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Written by Dan Carney
Size creep in the compact crossover segment has seen Honda"sCR-V outgrow some of its original target customers. So, as it did when the Fitslid into the product lineup beneath the Civic, Honda has added the sub-compactHR-V to its crossover family beneath the enlarged CR-V. This new crossover is close to the size, weight, and interiorvolume of the first-generation CR-V, but with slightly more horsepower,comparable torque, and a wider spread of gear ratios, so performance andefficiency are much better than that older model. Naturally, safety is hugelyimproved as well. The HR-V is built on Honda"s Global Compact Series platform,with its center fuel tank and second-row fold-in-floor Magic Seat as with theFit. Compared to a Fit, the HR-V is 9.1 in (231 mm) longer, 2.8 in (71 mm) wider, 3.2in (81 mm) taller, and rolls on a 3.2 in longer wheelbase. The HR-V enjoys many upgrades in comparison to the Fit, becauseits additional size requires more power and because the company expects theHR-V"s customers to be a bit more upscale, with greater demands for featuresthan Fit buyers. "If we had used only Fit technology in the HR-V, that wouldhave been boring," observed Naohisa Morishita, HR-V Chief Engineer and Development Leader. "We"ve taken technology from higher-class vehicles toprovide value for this new segment." The HR-V retains the Fit"s MacPherson strut front andtorsion beam rear suspension layouts, but the struts are Sachs amplitudereactive dampers that provide separate tuning for large-displacement compressionand rebound events. This helps the HR-V ride more smoothly, while preservingthe ability for its dampers to stiffen as needed to control big jolts. The HR-V borrows the RealTime all-wheel drive system fromthe larger, heavier CR-V. Though the hardware is unchanged, its performance isimproved by its application in the lighter, less-powerful HR-V, said Morishita.The maximum rear torque split remains 50%, but it will tend to providemore power to the rear more of the time than the CR-V"s system, he explained.The difference won"t likely be noticeable on dry pavement, but in slipperyconditions the HR-V will feel more responsive, Morishita said. Because the system uses the HR-V"s various sensors todetermine that it is driving in snow, rather than simply waiting to react towheelspin, it will automatically send more power to the rear wheels whenstarting from a stop in snow to reduce the chance of front wheel spin. The HR-V"s 141-hp (105-kW), 127-lb ft (172-N m) SOHC 1.8-L four-cylinderengine comes directly from the Civic, giving the HR-V a needed power boost overthe Fit. For the HR-V application,torque is optimized in the 2000-4000 rpm range, with the variablevalve timing system changing from one intake valve to two for the 1000-3000 rpm range, depending upon throttle position and load. Similarly, a shuttervalve in the composite dual-stage intake manifold switches fromtorque-fortifying long intake runners to high-flow short runners at 5000 rpmfor peak power. Available transmissions are a CVT automatic that boasts awider spread of ratios than that in the CR-V, covering a range from 2.526: to0.408:1. The six-speed manualtransmission, which lends the HR-V a livelier feel, isavailable only with front-wheel drive; the CVT can be matched to eitherthe standard front-wheel drive or the available all-wheel drive. U.S. EPA fuel economy ranges from 25 mpg city and 34 mpg highwayfor the front-drive manual transmission model to 28/35 for the front-drive CVTversion. The all-wheel-drive CVT scores 27/32. Structurally, Honda"s engineers went to great lengths toreinforce the HR-V"s unibody. "One of the reasons is to improve its handlingand dynamic performance," noted Morishita. It also contributes to Honda"sexpectation of maximum ratings on U.S. NHTSA and IIHS crash tests. The HR-V"s body shell includes 27% extremelyhigh-strength steel of 780 MPa (113 ksi) or higher, with the hardest 1500-MPa (218-ksi) steeldeployed in the door sill, A-pillar, and roofline over the front door opening. The company also reinforced the attachment points for theroof pillars to add strength at the joints, but some of that improvement comes fromincreased material at the joint.
The HR-V"s rear hatchopening also received special attention. "It is a two-box design," he noted, so"it can become torsionally weak. We wanted to improve on that." To strengthenthe hatch area, the HR-V uses a single stamping of high-strength steel toring the door opening.
Inside, "it has space for your dreams, and when you put yourfoot down, you feel like you"ve made it," Morishita enthused. The cabin can beconfigured in normal mode, with regular seating for five; in split mode, withspace for a long item in the rear and one back-seat passenger; tall mode, withthe rear seat bottoms flipped up against the seat backs to clear space from thefloor to the roof; utility mode, which sees the rear seats folded flat for alarger cargo bay; and long mode, when the front passenger"s seatback is alsofolded down to permit carriage of very long objects entirely inside the HR-V. The HR-V comes with a high level of standard equipment,including exterior cues such as its 17-in polished aluminum wheels and cabintechnology like a back-up camera. The company said it thinks this combinationof affordability and amenities will attract 70,000 annual sales for the HR-V inthe U.S. alone.
Date: 08-May-2015 01:26 EDT
More of this article on the SAE International website
ID: 1288
Size creep in the compact crossover segment has seen Honda"sCR-V outgrow some of its original target customers. So, as it did when the Fitslid into the product lineup beneath the Civic, Honda has added the sub-compactHR-V to its crossover family beneath the enlarged CR-V. This new crossover is close to the size, weight, and interiorvolume of the first-generation CR-V, but with slightly more horsepower,comparable torque, and a wider spread of gear ratios, so performance andefficiency are much better than that older model. Naturally, safety is hugelyimproved as well. The HR-V is built on Honda"s Global Compact Series platform,with its center fuel tank and second-row fold-in-floor Magic Seat as with theFit. Compared to a Fit, the HR-V is 9.1 in (231 mm) longer, 2.8 in (71 mm) wider, 3.2in (81 mm) taller, and rolls on a 3.2 in longer wheelbase. The HR-V enjoys many upgrades in comparison to the Fit, becauseits additional size requires more power and because the company expects theHR-V"s customers to be a bit more upscale, with greater demands for featuresthan Fit buyers. "If we had used only Fit technology in the HR-V, that wouldhave been boring," observed Naohisa Morishita, HR-V Chief Engineer and Development Leader. "We"ve taken technology from higher-class vehicles toprovide value for this new segment." The HR-V retains the Fit"s MacPherson strut front andtorsion beam rear suspension layouts, but the struts are Sachs amplitudereactive dampers that provide separate tuning for large-displacement compressionand rebound events. This helps the HR-V ride more smoothly, while preservingthe ability for its dampers to stiffen as needed to control big jolts. The HR-V borrows the RealTime all-wheel drive system fromthe larger, heavier CR-V. Though the hardware is unchanged, its performance isimproved by its application in the lighter, less-powerful HR-V, said Morishita.The maximum rear torque split remains 50%, but it will tend to providemore power to the rear more of the time than the CR-V"s system, he explained.The difference won"t likely be noticeable on dry pavement, but in slipperyconditions the HR-V will feel more responsive, Morishita said. Because the system uses the HR-V"s various sensors todetermine that it is driving in snow, rather than simply waiting to react towheelspin, it will automatically send more power to the rear wheels whenstarting from a stop in snow to reduce the chance of front wheel spin. The HR-V"s 141-hp (105-kW), 127-lb ft (172-N m) SOHC 1.8-L four-cylinderengine comes directly from the Civic, giving the HR-V a needed power boost overthe Fit. For the HR-V application,torque is optimized in the 2000-4000 rpm range, with the variablevalve timing system changing from one intake valve to two for the 1000-3000 rpm range, depending upon throttle position and load. Similarly, a shuttervalve in the composite dual-stage intake manifold switches fromtorque-fortifying long intake runners to high-flow short runners at 5000 rpmfor peak power. Available transmissions are a CVT automatic that boasts awider spread of ratios than that in the CR-V, covering a range from 2.526: to0.408:1. The six-speed manualtransmission, which lends the HR-V a livelier feel, isavailable only with front-wheel drive; the CVT can be matched to eitherthe standard front-wheel drive or the available all-wheel drive. U.S. EPA fuel economy ranges from 25 mpg city and 34 mpg highwayfor the front-drive manual transmission model to 28/35 for the front-drive CVTversion. The all-wheel-drive CVT scores 27/32. Structurally, Honda"s engineers went to great lengths toreinforce the HR-V"s unibody. "One of the reasons is to improve its handlingand dynamic performance," noted Morishita. It also contributes to Honda"sexpectation of maximum ratings on U.S. NHTSA and IIHS crash tests. The HR-V"s body shell includes 27% extremelyhigh-strength steel of 780 MPa (113 ksi) or higher, with the hardest 1500-MPa (218-ksi) steeldeployed in the door sill, A-pillar, and roofline over the front door opening. The company also reinforced the attachment points for theroof pillars to add strength at the joints, but some of that improvement comes fromincreased material at the joint.
The HR-V"s rear hatchopening also received special attention. "It is a two-box design," he noted, so"it can become torsionally weak. We wanted to improve on that." To strengthenthe hatch area, the HR-V uses a single stamping of high-strength steel toring the door opening.
Inside, "it has space for your dreams, and when you put yourfoot down, you feel like you"ve made it," Morishita enthused. The cabin can beconfigured in normal mode, with regular seating for five; in split mode, withspace for a long item in the rear and one back-seat passenger; tall mode, withthe rear seat bottoms flipped up against the seat backs to clear space from thefloor to the roof; utility mode, which sees the rear seats folded flat for alarger cargo bay; and long mode, when the front passenger"s seatback is alsofolded down to permit carriage of very long objects entirely inside the HR-V. The HR-V comes with a high level of standard equipment,including exterior cues such as its 17-in polished aluminum wheels and cabintechnology like a back-up camera. The company said it thinks this combinationof affordability and amenities will attract 70,000 annual sales for the HR-V inthe U.S. alone.
Date: 08-May-2015 01:26 EDT
More of this article on the SAE International website
ID: 1288
