Honda HR-V 2021 review

You won’t be able to pick the 2021 Honda HR-V from a 2020 or 2019 model from the outside. Nope, it still looks identical to the facelifted model launched late in 2018. But there has been an important change to Honda’s small SUV. It’s on the inside. And it involves the touch screen. We’ll get to it soon, but first we need to consider the market in which the HR-V competes. It’s up against rivals like the VW T-Cross - you can see how it fared in our comparison here - and it also competes with the all-new Nissan Juke, still-very-new Kia Seltos and the just-updated Skoda Karoq. All of those cars are either new-generation models, or within a few years of their local launches. The Honda HR-V? Well, it first debuted here way back in 2014. So it’s old. Like, really old for a small SUV. The only cars older than it in its segment are the Nissan Qashqai and Mitsubishi ASX. That means it is starting to feel its age. Has this latest update - which adds a little bit of youthful tech to the package - given it the Botox it needs right now? Prices are up across the HR-V range for 2021 - every model is at least $500 more expensive than the 2020 model it replaces. There are still four variants to choose from: VTi ($25,490 MSRP - up $500); VTi-S ($29,140 MSRP - up $1150); RS ($32,490 MSRP - up $500); VTi-LX ($35,740 MSRP - up $1150). You can read our earlier coverage if you want a detailed list of standard equipment across the Honda HR-V line-up, but the RS is the variant this review is...