The Honda WR-V is set to make its Malaysian debut tomorrow. The highly anticipated small SUV which Honda Malaysia says sits in its own segment and does not compete with any other car maker, was already available for booking at all dealerships nationwide last month.
As of today, the WRV already has 2,500 bookings! And Honda expects to deliver all 2,500 cars in less than two months. With that, it is safe to say that Honda’s small SUV is well received prior to its official debut. Honda also reassures that the WRV is not affected by the global chip shortage and as such deliveries will be on time and spare parts are readily available.
The second-generation WRV (first-generation for Malaysia) made its global debut in Indonesia last November and was launched in Thailand in May of 2023. We took it for a test drive from Bangkok to Pattaya recently and came away impressed, you can read about that here and watch the video below.
Despite sitting in the same segment as the Perodua Ativa, Honda Malaysia says the WRV has created its own segment, and as such does not compete against any other models.
We can confirm that there will be four variants that will be offered for the Malaysian market starting with the top of the line RS variant, followed by the V, then the E and S spec. Of the four, the RS is naturally the most popular and accounts for 45% of all bookings received. The V received 38% with the E getting 12%.
Honda Malaysia has also confirmed that there are no difference in specifications between the Indonesian, Thai and Malaysian WRV’s. The only thing that is new to the Malaysian spec model is the inclusion of a headlight adjustment switch, which is required by Malaysian regulations.
As for the powertrain, Honda has also confirmed that the Malaysian WRV will be powered by the same powertrain as the other markets; a 1.5-litre naturally-aspirated engine that produces 121PS and 145Nm of torque. Power will be sent to the front-wheels through the same 6-speed CVT gearbox with Step Shift Control.
The only difference between the Malaysian and the Thai WRV is that the Malaysian model will not get the roof rails seen above, and sadly, Malaysians will also not get the dual-tone paint job that we saw in Thailand.
Honda places a high focus on safety, thus the WR-V will also offer Honda Sensing, a cutting-edge safety system that includes eight safety functions, such as:
- Lead Car Departure Notification
- Adaptive Cruise Control
- Collision Mitigation Braking System
- Forward Collision Warning
- Lane Keep Assist System
- Road Departure Mitigation
- Lane Departure Warning
- Auto High Beam
- LaneWatch Camera (left side for blind spot assist)
Official details such as variants and pricing will be announced tomorrow, so stay tuned for further details! In the meantime, you can check out five interesting things to know about the WR-V here.
