VTEC Turbo just kicked in for 2019 Honda HR-V Sport

Remember when Honda announced that they will be releasing VTEC turbo for the HR-V back in August? Well, it looks the company has officially fulfilled that promise.

Say hello to the 2019 HR-V Sport: a more powerful and more agile version of the Jazz-based crossover.

Starting off with its exterior, the HR-V Sport gets several blacked-out styling elements all around. Both the Solid Wing Face front grill, and lower air intake are painted gloss black which gives it a more menacing appearance. In addition, the front foglight bezels, side mirror caps and 18-inch alloy wheels have been painted black as well. Apart from those, Honda also added dynamic styling elements courtesy of a front splitter, side skirts, a more aggressive rear bumper and dual exhaust pipes finished in black.

Under the hood is not a naturally-aspirated i-VTEC engine. Instead, it has a 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder derived from the Civic. It puts out a healthy 182 PS at 5500 rpm along with 220 Nm of torque at 1700 – 5000 rpm when mated to a continuously variable transmission (CVT). When fitted with a six-speed manual gearbox however, torque is increased to 240 Nm which is available from 1900 – 5000 rpm.

Besides giving the HR-V Sport a meatier engine, Honda was also busy making improvements in its chassis. For starters, it comes standard with 'Performance Damper' technology which Honda claims allows the HR-V Sport to corner better, as well as have improved stability during sudden lane changes. Honda even went on to say that the bespoke dampers reduce vibration while driving on uneven roads, and enhances steering feel too.

As for its interior, the HR-V Sport relatively resembles its standard stablemates. However, Honda did mention it does get some subtle changes like a blacked-out roof lining, two-tone leather-fabric seats and dashboard trim, along with red contrast stitching on the steering wheel.

For now, only the European market gets the more powerful HR-V Sport and its turbocharged four-cylinder. Hopefully other markets such as the Philippines will get to have the turbo crossover available soon.