2020 Honda HR-V Trim Levels with Comparisons & Configurations.

The 2020 Honda HR-V is a class-leader when it comes to spaciousness and fuel economy. The size of the cabin is stupendous compared to other crossover SUVs, and the cargo area (which maxes out at 55.9 cubic feet of cargo space) is nothing shy of impressive.

But the HR-V has its downfalls, which mainly revolve around its powertrain. It can feel sluggish and get noisy, even when you are just scooting about town. But it certainly is not the only vehicle in this segment to suffer the same issues. Technology can be a bit of a sore spot, too, since the standard infotainment system is a bit wonky. But drivers will definitely appreciate the return of more physical knobs and buttons on the center console. Honda is listening to their consumers' complaints!

There are a lot of pros and a few cons to owning the HR-V. When it comes time to decide what to test-drive, you really need to consider the HR-V's different trim levels. Is the base LX trim going to be enough? Might the EX provide a nice balance between features and affordability? Or how about the Touring, which offers standard all-wheel drive and a plethora of additional features that create a sense of luxury?

There are five different trim levels to choose from on the 0202 Honda HR-V: the base LX, the Sport, the EX, the EX-L, and the line-topping Touring. Each one has different amounts of features offered and some slightly different specs as well. You will want to pay attention to the details in order to find which trim level will best cater to your unique needs.

Compare the 2020 Honda HR-V LX vs Sport Trims. What is the difference?

The base LX trim is a decent way to start off a line-up. It is surprisingly well-loaded for being a base trim level. While it does not have Honda Sensing equipped, it does have a nice amount of standard safety features. These features include a multi-angle rear view camera (although you might not need it in too many situations, since outward visibility with the naked eye is quite good), brake assist, a tire pressure monitoring display, and LED daytime running lights. Similarly, the Sport trim lacks Honda Sensing and offers all the rest of the safety features. The only difference is minor; the Sport's rear view camera has dynamic guidelines, whereas the LX has basic guidelines.

When it comes to infotainment and audio features, there are some differences. Standard equipment on the LX includes a 4-speaker, 160-watt sound system, Bluetooth connectivity (with HandsFreeLink and Streaming Audio), an AM/FM radio, a USB port on the front console, and a spedd-sensitive volume control function. The Sport builds on that, adding a second USB port, a 180-watt 4-speaker sound system, a 7-inch high-resolution touchscreen display, smartphone app integration via Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Pandora Radio, HondaLink, and SMS text messaging capability.

Creature comforts are predominantly the same on these two trim levels, with two major additions on the Sport: a leather-wrapped gear shift knob and steering wheel and sport pedals. Otherwise, expect them both to have chrome door pulls, a cargo area light, illuminated controls mounted to the steering wheel, a remote fuel filler door release, a garment hook on the driver's side, two 12-volt power outlets (one in the front, one in the rear), map lights, an LED pocket light, a tilt-and-telescoping steering column, power door locks, and a standard air conditioning system that has an air filtration function.

Both trims share front seats that are manually-adjustable, and they each have a Magic Seat for the second row (meaning it can easily flip and fold in order to maximize cargo space). On the outside, the LX and Sport both have two-speed intermittent windshield wipers, auto on/off projector beam halogen headlights, a rear roofline spoiler done in the body color, LED brake lights, and a rear windshield wiper. However, the Sport adds gloss black side mirrors and underbody spoilers, an exhaust finisher, and roof rails.

As far as what is under the hood goes, it is the same over the course of the line-up: A 1.8-L inline-4 cylinder engine (which generates 141 hp and 127 lb-ft of torque, making it unfortunately underpowered for this class) paired with a continuously variable transmission (CVT). The Sport's CVT has dual-mode paddle shifters, and the engine gets active noise cancellation. Intelligent all-wheel-drive is an option on all trim levels, save for the Touring, on which it is standard.

Compare the 2020 Honda HR-V Sport vs EX Trims. What is the difference?

Let us move on up a trim level to the EX. The EX is a popular pick since it is a nice middle ground between the LX and the Touring - affordable yet loaded with a lot of nice features. Honda Sensing comes standard, which is a great reason to upgrade to this trim level. Honda Sensing bundles a bunch of helpful advanced driver aids, such as front collision mitigation, adaptive cruise control, and lane departure warning. But, other than that, the safety features remain the same.

Tech-wise, the EX also takes things up a notch. It sees the addition of two more speakers to the 180-watt sound system. HD Radio and SiriusXM Satellite Radio also get thrown into the mix. A few more convenience features get tacked on as well. The dual vanity mirrors up front gain illumination, and there is an automatic climate control system with an electro-static touchscreen. Also, the door locks become programmable, and there is a push button start function.

The interior remains largely the same in terms of design. The big difference? The heated steering wheel. The exterior gains a few more upgrades, including a one-touch power moonroof with a tilting function, smart entry, power-adjustable and heated side mirrors with integrated turn indicators, variable intermittent windshield wipers, and privacy glass for the rear window.

Compare the 2020 Honda HR-V EX vs EX-L Trims. What is the difference?

When it comes to the EX-L, there are only a handful of specific upgrades that are really worth mentioning. It really is basically the EX with several more things tacked on. The lists of standard safety and infotainment features remain the same. However, the "L" in the name kind of means "luxury", so what you will find added on are creature comforts. The EX-L gets the Sport's leather-clad steering wheel and gear shift knob. It also comes with an auto-dimming rear view mirror.

Leather-trimmed seats are the only other real alteration that you will find inside of the 2020 Honda HR-V. And do not bothering trying to tell them apart from the outside. Aside from the "EX-L" badging, the design is exactly the same. If you really want to shake things up, you are going to have to climb all the way to the top of the line-up and go for the Touring trim level.

Compare the 2020 Honda HR-V EX-L vs Touring Trims. What is the difference?

And, with that, we reach the Touring. This is as luxurious as it gets on the 2020 Honda HR-V, and it does quite a good job of bordering on what you would get in an entry level luxury crossover SUV. The Touring does not have anything different to offer in terms of driver aids and other such safety features, but it does have some additional infotainment features that are absolutely worthy of mention.

The key difference here is that the Touring gives you the Honda Satellite-Linked Navigation System. This multi-feature system includes Honda HD Digital Traffic and voice recognition. Even if you do not have a cellular connection available, this system will still function and direct you to wherever it is that you need to go.

As already mentioned, the Touring trim level is the only one to come with standard intelligent all-wheel-drive. Otherwise, mechanically, it comes with everything else you can get on the HR-V: hill start assist, active noise cancellation, the Eco Assist System, a direct injection system with an immobilizer, a 13.2 gallon fuel tank, and the MacPherson strut front suspension. Since the all-wheel drive system is equipped, the vehicle also gets a DeDion rear suspension instead of the standard torsion beam rear suspension.

Bear in mind that the Touring trim level does get slightly less in terms of fuel efficiency than the 2WD models due to its AWD system. Whereas the 2WD models get 30 mpg combined (with 28 mpg in the city and 34 mpg on the highway), the Touring (and any trim that gets equipped with the intelligent AWD system) gets 28 mpg combined (with 26 mpg in the city and 31 mpg on the highway). These are both pretty good numbers for this segment, regardless of whether you go for 2WD or AWD.

2020 Honda HR-V: Which Trim to Choose?

The 2020 Honda HR-V offers five really good trim level choices, but each one suffers from the underpowered 1.8-L engine and CVT that gets paired with it. They also do not get any favors from the finicky and distracting infotainment touchscreen display. But, that being said, they all offer a good amount of fuel efficiency that will help drivers save at the gas pump. They also have excellent handling and steering capabilities that tend to get overshadowed by talk of how sluggish the powertrain can feel.

The trim level you choose should be based on how well it meets your needs as well as how much you can afford to shell out for a brand new vehicle. The LX has some nice features, but it does not quite have enough in the way of driver aids. And the same thing goes for the Sport trim level. The Honda Sensing suite of driver aids really feels essential at this point, given the fact that competitors put similar features like this on many of their mid-level trims. Skipping to the EX to get those features boosts your price by about $3,000, which is pretty decent when you consider the other upgrades that come along with it.

The EX-L does not really add enough to what you get on the EX to make it a viable option. That really leaves the choice between the EX and the line-topping Touring trim. If you can swing it, the Touring is worth the cost, especially for that all-wheel drive system. The nice creature comforts that get added into the mix are not too shabby either.

Both the EX and Touring are good options, so it will ultimately depend on how much you are able to spend. Overall, the HR-V is a decent vehicle that just needs some tweaks to make the powertrain a bit more powerful and user-friendly (at least when it comes to the technology). It can be an engaging ride when you get it driving under the right conditions.