The 2026 Honda HR-V AWD EX-L

Hey, Mike! Where's the usual snappy headline?

Look, headlines are hard. And with this car, I can either write something about the nose on the Honda HR-V and be that guy, or I can write something not about the nose on the Honda HR-V and look like I'm glossing over the elephant...um...big-mouth bass...in the room.

So, I will address it, but here, in the copy and not in the headline.

Honda, what the hell, guys? The CR-V looks great. The Passport is ruggedly handsome. The Pilot is maybe a little generic, but fine. The HR-V needs plastic surgery, stat.

The only other real complaint is what's behind that grille. A 2.0-liter four-cylinder making only 158 horsepower and 138 lb-ft of torque with a continuously variable transmission can only move 3,276 pounds so fast, and that's not very fast at all. Getting to 60 miles per hour from a standing start takes 11.5 seconds. Not a typo. Eleven and a half.

Yeah, that is enough to get up to freeway speed by the end of the on-ramp, but only just and you're not going to have much fun doing it.

The good news is that in around-town driving on city streets, it's fine unless you're the stoplight drag race type, in which case, what are we even talking about the HR-V for?

The patience required in acceleration might be okay if it were rewarded with killer fuel economy, but no. The EPA estimate for the AWD model I drove is 25 city/30 highway. How does this car not have a hybrid? Especially when its direct competitor from arch-rival Toyota, the Corolla Cross, does, managing 0-60 in 7.3 seconds and an EPA estimate of 45 city/38 highway?

Things get better at the other end of the HR-V.

There's 24.4 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats. Fold those flat and it's 55.1, and that beats the Corolla Cross' 21.5/44.0 handily.

The Honda also beats the Toyota on rear seat legroom, with 37.7 inches to only 32 for the Corolla Cross.

And up front, it's great. The HR-V, especially in EX-L trim, is nicely appointed, with a clean design that will be instantly familiar to anyone who's been in the current-generation Honda Civic. In fact, my take is that this is less an SUV and more of a Civic station wagon (that sound is the Honda marketing department asking where the AED is on their floor and why the press fleet manager is giving me cars).

Set aside the slow acceleration, set aside the so-so fuel economy. At the wheel you can't see the front end of the car to be horrified by the styling. It's pleasant to drive. It just needs a hybrid (okay, and a new front end).

Honda has done a significant refresh on the HR-V for 2026, with a larger 9-inch HD touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, wireless phone charger, privacy rear glass, new wheel options in various trim levels and front footwell lighting and dynamic climate control knob lighting on the top-of-the-line EX-L trim. The base price of the 2026 Honda HR-V AWD EX-L is $31,550---$32,945 including destination. That money buys a healthy amount of standard equipment not mentioned in the paragraph above (see the window sticker at the end of the review).

The only extra-cost option on our tester was the Nordic Forest Pearl paint ($455), so the bottom line on the window sticker should read $33,400---but the sticker was printed before pricing was set.

There is a lot to like here. I just wish Honda had taken this mid-cycle refresh to re-do the front styling and drop in the Civic's hybrid powerplant, with its 200 horsepower and EPA fuel economy ratings of 50 city/47 highway (which, I know, would be less in this application).

2026 Honda HR-V AWD EX-L at a Glance

Price: $31,550 base/$33,400 as tested

Engine: 2.0-liter four-cylinder

Horsepower: 158

Torque: 138 lb-ft

Transmission: Continuously Variable (CVT)

Curb Weight: 3,276

0-60 Acceleration (manufacturer data): 11.5 seconds

EPA Fuel Economy Estimate: 25 mpg city/30 highway

Fuel tank capacity: 14 gallons

EPA Range Estimate: 378 miles

Click on the arrows in the upper right to expand the window sticker to full screen.