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Honda redesigned the HR-V for 2023. It finally moved on from the old Honda Fit platform and moved up to the Civic platform, which means that the new HR-V is more powerful, bigger, and more practical. It comes in three trim levels, including the Sport trim. But is the new 2023 Honda HR-V Sport trim actually sporty, or is just a trim level?

What’s the difference between 2023 Honda HR-V LX and Sport?

2023 Honda HR-V Sport in gray on a street
2023 Honda HR-V Sport | Honda

The base version of the HR-V is the LX trim. Step up to the Sport trim and you get a more aggressive front grille, a gloss-black spoiler, and a special exhaust tip on this SUV. The Sport also has exclusive 18-inch split-spoke black wheels. So, it’s not really a “sport” trim like, say, the Honda Civic R, with its wings and loud exhaust. But, it is a step up from the LX, which has basic cloth seats and a four-speaker stero. All 2023 HR-Vs, however, get a new fully-independent suspension that improves the ride and handling over the 2022 HR-V.

The top-level HR-V EX-L trim comes with a honeycomb grille insert, a gloss black trim, and 17-inch wheels. All HR-Vs come with a non-sporty 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that makes 158 horsepower. Though the new engine is more powerful than the old one, it’s still tied to a continuously variable transmission. However, to add some sportiness, Honda added step-shifting, which simulates gear changes at full throttle.

Does the HR-V Sport 2023 have navigation?

Navigation is standard on the 2023 HR-V EX-L trim. The Sport and LX trim levels have to make do with Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. With those you can use the navigation on your phone for turn-by-turn directions and maps. The screen in the Sport version is a 7-inch touchscreen.

Is the 2023 HR-V bigger?

2023 Honda HR-V Sport interior in black
2024 Honda HR-V Sport interior | Honda

The 2023 Honda HR-V is bigger in every dimension. It’s both longer and wider than the 2022 version because it rides on the new Honda Civic platform. The wheelbase of the 2023 version is about nine inches longer than the 2022 version. That means that you get a lot more space, especially in the back. The 2023 HR-V holds 55 cubic feet of stuff with he seats folded, which is a generous amount of room.

The new platform also made the HR-V safer. The HR-V earned a Top Safety Pick+ rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, or IIHS. That little plus symbol means that this SUV is in the top tier for all vehicles tested by the IIHS. To earn the +, IIHS evaluates parts of cars most of us wouldn’t think to, until we need to, like headlight coverage and seatbelts.

The 2023 HR-V earned a “superior” rating for its standard front crash prevention system, which is part of the HondaSensing suite of driver’s assistance software, which is standard on the HR-V. It adds pedestrian detection, lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control, and more. So far, the NHTSA has not rated the new 2023 Honda HR-V.

How much will the 2023 HR-V cost?

2023 Honda HR-V Sport from the back
2023 Honda HR-V Sport | Honda

The 2023 HR-V starts at $23,650 in base LX trim. The mid-level Sport trim starts at $25,650 for the front-wheel drive version, or $27,150 for the all-wheel drive version. The top EX-L trim is $27,450.

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Writer - Sedans & Coupes

Dan Mayfield

Dan joined MotorBiscuit in 2022 with over 20 years of experience in journalism and a lifelong passion for anything related to the automotive industry. He grew up wrenching a 1949 Ford pickup truck and an MGB with his dad, learning how not to wire a fuel pump (he inadvertently set the MGB on fire).

After earning a bachelor’s degree in photojournalism from the University of New Mexico, Dan has contributed his expertise to a range of local outlets, including the City of Albuquerque, US Eagle, and the Alliance for Local Economic Prosperity.

On weekends, Dan spends Saturdays enjoying “cars and coffee” chats and, on Sundays, he’s watching the Route 66 Cruise roll through town. He also races motorcycles, and it’s not unusual to find him elbows-deep in his latest cafe racer build.

Taking advantage of the local desert terrain, Dan also enjoys exploring and driving off-road in his trusty Ram Rebel pickup truck, which provides personal insights into his contributions to our Trucks, SUVs, & Crossovers coverage. Dan strives to give our readers unique information about the dynamic automotive market, reading anything that has to do with cars, trucks, bikes, 4X4s, and, in his words, “everything with a motor.”

Dan has earned a number of accolades from the Public Relations Society of America, and is a University of Southern California, Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism Fellow.