With the Covid-19 pandemic wreaking havoc which led to the nationwide lockdown for over two months now, many automotive launches were either postponed or happened virtually. Now, with restrictions being eased a bit, things have started to move forward at a gentle pace. Many launches which were expected in the month of April and May are expected to take place over the next few weeks.
One of those many early launches is expected to be the Honda WR-V facelift. Honda will soon be updating the WR-V to meet BS6 emission norms and the updated model has even started reaching showrooms, suggesting its imminent launch. The images which have surfaced on the Instagram profile of ‘Indian Auto Information’ suggest the same.
The company has already opened close to 200 dealerships across the country, and the fact that we are seeing the car at one of the dealer’s stockyards indicates that the launch could be closer than expected. Earlier, the Japanese auto giant released an official picture of the 2020 WR-V facelift in March 2020 and opened pre-bookings as well. However, this is the first time that we get to see more of the facelifted model, in addition to the updated cabin.
Exterior Updates
At the exterior, the biggest change witnessed is the new grille, which gets vertical slats along with a pronounced chrome strip similar to the outgoing version. It also sports a revised front bumper with more sculpted lines, new housing for the fog lamps, and a silver faux skid plate. The WR-V also features a set of new LED projector headlamps, with LED daytime running lamps and wrench-shaped, fat chrome slat. The profile, however, looks unchanged, in fact, you even get the same set of alloy wheels. At the rear, one gets redesigned internal detailing of the C-shaped tail lamps with new LED elements. Apart from these changes, the WR-V remains more or less the same.
Interior Updates
The talking points of the WR-V are still centred around its equipment list which comprises features such as a sunroof and cruise control. No prominent changes are visible on the inside of the sub-4 metre SUV. However, the car does seem to come with a new touchscreen infotainment system with lesser buttons for in-car functions. It will come with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Other notable features such as automatic climate control, passive keyless entry with push-button start-stop, and 16-inch wheels will be carried forward from the outgoing model. That said, it looks like the petrol and diesel variants will get a different set of alloys. On the safety front, the WR-V will continue to be equipped with dual front airbags, ABS with EBD, rear parking sensors, seatbelt reminder, high-speed alert and a multi-view rear parking camera.
Also READ: Renault Unveils The Captur Facelift In Russia
Engine & Transmission
As far as the engine is concerned, the 2020 Honda WR-V facelift will continue to be offered in both petrol and diesel engines, and of course, both will be BS6 compliant. It will borrow both these units from the Amaze. The former will be a 1.2-litre i-VTEC unit that makes 89 bhp and 110 Nm of peak torque, while mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox. The diesel version, on the other hand, will come with a 1.5-litre four-cylinder i-DTEC engine turned to churn out 99 bhp and 200 Nm of peak torque. And this one will be mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox. So far, there is no clarity on whether there will be an automatic variant or not.
One can expect the 2020 WR-V to be priced in the range of Rs 8.50 lakh to Rs 11 lakh, putting it up against the Maruti Vitara Brezza, Hyundai Venue, Tata Nexon, and Ford EcoSport. Expect a premium for the updated WR-V, probably ranging between Rs 15,000 and Rs 20,000 for the petrol and Rs 50,000 for the diesel. Currently, the WR-V is priced from Rs 8.08 lakh to Rs 9.95 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). Other than the WR-V facelift, Honda is also gearing up for the launch of the new generation of the City. We can expect both the launches in the next month.