When Honda Cars India launched the WRV compact crossover, we were really bummed off about the fact that despite being advertised and marketed as a smaller SUV, the WRV came with a puny 1.2-litre petrol engine from the Brio. Moreover, there was no automatic transmission option on offer, despite the fact that the Indian customer is slowly and steadily accepting automatic as the preferred transmission option. And if recent speculations are to be believed, the aforementioned limitations of the Honda WRV not only bothered customers & journalists but also troubled some folks at the company. As a result, Honda is soon expected to launch a new top-end trim of the WRV that will come with a 1.5-litre petrol engine and a CVT gearbox.
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We tried to verify this news from some known folks working at Honda’s Tapukara manufacturing facility, and the speculations do seem to be true. While the company hasn’t made an official announcement about the same yet, Honda engineers are currently working on mating the 1.5-litre iVTEC unit from the City, on to the WRV. In the City, this particular engine develops 120 PS and 145 Nm of peak torque. If Honda engineers manage to keep these output figures intact, the WRV 1.5 petrol will surely be a hoot to drive, with a power to weight ratio of 100 BHP per tonne.
Another addition in the pipeline is the 7-step CVT gearbox that is found with the aforementioned engine in the Honda City sedan. The presence of this gearbox in the WRV will surely give a boost to the car’s city friendly image and thus prove to be an added feather in its package. It remains to be seen whether Honda offers the 1.5-litre petrol WRV with only the CVT gearbox or the MT unit is also on offer.
Must Read: How is the Honda WRV performing in India?
The Honda WRV competes against the likes of the Ford EcoSport, Maruti Vitara Brezza, Hyundai i20 Activ and Toyota Liva Cross.