Japan has welcomed the Honda WR-V, but this isn’t the same one that is currently being sold in Malaysia. Instead, the Winsome Runabout Vehicle (WR-V) over there is a renamed version of the Elevate that was first revealed for India back in June this year.
Set to arrive in Japanese dealerships in spring 2024, the WR-V is estimated to have a price that starts from the low two million yen (RM62,084) and will be available in three variants, namely X, Z and Z+. Customers there will also have five colours to choose from, along with a range of optional accessories sold through Honda Access.
The Japanese carmaker is only providing preliminary details for now, with more set to be announced next month. Based on the available information, all three variants of the WR-V are powered by a 1.5 litre naturally-aspirated inline-four i-VTEC petrol engine, which will likely be paired with a CVT to drive the front wheels.
This setup is identical to the one on the Elevate, although the India-spec SUV is also offered with a six-speed manual. The Elevate’s engine is rated at 121 PS (119 hp or 89 kW) and 145 Nm of torque, and these figures are also expected to apply to the Japan-spec WR-V.
As far as equipment goes, the WR-V will be offered with Honda Connect telematics as well as Honda Sensing, the latter consisting of autonomous emergency braking, false start prevention (front and rear), lane departure assist, lane keeping support, adaptive cruise control, lead car departure notification, traffic sign recognition, automatic high beam and parking sensors.
If you’re wondering how the Japan-spec WR-V stacks up in terms of size compared to our WR-V, the former measures 4,312 mm long, 1,790 mm wide, 1,650 mm tall and has a wheelbase spanning 2,650 mm.
The WR-V we have here is smaller at 4,060 mm long, 1,780 mm wide, 1,576 mm tall and with a wheelbase of 2,485 mm. Boot space is also in favour of the Japan-spec WR-V, which offers 458 litres compared to our WR-V’s 380 litres.
Judging by the images on Honda Japan’s official website, the WR-V is similar in spec to the Elevate, with features such as a touchscreen head unit, automatic air-conditioning with rear vents, fabric seat upholstery and a seven-inch multi-info display.
With a price that starts from the low two million yen (RM62,084), the Japan-spec WR-V isn’t cheaper than the brand’s kei cars or even the Fit (also known as the Jazz), and will likely slot in below the Freed, Vezel (aka HR-V).
Our WR-V ranges from RM89,900 to RM107,900 on-the-road without insurance, with Honda Sensing coming standard on three of the four available variants. What do you think of the Japan-spec WR-V? Do you prefer it to the version we have here?
The post 2024 Honda WR-V for Japan is India’s Elevate with a different name – 1.5L NA, Honda Sensing; fr RM62k est appeared first on Paul Tan’s Automotive News.
