Powertrains from City sedan will do duties on the upcoming Honda compact SUV – Launch is scheduled for summer 2023
Earlier this year, Honda Car India shared the first official teaser of their upcoming new SUV. It is this SUV that has now been spied testing. It will help Honda take on established SUVs like Creta, Seltos, Grand Vitara, Hyryder and Astor.
Heavily camouflaged test mule reveals very few design details. At front, we have LED DRLs flanking a mesh-type grille. These DRLs appear to bear ice-cube-type effects as we saw with Maruti Suzuki Nexa cars. But it is likely to be camouflage stitching and DRLs behind might be continuous.
Upcoming Honda SUV Spied Again
The rectangular cutout in camouflage, might be hiding a larger grille up front. The general front fascia layout for this SUV bears semblance to the 2022 Honda HR-V. Looking from the side, the Honda compact SUV gets fairly upright SUV-ish windscreen angles.
This should extract more interior space. There are interesting-looking alloy wheels on offer, giving the SUV a sportier stance. At the rear, it gets wrap-around tail lights. These are likely to get LED elements along with halogen turn indicators and reverse lights. There is a small rear spoiler, to add a sporty touch.
Underpinnings for India-spec new SUV will be a modified version of Amaze platform. This way, Honda can reduce development costs and price the SUV aggressively. Along with a Creta rival, Honda is also working on a smaller version which will rival Brezza, Nexon and the likes. Since both SUVs differ in length, Honda will modify Amaze’s platform to achieve varied wheelbases for different segments.
Specs & Features
Looking at the new spy shots, the Honda compact SUV is likely to be around 4.2 meter in length. This will make it slightly smaller than its immediate rivals in the compact SUV space. Expect the new Honda SUV to be loaded with features like large infotainment touchscreen, digital instrument cluster, voice commands, state of the art music system, ventilated seats, etc
Powertrains will be similar to the ones found on 5th-generation City sedan. Standard option will be 1.5L NA aspirated petrol engine. It makes 119 bhp and 145 Nm. Hybrid version is also a possibility. It will get a 1.5 liter engine mated to a hybrid motor. Diesel engine will not be on offer.
Speaking about safety features, new Honda SUV will come with 6 airbags, ADAS safety features, ABS, EBD, disc brakes, etc. Last month, new gen Honda WRV managed to score a 5 star safety rating at the ASEAN NCAP. Expect India-spec new Honda SUV to perform well in crash test as well.
