Honda WR-V Launch Date Announced; Bookings Open

Honda WR-V, the much anticipated sub-4 metre crossover from the Japanese carmaker has gone on sale in India on the 16th of March 2017. India is the first country to manufacture and launch the Honda WR-V in the world and upon its launch the WR-V will rival the likes of Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, and Ford EcoSport. It's crossover design also allows the WR-V to compete with the Hyundai i20 Active, Toyota Etios Cross and the Fiat Avventura. Honda today commenced the bookings of the WR-V for a token amount of Rs. 21,000 and you can now book the car at all authorised Honda dealerships across the country.

Now we have already driven the car and Honda has done quite a neat job here. So, even though the WR-V might be a little late to the party, if the company gets the pricing right than it could become a strong competitor. Moreover Honda has equipped the WR-V with several best-in-class features to make it a much more compelling product.

The new WR-V is built on the same platform that underpins the current generation Honda Jazz and City so there will be a lot of parts sharing. While the design of the WR-V gives it the appearance of a crossover, the brawny lines and bold styling make it look more like an SUV. Up front, the WR-V comes with a fat chrome-slat grille flanked by large wraparound headlamps with integrated LED daytime running lights (DRLs). In line with its SUV-like design, the car features a beefy front bumper, which also houses the round foglamps, black plastic cladding and faux silver skid plate.

Honda WR-V Rear

From the sides, the WR-V gives you the impression of a crossover with its beefed-up hatchback-like silhouette, underbody plastic cladding and silver roof rails. The styling bits include chrome door handles, sporty diamond cut alloy wheels and ORVMs. On the other hand, the rear features smart LED taillamps, rear windshield wiper and faux skid plate for the rear bumper.

As for the interior, the new WR-V's cabin is very much similar to that of the Honda Jazz. The black dashboard comes with some silver highlights along the horizontal AirCon vents, centre console and door panels. On the other hand, the three-spoke steering wheel with mounted controls has been picked up from the City facelift, along with touchscreen infotainment system. The cabin comes in a black and cream colour scheme with comfortable seats upholstered in fabric material. The features on the top-end VX variant, that we drove, include a sunroof (which is a segment first).

Under the hood, the Honda WR-V comes with a 1.2 litre petrol engine that makes 89 bhp and develops 110 Nm of peak torque. The diesel variant, on the other hand, comes with a 1.5 litre i-DTEC oil burner that makes 99 bhp and 200 Nm of peak torque. The petrol variant comes mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox while the diesel trim gets a 6-speed unit.