Honda WR-V Malaysia: Small SUV to rival Proton X50, 119hp 1.5L i-VTEC, priced from RM90k

As promised earlier this year, Honda Malaysia has launched the WR-V at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre today. The company’s smallest SUV slots below the HR-V in its lineup, posing the strongest challenge yet to local crossovers like the Proton X50, which the WR-V is priced to compete directly against.

Honda WR-V pricing and availability

In Malaysia, the WR-V (short for Winsome Runabout Vehicle) is being offered in four petrol variants, these being the 1.5 S, E, V and RS. On-the-road pricing (excluding insurance) is as follows:

• Honda WR-V 1.5 S – RM89,900
• Honda WR-V 1.5 E – RM95,900
• Honda WR-V 1.5 V – RM99,900
• Honda WR-V 1.5 RS – RM107,900

As is typical for Honda vehicles sold here, the WR-V comes with a five-year, unlimited-mileage warranty. Honda Malaysia plans to sell 1,300 units per month and has already received over 2,500 bookings since the order books opened in June.

Honda WR-V engine and transmission

All variants are powered by the same 1.5-litre naturally-aspirated i-VTEC four-cylinder petrol engine, identical to what you’ll find in the petrol City. It produces 89kW (119hp) and 145Nm of torque, sent to the front wheels via a continuously variable transmission (CVT).

Honda claims the WR-V will get from zero to 100km/h in 11 seconds flat (11.1 seconds for the heavier V and 11.3 seconds for the RS due to the larger wheels) on its way to a top speed of 160km/h. The car is also capable of a combined fuel consumption figure of 6.0 litres per 100km. Similar to most other cars in the segment, the WR-V features MacPherson strut suspension at the front and a torsion beam at the rear.

Ativa size, mini-HR-V looks

The WR-V may be priced like a B-segment SUV, but its size is closer to that of the Perodua Ativa. In fact, two cars’ dimensions are millimetres apart, with the Honda measuring 4,060mm long, 1,780mm wide and 1,608mm tall, with a wheelbase of 2,485mm. Against the larger HR-V, the WR-V is 270mm shorter, 10mm narrower and 18mm taller (a result of the 207mm ground clearance), while its wheelbase is 125mm shorter.

The car is based on Honda’s Indian-market sub-City sedan, the Amaze, and shares that car’s bonnet, windscreen and front door panels. Despite this, the Japanese carmaker has managed to squeeze a remarkable amount of the larger HR-V’s design language into a smaller footprint, including the trapezoidal head- and taillights, upswept window line, sloping rear windscreen and “hidden” rear door handles.

All models get LED taillights, along with halogen headlights on the base S variant; the V adds full-LED headlights and fog lights. They also roll on 16-inch silver alloy wheels with the exception of the sportier RS, which gain 17-inch two-tone alloys. The “Road Sailing” variant also comes with a “chequered flag” grille motif, silver decorative skid plates and a copious amount of RS badges. Unfortunately, we don’t get the black roof option offered in other markets like Thailand and Indonesia.

Inside, the WR-V takes after the Amaze and the seven-seater BR-V (which we already know we’re not getting), sharing the same dashboard design, trapezoidal centre air vents and hexagonal air-conditioning. Despite the short wheelbase, there’s a decent amount of space both at the front and rear, while the boot measures a fairly reasonable 380 litres.

Standard kit includes keyless entry, push-button start, a seven-inch infotainment touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, fabric seats and, incredulously for a non-national car in 2023, just two speakers.

The E variant redresses the balance with four speakers, on top of offering a 4.2-inch multi-info display, automatic headlights, remote engine start, walk-away auto lock and a reverse camera. The V adds auto air-con and leather upholstery, while the RS throws on sequential indicators, paddle shifters for the CVT’s seven virtual ratios, six speakers and Honda Connect for controlling vehicular functions remotely through your smartphone.

Honda Sensing standard except for base model

Safety-wise, the WR-V comes with four airbags, stability control and the LaneWatch blind spot camera as standard, with the E adding the full suite of Honda Sensing driver assistance systems. These include autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control (no Low Speed Follow, as the car uses a manual handbrake) and lane centring assist for Level 2 semi-autonomous driving.

Also part of the package is a front departure alert and automatic high beam. Unfortunately, you’ll have to step up to the RS to get curtain airbags, for a total of six airbags.