Less than a month after Honda Thailand announced pre-booking, the new 2024 Honda HR-V facelift was previewed to the Thai media. The Kingdom will be the first market in Southeast Asia to offer the refreshed B-segment crossover following its Japan debut in March.

Aside from a preview of what is to come, Honda Thailand also announced estimated prices of the HR-V ahead of its launch in November at the Thailand Motor Expo. Three e:HEV hybrid variants are offered which are:

• HR-V e:HEV E – THB 89X,000 (~RM 113k)
• HR-V e:HEV EL – THB 1,0XX,000 (~RM 127k)
• HR-V e:HEV RS – THB 1,1XX,000 (~RM 140k)

Prices for the facelifted HR-V have been reduced by approximately THB 80,000 (~RM 10.2k) compared to the pre-facelift.

While the pre-facelift HR-V sported a different look to the Japanese Vezel, the refreshed non-RS variants feature the same clean front EV-like styling as the updated Vezel. Meanwhile, the RS variant gets a unique redesigned front grille with chrome embellishments and a red RS badge.

Similar to the updated Vezel, the facelifted HR-V received a new front bumper design and slimmer headlights. At the back, the LED taillights also received a revised light structure.

New additions to the updated Thai-spec HR-V also include fresh dual-tone wheels and the Sand Khaki Pearl colour which was never offered in the pre-facelift in this part of the world.

Moving on to the interior, the most obvious change is the updated 8-inch infotainment touchscreen that also supports wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

There are also improvements in the centre console with a redesigned layout that features upper and lower tray cubby trays. However, the overall interior layout and ergonomics are mostly unchanged from the pre-facelift.

The i-MMD hybrid powertrain is also carried over from the pre-facelift which sees a naturally aspirated 1.5-litre Atkinson cycle i-VTEC petrol engine (106 PS/127 Nm) with a pair of electric motors (131 PS/253 Nm).

The Honda Sensing ADAS suite has also seen some upgrades with the inclusion of three new features:

• Traffic jam assist (traffic jam driving support function)
• Adaptive driving beam
• Sudden acceleration suppression function

As for Malaysia, the refreshed HR-V would look similar to the one previewed in our northern neighbour but with a few differences like the powertrain. Here, the locally assembled (CKD) Honda HR-V is offered with 3 engine options – 1.5L NA, 1.5L Turbo, 1.5L e:HEV - across 4 variants:

• HR-V 1.5L S – RM 115,900
• HR-V 1.5T E – RM 130,900
• HR-V 1.5T V – RM 135,900
• HR-V 1.5 e:HEV RS – RM 141,900