Honda launches the new WR-V SUV in its home market, which also happens to be the first made-in-India Honda model to go on sale in the Japanese car market. The Honda WR-V is already on sale in the Indian market, albeit with brand name Elevate.
The Honda WR-V prices start from JPY 2,098,800 and go up to JPY 2,489,300, which roughly translates to INR 12.26 lakh and INR 14.54 lakh, respectively. Unlike the Elevate sold in India which offers the choice of both manual and automatic transmission options, the WR-V is offered with the CVT automatic transmission only.
While the prices of the new WR-V have been announced, its deliveries will commence in March 2024. Honda anticipates to sell 3,000 WR-V SUVs every month, playing the compact SUV segment. Like the India-spec Elevate, the WR-V carries bold presence, premium interior and practicality as its key unique selling points.
The Honda WR-V features spacious interior, which has been possible thanks to the 2,650mm long wheelbase. In addition, its practical 458L of boot space and a minimum ground clearance of 195mm further boosts its focus on practicality. Honda also reveals that the driver’s seat of the WR-V has been designed to offer great comfort and visibility while the pedals and steering wheel position operate in a sedan-like manner.
Other interior highlights of the Honda WR-V include a freestanding touchscreen infotainment system with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay; a semi-digital 7.0-inch instrument cluster and tactile climate controls. The WR-V also offers Honda Sensing, which incorporates a front-mounted camera to offer a myriad of autonomous driving features like adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assist and auto emergency braking.
Powering the Honda WR-V is the familiar 1.5L i-VTEC petrol engine, which also features a DOHC layout. The engine puts out 121PS of power at 6600rpm and 145Nm of torque 4300rpm. As we stated earlier, the Japan-spec WR-V comes mated to a continuously variable transmission (CVT) only.