Crossing Over

Honda has finally entered the compact crossover market with the Jazz-based WR-V. But is it good enough to get the necessary attention?

- Rahul Richard

Ever heard the saying, ‘Better late than never’? Of course you have. One way of looking at that is you’re late and therefore have missed out on an opportunity. Another approach is that you’ve taken your time to analyse a situation thoroughly and understood that it is worth your time and effort to make an entrance.

I’m not sure which one Honda has been doing, but either way, they’ve never been too eager to jump into a trending segment. For instance, they took their time to bring out the BR-V in the compact SUV segment and now, after quite a while, they’ve brought out the WR-V in the compact crossover segment. But hey, it’s finally here and, like I said, it’s better now than never. And we’re in Goa to find out if all of Honda’s time and effort have borne something worthwhile.

DESIGN AND FEATURES

Due credit must be given to Honda for ensuring that the car looks significantly different from the Jazz, unlike rival manufacturers with their compact crossovers. The front is all-new with a rather burly design that is inspired by the BR-V. The Honda WR-V’s bonnet is significantly higher than in the Jazz while the nose is flatter. It also gets the thick chrome garnish on the grille like all the new Hondas. The headlights, which integrate into the chrome garnish, feature LED DRLs, and remind me of the BR-V. The Honda WR-V looks quite butch if you ask me, thanks to the plastic cladding and faux bash plate at the bottom of the bumper.

From the side, however, it’s hard to miss the almost identical shape of the Jazz right from the large windows to the strong character line running across the doors. The most noticeable differences are the plastic cladding along the wheel arches, the roof rails and the larger 195/65 section tyres with nice-looking 16-inch diamondcut alloys.