Honda HR-V 2018 update to boost safety, driveability and style

Expected facelift to be joined by expanded safety equipment and mechanical tweaks. 

Honda's HR-V small SUV is due for a mid-cycle update later this year, and early indications suggest it will be more than skin deep. 

Specific details are yet to be confirmed, but the expanded safety arsenal will hopefully bring AEB ('City Brake Assist' in Honda speak) to the base VTi for the first time, which would align the HR-V with its Mazda CX-3 key competitor. 

Speaking with CarsGuide this week, Honda Australia spokesperson Scott McGregor suggested that the upgrade will also see the 'ADAS' package of Forward Collision Warning, Lane Departure Warning and High Beam Support System trickle down to lesser variants from the current $34,340 top-spec VTi-L.   

This won't represent the latest 'Honda Sensing' technology available with the CR-V, Civic, Accord and Odyssey though, which will likely have to wait for the next generation HR-V in around 2021. The key additions Honda Sensing brings is Lane Keep Assist System, Road Departure Mitigation System, and Adaptive Cruise Control with Low-Speed Follow.

The existing 1.8-litre petrol engine and CVT auto drivetrain is set to continue, with Mr McGregor clarifying that the HR-V hasn't been engineered to suit the 1.5-litre turbo-petrol found in the Civic and CR-V. 

Therefore the mooted driveability improvements are likely to be centred around chassis and steering tweaks. 

Despite being relatively unchanged since its debut in early 2015, the HR-V is still the fourth best-selling small SUV in Australia so far in 2018, and our top pick among its class.  

The updated HR-V is expected in Australian showrooms in Q3 this year. 

Check out all Honda HR-V 2018 price and spec info here.

Would you like to see a 1.5-litre turbo HR-V? Tell us what you think in the comments below.