The all new Honda UR-V has been launched on the Chinese car market. It
is basically the same car as the Honda Avancier. The main differences are the bonnet, the grille,
the headlights, the bumpers, and the rear lights. One might wonder why Honda
wants to sell two near-identical cars.
That is because Honda has two car-making joint
ventures in China and they always want, and get, the same cars as the other,
competing with each other on the market, as wasting loads of money and time.
That is how it works in China. Other companies with two joint ventures, like
Toyota and Volkswagen, have the same problem.
The Avancier is manufactured by the Guangzhou-Honda joint venture, and the UR-V
by the Dongfeng-Honda joint venture. Honda also
makes two compact SUVs in the same matter: the Guangzhou-Honda
Vezel and the Dongfeng-Honda XR-V.
The dashboard and interior are exactly the same as
in the Avancier down until the steering wheel. This particular car looks a bit
dark with all that gray and black, but it has some shiny edges around the air
vents and some classy wood inlay in front of the passenger.
There are two engines available: a 1.5 turbo with
193 hp and 240 nm mated to a CVT, and a 2.0 turbo with 272 hp and 370 nm, mated to
a 9-speed automatic. Both versions are four-wheel drive. The 1.5 turbo is designated 240 turbo and
the 2.0 turbo 370 turbo; named after their torque, and that is kinda
cool. Dimension size is 4825/1942/1670 mm, and wheelbase is 2820 mm.
Like the Avancier the UR-V is strictly a
five-seater, there is no space for a third row. This puts the Honda’s in some
disadvantage to their competitors, many of which are available with either five
or seven seats.
