. The slightly odd tailgate makes fixing a cycle rack tricky - not impossible, just a challenge!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 4th February, 2003

14th Jul 2005, 09:52

I have had my Honda HRV for nearly two year from brand new. My wife and I both were over the moon when we went to collect the car from the dealer. It looked fab. And it still is. Never had any problems so far, touch wood. I still take pride in driving it. It does cost a bit on fuel, but it is worth it. The front two tyres are wearing out and I may have to replace them very soon. Other than that no trouble what so ever. I love my car and when it comes for renewal I don't know if I could let it go. I might go for another HRV I think.

7th May 2010, 15:20

Hi, me and the wife have 2 Hondas, the 2 door FWD HR-V and a CRX 1.5vxi, and all I can say is brill! I raced a Mondeo once of the lights and up to 60, it was all over it LOL, what was said about about tyres, we got Hankook ones this time round, and they cost 47 quid from Lobitos in Talacra, North Wales.

Going back to the car though, we just had the front suspension done, and for all the parts including shocks, mounts, bushes and springs (Monroe's) it cost £240 plus £100 labour.

I think that is well worth it, we live in an area that has bad roads and salt air, so they get worked every day, so you can guess at 134k miles they needed sorting. But no, all things said, I rate this little car 9/10 performance, 10/10 fuel economy, 8/10 body/looks, 9/10 chassis, 8/10 interior, 10/10 repairing/parts.

Hope this helps.