Has WR-V given Honda's crossover ambitions the right lift?

When Honda launched WR-V in India on March 16, it plunged the crossover hatchback on a road less travelled but a segment that has great potential. So, the question at the back of everyone's mind is whether the crossover has lived up to expectations.

Looking at the latest bookings figures of WR-V, the crossover has seen 16,000 bookings so far, up from 12,000 bookings in April. This may not be a great number when compared to Maruti Suzuki or any other Honda competitor, but definitely a figure that should come as reassuring news for the car-maker.

WR-V was the second best-selling model of the company in April as the crossover found 3,266 takers.

WR-V, which is pitted against Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza and Ford EcoSport in the compact SUV segment, has been priced at Rs 7.75 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). It is offered in both petrol and diesel engine options.

While a 1.2-litre i-VTEC engine, which can generate power of 90bhp with a torque of 110Nm at 4,800rpm, power the petrol models, a 1.5-litre i-DTEC diesel motor that can pump 100bhp of power with 200Nm torque does duty in the diesel versions. The transmission in the petrol variant is taken care of by a five-speed manual gearbox, while the diesel model gets a six-speed gearbox.

Honda is also rumoured to add a 1.5 litre petrol engine to the WR-V's powertrain in India soon. The 1.5 litre petrol engine that also does duty in the new City could also get CVT gearbox. India is the first market to launch Honda WR-V globally and WR-V is also the first model developed by Honda R&D in India.

Source: ET Auto