Honda WR-V to launch in India in March 2017

When Honda unveiled the WR-V at 2016 Sao Paulo Motor Show, it was already know that the same will be heading to Indian shores shortly. And now there is confirmation to the speculation. The first batch of Honda WR-Vs have been recently spotted at the company's Tapukara plant. The Honda WR-V stands for winsome runabout vehicle, maintaining the company's trait of naming its crossovers and SUV with a suffix R-V. Sharing the platform with the Jazz, the Honda WR-V will take on the likes of the hatchback crossovers like the Hyundai i20 Active, Volkswagen Cross Polo, Toyota Etios Cross and the Fiat Avventura Urban Cross.

From the looks of it, the Honda WR-V looks more aggressive than the Jazz. It does look reminiscent of the Honda BR-V as well which is seen from the chrome radiator grille. Furthermore, the front bumper features similar crease lines and fog lamp housing as the BR-V. To make it more crossover like, the front bumper also comes with aluminium finished bash plates fixed on the lower portion. As been the case with its peers, the bash plate is more for an aesthetic appeal than functionality. While the front looks different, the side profile of the Honda WR-V with twin characteristic lines look similar similar to that of the Jazz. The dimensions figures of the Honda WR-V are still not out but we believe the crossover will be a tad bigger than the Jazz considering the redesigned bumpers. Additionally, it will also have a higher ground clearance.

Image source: Gaadiwaadi

The cabin of the Honda WR-V is expected to be identical to that of the Jazz. This would translate into a spacious cabin, scoring more over the competition models. However, we expect Honda make it more premium than the Jazz and also equip with the latest in terms of features.

Honda will offer the same engine options on the WR-V as the Jazz. It will be powered by 90PS/110Nm 1.2-litre i-VTEC petrol with a five-speed manual and a CVT as well as a 100PS/200Nm i-DTEC diesel with a six-speed manual.The state of tune might remain similar to that of the Jazz as that has been the case with the competition models like the i20 Active, Cross Polo and Etios Cross.

The Honda Jazz is priced between Rs 6.22 lakh to 9.72 lakh, ex-Mumbai. We expect the Honda WR-V to be priced Rs 80,000-90,000 more than the hatchback. The company has already started production of the WR-V and is expected to launch the crossover in the first week of March.