Honda HR-V vs Nissan Qashqai

What's the difference?

You could look at the 2022 HR-V and think that Honda has taken a step back.

After all, there’s less space in the boot, there’s one less seat and the prices have – at first glance – gone up.

In reality though, the HR-V, especially in this e:HEV L form, offers up a genuine rival to Toyotas, Mazdas and Kias that dominate the small SUV space.

The 2022 HR-V is a properly handsome car, the hybrid powertrain is miserly on fuel, and the handling characteristics are honestly pretty fantastic.

This has been a tough test. On paper, these cars are closely matched, and while we'll call out an overall winner, it's not quite that simple.

The truth is, each car will ultimately suit a different buyer. An adventurous couple or a single person? The Subaru Crosstrek R is almost a no-brainer, with its all-wheel drive and superior ground clearance, as well as a very worthy slew of upgrades over its XV predecessor, especially if you don't need extra space.

If you're a value-conscious family buyer, however, it's hard to walk past the Kia Seltos Sport+. This car impresses with its huge cabin and storage space, bargain price and stellar ownership terms, but is let down by its so-so equipment list and plasticky cabin.

The car which I feel brings the best attributes to this test, though, is the Nissan Qasqhai ST-L. It lands in a nice middle ground between the two others, with a contemporary design, the most modern drive experience of our choices here, and a plush cabin.

While it's also the most expensive car on this test to buy and own, it's clear where your money is going with this one, and so, by a narrow margin, it's our winner.

Overall scores: 

Subaru Crosstrek R: 7.1

Nissan Qashqai ST-L: 7.9

Kia Seltos Sport+: 7.6

If you close your eyes for a second and think of the best-looking Hondas of all time, I bet the likes of the first-generation NSX, S2000 and two-door Integra come to mind.

And while this new HR-V design doesn’t quite match the heights of Honda in the 90s, it’s certainly a significant step in the right direction compared to the car it replaces.

Gone is the slightly derivative styling and pudgy proportions, replaced with a much more taut, muscular and confident body.

The new grille design is of particular note, as it melds the intakes with the bumper and, when combined with the sleek headlights, makes the HR-V look like it could be from the future.

From the side, the new HR-V retains the hidden door handles of its predecessor, which pays homage to the three-door SUV shape available in the first-generation car.

The long bonnet, short overhangs and sloping window line also give this Honda a particularly athletic appearance, while the 18-inch wheels are also just about big enough to fill the arches, and feature an interesting enough design.

There are some cool design touches here too, like air vent switches with settings for open, close and diffusion, and touch-operated roof lights.

The best part of the interior, however, is fit, finish and feel. All the touch points are soft and there’s just a solid weight to everything. It’s probably no coincidence that all new Australian HR-Vs are now sourced from Japan.

To us, the new HR-V is a stunner. The styling is more mature and confident than before, and between this and the new-gen Civic, Honda’s design department seems to have rediscovered its mojo.

With small SUVs beauty will always be in the eye of the beholder, as each offers a significantly different look and feel.

The Seltos gives off a complex, futuristic vibe, suiting its Korean origins, although it's let down by a lot of plastic cladding on the outside, and its dorky yellow-tinged halogen headlights dress down the otherwise-nice design.

The same vibe continues on the inside for better or worse, with a slick, modern design lifted by its neat digital suite, but let down by the abundance of hard plastics and more than a few cheap touches. In this sense, it is the least expensive-feeling car on this test.

The Subaru builds on the chunky off-road ready formula established by its XV predecessor. This time around, though, it looks more curvy and contemporary.

There's a lot of cool functional detailing in its bodywork, and the LEDs lift its presence on the road.

Inside it feels cosy and ready for action with its chunky steering wheel and seemingly hard-wearing cloth seat trim. The new portrait touchscreen, as part of a major digital overhaul, is welcome, but somehow the brand has managed to make this system too busy, with a lot going on, in terms of buttons and segmented display items.

At the top of the tree, the Nissan manages to look understated and classy, with a slick, coherent design language from the outside, consisting of clean integrated light fittings and tidy piano gloss highlight pieces, with a tasteful smattering of silver and chrome.

Little details like the Qashqai badges strewn about its bodywork are a clever attention-to-detail touch. To me it's the most consistent design on this test, and it feels it on the inside.

Unlike the other two cars on this test, there's little about it which tries to dazzle you with over-the-top tech, with the screens in this car feeling comparatively laid back but still functional.

It also has the nicest materials throughout the cabin, and arguably the most supportive seat trim (although the cloth material which runs down the centre of each seat feels a bit odd.)

Do we have a winner? Again it will depend on what you're looking for to a degree, but I think the Nissan looks and feels the nicest, inside and out.

From the outside, aside from the styling, the 2022 Honda HR-V doesn’t seem like its changed all that much – it’s still a practical five-door small SUV, right?

And from the front seat, the new HR-V paints a very familiar picture.

There is plenty of room for the driver and front passenger, the seats have plenty of adjustability, and there’s storage for your water bottle, wallet and phone.

There’s even an underarm storage cubby that’s deep enough for you to lose some spare change or throw a charging cable or two into.

The rear seats can also fold flat, creating a 1274 litre boot space, which measures just 304L with the rear seats upright.

This makes the 2022 HR-V’s boot smaller than the outgoing model, which could accommodate about 100-130 litres more, and even smaller than rivals like the Toyota C-HR and Mazda CX-30.

In fact, so small is the new HR-V’s boot, it’s even smaller than the Jazz light hatchback that was discontinued in 2020 – so don’t expect to see this small HR-V hauling timber from Bunnings or flat-packed furniture from Ikea.

An SUV in this class needs to be practical, as most family buyers who don't want a big mid-sizer still need a small SUV to be up for all of their family challenges.

On this test, two SUVs perform, while one falls short.

Kicking off with our budget player, the Seltos Sport+, and things are very good. The front seat offers a commanding view of the road, with a great seating position, and the largest rear window of our choices here, handing it an automatic win for overall visibility from the driver's position.

It also offers plenty of room for someone 182cm tall like me, as well as good adjustability of both the seat and steering column, even if it's the only car without an electric driver's seat.

Like most Kia products, storage in the cabin is great, with a big bottle holder and map pocket combo in the door trim, a pair of large but non-variable bottle holders in the centre console, a two-tier shelf below the climate unit good for wallets and phones, and an additional tray behind the electronic parking brake good for the same sorts of objects.

While it scores USB-A, USB-C and a 12-volt connector up front, it is the only car with no wireless charging.

Thankfully, the software on its big multimedia screen is fast and slick and well laid out, and there is a sufficient number of buttons and dials for adjusting climate and volume functions for relatively distraction-free driving.

The back-seat in the Seltos is, by a close margin, the best on this test, with superior headroom compared to the Nissan and the Subaru, and good legroom, even behind my own driving position.

There's cheap plastic trim on the back of the driver's seat, to match the cheap plastic trim in the doors, lowering the ambiance of the space, but it's all hard wearing, which is good for those with kids.

Again, there's a bottle holder in the door on each side, and a further two small ones in the drop-down armrest, and the Kia offers USB-A connectors and adjustable air vents for rear passengers.

Boot space is also a clear win for the Kia. Not only does it have the largest volume (refer to the table below), but it's also a big, square, accessible space, and the easiest to fit our three-piece demo luggage set, or pram.

It is also the only car on this test to offer a rare full-size matching spare wheel under the floor, but is also the only car missing a luggage cover.

Next up, the Subaru. It looks the most like a hatchback of our set here, and feels it in the cabin.

Up-front it's notably the most closed-in and cosy space, which comes with the downside of having the least visibility of our trio, particularly out its small rear window.

It feels purposeful, though, with the chunky wheel and seats suiting the off-road-ready vibe and there are enough high-quality materials throughout the cabin to keep it soft and comfortable.

Despite its more diminutive interior dimensions, it still has sufficient space for someone 182cm tall in the front, and adjustability isn't bad, either.

There are decent bottle holders in the doors, a further two fixed ones in the centre console, and a tray below the media screen with power outlets and a wireless charger.

Interestingly, the wireless charger is almost useless because Subaru has chosen to make it a smooth plastic finish, so your phone slides out of the area in the first corner you encounter.

It's easily fixed with a BYO rubber mat, but still, why was this not thought of in development?

The back seat is a surprise. While it is harder to climb into thanks to a descending, hatch-like roofline, the roof itself has an extrusion in it to grant rear passengers a little extra headroom, and it works.

I was also surprised to see the rear seat has been cleverly engineered to maximise knee room, although the centre position is all but useless for an adult due to the centre raise required for this car's all-wheel drive system taking up all the legroom.

The Subaru also has the least rear-seat amenity, with the smallest door bottle holders and drop-down armrest holders, no adjustable air vents, with only a USB-A and USB-C connector as luxuries for those riding in the back.

The real deal-breaker for family buyers, though, will be the Crosstrek's boot. Despite boot space being a key criticism of this car's XV predecessor, the Crosstrek manages to crop some 20 or so litres from the space this time around, down to just 291L, by far the smallest on this test.

It was the only car which couldn't fit the whole demo luggage set, although it could still accommodate the pram.

The Subaru's final party trick is its impressive 220mm ground clearance to go with its all-wheel drive system, by far the most capable of the choices here if you're venturing beyond the tarmac, although it still only has a space-saver spare under the boot floor.

The Nissan lands between the others when it comes to practicality, but it's still within striking distance of the Seltos in terms of overall space.

Up front, passengers are treated to nice plush seats, the most extensive list of trims in the doors and across the dashboard, and even soft materials for your knees.

These add up and go a long way towards making the Nissan feel as though it has the most upmarket cabin of the choices on this test.

Adjustability, like the other cars here, is good, although visibility over the nose is more limited, as you sit lower and the dash-line is higher. Good thing the Nissan is also the only car with a handy 360-degree parking suite.

Bottle holders include a massive one in the doors, two more with variable edges in the centre console, and a nice big rubberised charging bay for your phone under the climate unit.

The rear seat continues the plush treatment, with soft materials on the backs of the front seats, and into the doors.

I found I had plenty of space behind my own driving position, roughly on-par with the Seltos, and the Qashqai serves rear passengers with large bottle holders in the doors, a further two small ones in the drop-down armrest, adjustable air vents, as well as USB-A and USB-C charging ports.

The boot is a tad smaller than the Kia's, and a little less square, but offers soft claddings for all the surfaces, so your luggage won't scratch hard plastics.

The Qashqai easily consumed the whole CarsGuide luggage set or the pram, and under the floor there is a space-saver spare. The Qashqai also has the highest towing capacity of our choices here, refer to the table below for more.

As mentioned, we've grabbed upper mid-grade models of each of our cars here. Theoretically, they should represent the best value in their respective line-ups, offering the most kit for a reasonable spend.

To kick it off, the most affordable car here is the Kia Seltos Sport+. Wearing a before-on-roads price-tag of $35,800, the Seltos seems to instantly be a value pick amongst our choices, although it has had the most minor recent update, a mild nip-and-tuck with tweaks to its equipment level.

It has some appealing attributes, including a fully digital instrument cluster to match its multimedia screen, built-in navigation, and partially synthetic leather seats, as well as having the largest boot capacity.

Under the bonnet of the HR-V e:HEV L you’ll find a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, but Honda has also thrown in two electric motors to make this car a hybrid.

In total, there is 96kW of power and 253Nm of torque available, making it competitive against its rivals for potency, but the bigger benefit of this hybrid set-up is in its lower fuel consumption figure.

Compared to rivals like the Toyota C-HR and Mazda CX-30, the cheapest HR-V is well down on power and torque as all its competitors make use of larger engines or a turbocharger for a bit more grunt.

Whichever HR-V engine you end up with, both are paired to a continuously variable transmission that sends drive to the front wheels.

While each vehicle on this test has a different approach under the bonnet, they all end up with similar power outputs.

The Seltos is the most traditional of the bunch, with a big old 2.0-litre in-line four-cylinder engine and no turbocharger. It is also the lightest car on this test, but produces the least power, at 110kW/180Nm.

The Crosstrek uses Subaru's signature flat ‘boxer' engine layout with a 2.0-litre capacity and is the only car here with all-wheel drive (it's real, permanent all-wheel drive, too!).

With 115kW/196Nm on tap, it has the most kilowatts out of the choices here, but still has less torque than the Nissan and is by far the heaviest vehicle on-test.

Finally, the Nissan is the only vehicle here to have a down-sized turbocharged engine, with a 1.3-litre four-cylinder unit producing 110kW/250Nm.

All cars drive the wheels via a continuously variable automatic transmission, and with relatively even power outputs it's hard to make a call on a winner in this department, but to me the Nissan at least feels more modern than the dated set-ups in the other two choices.

Officially this HR-V e:HEV L will return a fuel consumption figure of just 4.3 litres per 100km, helped by its petrol-electric hybrid powertrain.

This figure not only beats out the petrol-only Mazda CX-30 line-up, but also matches the Toyota C-HR Hybrid for frugality.

In our time with the HR-V e:HEV L, we actually managed to match the 4.3L/100km claim with a healthy mix of inner-city and freeway driving.

Very rarely do fuel consumption claims translate to a real-world setting, so it's heartening to see that the Honda HR-V living up to what’s promised on the box.

The petrol-only Vi X meanwhile, wears an official fuel consumption figure of 5.8L/100km, but having not yet driven that car, we cannot comment on the accuracy of that claim.

Fuel consumption should be pretty straightforward here, a function of weight and engine design, however all was not as it seemed on our 100km mixed conditions controlled test.

Officially, the Subaru consumes the most fuel, stated at 7.2L/100km, which would make sense given it is the heaviest, with the added burden of all-wheel drive.

Next down is the Seltos, with its older engine giving it a claimed consumption of 6.9L/100km. While the Nissan claims to be the most trim, with its high-tech small capacity engine granting it an official consumption of 6.1L/100km.

In reality, though, the results were almost flipped around. Over 100km of combined testing, the Subaru consumed the least fuel, at 6.2L/100km measured at the pump, the Nissan landed in the middle at 6.6L/100km, while the Seltos was the thirstiest, consuming 7.1L/100km.

While the results are surprising, they are still very close and well within margins of error and driving style of each other.

It is worth noting, the Nissan's turbocharged engine is the only one to require more expensive 95RON fuel, while the other two are happy to consume 91.

How do you think a small SUV should drive on the road? To us, I want something that is easy to use with great visibility and a minimal number of rattles and squeaks.

And this Honda HR-V absolutely delivers.

When flat-footing it, the HR-V does get a bit revvy and harsh, but for the most part, and especially during inner-city journeys, this car is a delight.

The steering is also very nicely weighted, and there’s a connection between the wheel and what’s happening underneath that’s rare to see in this class of car.

It means the HR-V is genuinely fun to pilot, whether ducking into an on-street park or navigating a series of S bends on a country road. What a pleasant surprise!

One thing I should get out of the way before we launch into driving impressions, is none of these cars will be a deal-breaker from behind the wheel.

They are all very competent for the segment, and each respective recent update has made them significantly better than they were prior.

Starting with the Kia, and the benefits of its extra visibility are evident straight away, particularly out its large rear window.

The digital suite also feels nice, with a customisable interface and plenty of information on offer, and it's reasonably easy to adjust things on-the-fly, whilst concentrating on the road.

Interestingly, the Kia has the firmest ride, and the heaviest steering, but despite this feels settled over bumps and corrugations, and surprisingly planted in the corners.

I was surprised to find it didn't feel majorly peppier than the other choices here, with engine response dulled slightly by its doughy but sufficient continuously variable automatic transmission.

The ride also falls in a happy middle ground between the firm springs of the Seltos and the soft ride of the Subaru. The Qashqai dispatched bumps and undulations very well, but did reach its limits more abruptly on larger hits.

Its safety suite also largely ran in the background, with the only (very small) annoyance coming from the way the car slows itself down in corners and if you drift to the edge of your lane when using adaptive cruise control.

Most importantly, the Nissan didn't have a single significant downside which would annoy a driver every day like the Subaru's thrashy engine, or the Kia's invasive safety equipment, whilst providing a good middle ground of the more appealing traits of its rivals.

All cars have impressive safety suites, with all the key up-to-date active items featuring.

All cars score high-speed auto emergency braking with pedestrian, cyclist detection, and junction assist.

All cars also feature lane keep assist with lane departure warning, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross traffic alert, speed alert, driver attention alert, and tyre pressure monitoring.

One good omen for the Subaru is its impressive suite of nine airbags, outranking the Nissan's seven, and Kia's six.

It's hard to establish a winner here, but the Kia is the least well equipped of the bunch by a small margin, and it's also marred by its annoying lane keep and speed warning systems.

Like all new Hondas sold in Australia in 2022, the HR-V comes with a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty.

Scheduled service intervals are every 12 months or 10,000km, whichever occurs first, which is a bit less mileage than the industry standard of 12 months/15,000km.

However, all of Honda’s vehicles now fall under its ‘5 Low Price Services’ scheme, which means each service for the first five years will only cost $125.

This means that the first five years of ownership should only set buyers back $625 – and this price applies to the hybrid and non-hybrid engine of the HR-V.

What’s even better, however, is that this makes the 2022 HR-V cheaper to maintain than the CX-30, C-HR and Niro.

An easy win can be handed here to the Kia Seltos, which has the longest warranty at seven years/unlimited kilometres, longest roadside assist which can be extended to up to eight years with genuine servicing, and the most affordable capped price servicing program.

Meanwhile, the Subaru and Nissan have the standard five-year and unlimited kilometre warranty, with the Subaru offering only one year of roadside assistance, and the Nissan offering five.

Capped price servicing extends to six years or 90,000km for the Nissan, seven years and 105,000km for the Kia, and up to 15 years or 225,000km for the Subaru.

Over a five-year period for a fair comparison purpose, the Seltos is easily the most affordable, with an average cost of $414.40 per year, the Subaru falls in the middle, with an average cost of $474.64, while the Nissan is the most expensive car to keep on the road, costing an average of $583.20 per year over the same period.