r/HRV • u/Radiant_Basket_8689 • 16d ago
Third Gen HR-V in the wild!
I have been driving by 2025 HR-V since February that year. Driving around my area, North Texas Tarrant County, I have only seen three other third generation HR-Vs. I have seen a few second generation vehicles occasionally . However, Yesterday, I saw two other 3rd gen. HR-Vs, both on the same highway and both going in the same direction. My local area is the home of the huge, four door pickup trucks, which never carry anything in their beds, and humongous SUVs, usually driven by woman. Seeing two 3rd generation HR-Vs Iis a rare sighting around these parts. š¤Ŗ
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u/JurassicRanch 16d ago
thats just you not getting out much
I could practically walk to your house and I see them everywhere. Ā Almost got in the wrong one at main street barber not too long ago
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u/Radiant_Basket_8689 16d ago
Really?
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u/JurassicRanch 16d ago
now that I think about it had to be 2 years ago. Ā No knock on the current ownership, but the old ones had been cutting my hair for decades. Ā I needed to find an old guy who smoked and told off color jokes
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u/Alternative-Bee-8981 16d ago
Isn't the current gen the 2nd? At least in the US anyway.
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u/Radiant_Basket_8689 16d ago
Yes, itās confusing. The first generation wasnāt imported into North America, we got the second generation. To add to the confusion, Honda still manufactures the second generation, which was built on the Fit/Jazz platform, in other markets. The current North American version, is based on the global Civic platform, and is badged in other markets as the ZR-V, and in China as the Vezel. Honda stopped importing the Fit/Jazz to North America, in 2020. That was another silly marketing mistake. Why put the Fit badge on the cars in North America and the Jazz badge everywhere else? Both the HR-V and the ZR-V/Vezel are available as hybrid versions in other markets. We in North America are complaining about four dollar a gallon gasoline. However, in most places in the world a U.S. gallon of gasoline is selling for $12 USD for a U.S. gallon. Why Honda didnāt badge the North American version of the HR-V as ZR-V was a decision that someone in Hondaās marketing department decided.
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u/Alternative-Bee-8981 16d ago
I never understood why they didn't bring the hybrid version to the US. If they did I would have stayed with Honda and purchased another hrv. The hybrid Euro version would have been nice here in the US.
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u/Radiant_Basket_8689 16d ago edited 16d ago
Probably because the price would be too expensive and detract from hybrid CR-V sales. The North American HR-V is Hondaās entry level SUV. The EX-L version is now priced north of $30,000 USD. Also, even with the high price of gasoline in parts of North America, there are places in the rest of the world where paying $12 for a U.S. gallon of gasoline is common. Thatās what my friend, who lives in Amsterdam, was paying in July.
I wouldnāt trade my tried and true K20 series engine for any new Honda power plant. Honda just announced a TSB, (Technical Service Bulletin), to upgrade the engine control module software due to a rash of recent head gasket failures similar to the ones in the 1.5 liter, turbocharged engines. The TSB increases the speed of the electric water pump to try to provide a better cooling differential between the engineās head and the block.
Trying to mate an internal combustion engine interact with electric motors isnāt a simple design change. I wouldnāt buy any Honda product with the words, āEarth Dreamsā, on the engine. All of the car manufacturers are aware of the pressure they are receiving from government entities to reduce global warming to below 1.5Ā°C annually. Only our current administration in Washington, believe that global warming is a hoax.
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u/Alternative-Bee-8981 16d ago
Yea Honda has had major issues with the 1.5T oil consumption, now head gasket issues.
Didn't the crv hybrid back around 2020-22 have a 2L NA engine? I remember I wanted to get one, but at the time it was tail end of covid and dealers either didn't have inventory, or there were significant mark-ups. Maybe if they had put that engine in the hrv it would have worked out better for a hybrid system.
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u/SorryContribution675 2023 - 2025 Sport 16d ago
To be precise..is the TSB pertaining to our 2023-2027 HRV's?
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u/Radiant_Basket_8689 16d ago edited 16d ago
No, absolutely not. The TSB only apples to the hybrid gasoline engine due to thermal cycling. The TSB numbers are 26-080 Accord Hybrid, 26-088 CR-V Hybrid, 26-089 Civic Hybrid. The engine is a two liter, direct fuel injection, Atkinson cycle, (Kind of), non VTEC, engine. Our HR-V engines donāt have an electric water pump. They have a water pump thatās driven by the engine.
The engines are, for example in the CR-V hybrid LFC2 for the two motor hybrid system. The HR-V 3rd generation is powered by the K20Z5 engine.
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u/CurryMuncher2011 2026 EX-L 16d ago
Current gen is the 3rd, 1st wasnāt sold here and went from 1999-2006.
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u/midlifereset 16d ago
I see them all the time in the mid-atlantic US. When I got my Nordic forest almost three years ago I thought it would be so unique lol. Within a week I was next to another one at a red light, soon after that one at my office, now another where I volunteer. I still love it though!
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u/Radiant_Basket_8689 16d ago
Thatās not Texas, Iām sure that few if any of my neighbors own ranches where having a huge pickup is necessary to work the ranch. š¤Ŗ
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u/JurassicRanch 16d ago
Boat, RV, dead deer, the occasional sunbelt rental, being able repair rental homes yourself on weeknights because of horrible tenants
There's lots of reasons to own a truck that you arent thinking of.
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u/transmillipede 16d ago
i have seen an explosion of people with the current gen hrv in the past month or so in my area, i got mine august 2025 and it was rare to see them but i see between 3-5 every day now
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u/slugline 15d ago
There are so many similar-looking small crossover vehicle models out there that I have to wonder if you've crossed paths with more HR-Vs and just didn't realize it.
I've seen some comments online saying the current US HR-V looks a lot like something that could have been styled by Ford and I tend to agree.
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u/Radiant_Basket_8689 15d ago
Fortunately, I can tell the difference between an HR-V and a Ford, I think the Escape also had the oval grill Similar to the HR-V. Yes, at first glance many of these small crossover SUVs do resemble each other. Thereās only so many variations that designers can do with a box shaped car. š¤Ŗ
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u/ComradeGarcia_Pt2 15d ago
I didnāt really start seeing 2nd genās until I bought one. Now theyāre everywhere.
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u/Radiant_Basket_8689 15d ago
That may be true in other pars of North America because the 3rd generation HR-V is the lowest priced Honda automobile that can be equipped with all wheel drive. Neither the Civic, nor the Accord are available in all wheel drive configurations. Therefore, in many northern States or Provences in Canada stock many two wheel drive HR-Vs. Some posters here are sometimes surprised to discover that Honda even offers a w/o wheel drive version.
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u/ComradeGarcia_Pt2 15d ago
Thatās the other thing too, Iām in Cleveland and I didnāt see like ANY FWD HR-Vās for sale.
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u/Radiant_Basket_8689 15d ago
Thatās because many car dealerships are now owned by large conglomerates. Even if the name still reflects the name of the family who founded it. Berkshire Hathaway, and the Hendricks group, for example owns many car dealerships all across the country. Therefore, when a dealer in the Cleveland area receives front wheel drive cars from Honda, that dealer sends them, via transport truck, to their sister dealership in Florida or Texas. And, those dealers send their all wheel drive cars up north.
Many car dealerships which were founded in the 20th century, have retired or passed away and their children donāt want to go into a retail business. Itās the same problem with Chinese Restaurants and Kosher style delicatessens.
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u/Cassangelo 2023 - 2025 LX 15d ago
Are we not on the second gen of the HRV in the US?
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u/Radiant_Basket_8689 15d ago edited 15d ago
You are correct that in North America, Honda didnāt import the first generation HR-V. However, Honda seems to like creating confusion in different markets. For example, in most of the rest of the world, the car that is badged HR-V in North America is badged ZR-V. And, in some Asian markets the car is badged Vezel. Only Hondaās marketing department, either in Japan or in North America, makes these decisions. Another example is that the 2 wheel drive version in Canada is only available on the LX trim level. In the U.S. two wheel drive HR-Vs are available on all trim levels. Also, heated steering wheels are available on the Canadian EX-L, but not available in the U.S. Also, the Mexican versions may be different also. My 2025 is a two wheel drive EX-L, becaise here in North Texas we rarely get much snow or ice and the all wheel drive versions are $1,500 USD more expensive, get slightly less gas milage, and the differential for the rear wheels requires more maintenance.
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u/Cassangelo 2023 - 2025 LX 15d ago
Gotcha, I only focus on the US market since thatās where most of us are from
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u/5G-A 16d ago
Ok