Hi Scotty,
My father drove a 2008 4cyl Pontiac Vibe with manual gear box from 2010 until 2019 when it got hit by someone running a STOP sign and it got written off, he loved that car, he replaced it with Honda FIT which he likes but he misses that higher sitting position of the Vibe/Matrix.
Today his HONDA FIT was getting a recall work done at local Honda dealer and he fell in love with new 2022 Honda HR-V. They have two of them in their lot...
1.8L FWD base model for $26,000 CDN
AND
1.8L AWD SPORT model for $28,000 CDN
Dad asked me to do some research for him, I said I know just the guy to ask, could you please shine some light on this vehicle and help me in steering my father in right direction, he is 68 years old and just wants a practical and reliable vehicle that is also decent on gas. We are located near London, Ontario.
Thank you
Ask him to take the HR-V on a long test drive to see if it’s a meaningful upgrade over his Fit, since it’s basically a jacked up Fit.
If he 100% must have it, then get the FWD and try to negotiate hard!
He said in his Honda Fit he sits little bit too low and at night time the headlights blind him more then in higher models. Also being almost 70 it's easier to get in and out, he is in pretty good shape for 68 though. Negotiating is hard now because we have such shortage on cars here now. Dad also asked about Toyota CH-R, he likes those as well, I saw Scotties video on CH-R and it would appear they are pretty decent as well, price wise similar to HR-V
Thank you for replying.
The C-HR is Toyota’s response to the HR-V. You may as well ask him to test drive any CR-V or RAV4 vehicles which are available in your area, since they ride much better than the HR-V/C-HR and aren’t priced much further. I personally find the C-HR to be too funky around the back..
I don't think he wants RAV4, he seems to be really more and more convinced that he wants Toyota CHR. But it has to be either Red or Blue. I spend 3 hours today calling and talking to Toyota dealerships both local and ones that are 120+ miles away. AND NOTHING !!! They are all out and you have to order from factory, wait time is between 3-6 months. They have used ones in stock but a year or two years old one with about 30,000 miles is same price as brand new one so screw that, not getting caught up in that nonsense.
He might also want to take a look at the Corolla Cross; it's between the rav4 and c-hr and it's built on the Corolla platform so good car.
Don’t rush into any car purchase, is all I’ll say.
Honda HRV is one of the best small vehicles Honda has ever made to this day. 2022 Honda HRV is gonna be the last year they're going to make before redesigning it in 2023. I advise you to get FWD so you don't have a lot of extra maintenance down the road.
Dad also looked up Toyota CH-R and is also talking he would consider one of those, are these two cars similar in reliability etc? Price is almost the same.
Reliability is similar in both vehicles. I would test drive both to see what he likes. I personally prefer Honda HRV because it's way roomy in the 2nd row and it is more practical than the CHR.
These are probably the same ones with these troublesome transmissions, although Honda doesn’t seem to admit it, yet.
https://carkiller.com/scottykilmer/qa/should-he-buy-2017-hrv-ex-with-cvt/#post-203260
When I was looking into buying a small SUV I was very UN-impressed with the HRV, Id test drive the Corolla Cross first.
So we just had about an hour and a half in front of the computer going over this... We listen to all suggestions and advice just so you guys know.
So Corolla Cross is out just because he doesn't like the look of it, mainly the grill. RAV4 is a little big and he also says he doesn't like the grill. The C-HR is what he really likes, BASE Model is $24,000CDN ($19,000USD) PREMIUM Model is $26,000CDN ($20,500USD) and LIMITED Model is $29,000CDN ($23,000USD).
Main things he is concerned about are as follows, and in that order...
#1 Reliability
#2 Fuel Efficiency
#3 Enjoyment
As long as C-HR has a reputation as reliable vehicle, he will buy one. I am not going to sway him one way or another because he is after all retired, does about 10,000km per year or less (6,000mi) and he is almost 70, I just want him to have fun and enjoy life. However, if red flags will be lifted about reliability of this vehicle, I will warn him as I don't want him to have issues, aside from that, let him have what he likes. He loves the look of C-HR.
Thank you all again for responding, your inputs are of great value in our decision making.
Well, if he likes the way it looks, I’d recommend going for the CHR - it’s absolutely great.
It’s a really good value for the money, and a big bonus that comes with it being a bigger car is improved safety. while the HRV has only managed to get the minimum required to have 5 European safety stars, the C-HR has the same score as some Mercedes and Volvo products (95%).
Genuinely a great car and much better than the HRV in any way.
Also, I do recommend also considering the Mazda CX-30 (it has a bit of a grill though) and Mazda tends to be a bit more expensive than their competition - but they’re just a bit more comfortable and drive a bit better IMO.
I agree with the comment on test driving a cr-v or rav4. Personally I find the newer rav4 very roomy and comfortable for a smaller size suv so it can be something your dad might want to consider.
Each car marker has a few platforms, but many variations of that platform. Generally speaking, these platforms are: subcompact, compact, mid-size, and full-size.
The Fit and the HR-V are subcompact, and are basically the same car. Just with different bells and whistles and styling.
The Matrix is a compact, and basically a Corolla. The CH-R is a subcompact, and basically a Yaris.
The don’t make Matrix’s anymore, at least in the US. Your best bet for a replacement for the Matrix would be a Corolla Cross, which is basically a Corolla underneath.
Honda doesn’t really have a direct competitor to the Corolla Cross.
Other options would be the CRV or RAV4. These have traditionally been compact SUV’s, but have been sized up over the years, and hover a grey area between compact and mid-size. Not sure about the CRV, but the RAV4 used to be based on the Corolla (compact) platform, but now has gone up to the Camry (mid-sized) platform. IMHO, the latest RAV4 is your best bang for your buck, because you are getting a midsized platform for the price of a compact platform.
I agree with you when you say
" IMHO, the latest RAV4 is your best bang for your buck, because you are getting a midsized platform for the price of a compact platform."
Base C-HR is $24,000CDN here and base RAV4 is $29,000CDN (+13% Sales Tax and Freight $1,800) We also looked at base model RAV4 Hybrid which is $33,000CDN. Still, pretty good because if you would have asked me before I checked, I would have thought that base RAV4 would be closer to $36,000CDN
At the end of the day, dad really loves the C-HR, and I think at close to 70, he should just get what he really likes at heart, as long of course as the vehicle is reliable, because he doesn't need problems to deal with in his retirement either.
Thank you for taking time to write to us.
If he loves the CHR, it’s a great car! It’s not for everyone, but it only matters to the person driving it.