Aug 2, 2024

Popular among young drivers and families as well as budget-conscious buyers, the 2024 Honda HR-V is accessibly priced, fun to drive, and brimming with features. This compact crossover SUV is smaller than its CR-V sibling but still offers lots of practicality and space. An often overlooked feature is its ground clearance, which gives it some off-road capability in addition to preventing underbody strikes on the road.

A black 2024 Honda HR-V.

Honda HR-V Ground Clearance for Light Off-Roading

The Honda HR-V has an unladen ground clearance of 7″, or 7.3″ on the HR-V Sport trim, making it suitable for light off-roading and venturing down well-maintained tracks. Honda’s AWD system is available at all trim levels (LX, Sport, and EX-L) and will help with traction on uneven surfaces.

HR-V ground clearance has changed significantly in recent years, with 2019-2022 vehicles sporting a more modest 5.4″ height. The 2024 HR-V is identical to its 2023 predecessor, which received a major redesign.

Terrain To Avoid in an HR-V

Aside from avoiding large rocks, you shouldn’t drive up steep, rough trails or across overgrown vegetation in an HR-V, and you should be wary of fording rivers, especially if you’re unfamiliar with their depth and underlying profile. If you get over-ambitious, you risk damaging the vehicle’s oil pan, fuel tank, exhaust system, transmission, and other components. The HR-V has more ride height than many vehicles, but unseen obstacles are always a risk.

Urban Maneuverability

While the ground clearance of the Honda HR-V stops short of any pure off-road intent, it’s still plenty for urban settings. It helps you drive stress-free over aggressive speed bumps, steep ramps, or poorly maintained roads, provided of course, you also decrease speed. Ample ground clearance is just one of the ways the HR-V excels in urban maneuverability, in addition to its compact size and nimble handling.

Well-Balanced Height

Lower ground clearance also means a lower center of gravity, which affects vehicle stability. The HR-V strikes a nice balance between light-trail versatility and on-road stability with its medium height, aided by other integrated features like Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) with Traction Control. Dedicated off-road vehicles normally have a ground clearance from around 8.6″ to well over 10″ in some cases, for reference.

Driving on Snow and Ice

The 7″ or 7.3″ ground clearance of the 2024 HR-V is useful for drivers who regularly negotiate snow and ice in their driving. It helps to clear the ice ridges that quickly form on roads and which pose a threat to the undercarriages of cars. Dynamic driving modes (ECON, Normal, and Snow) also help the HR-V deal with wintry conditions.

Contact Honda of New Rochelle in New Rochelle, NY to discover the many other desirable features of a Honda HR-V.