Three Worthy Little SUVs, Driven – Honda HR-V, Lexus UX 200 F, And Mazda CX-5 Turbo

Mini-SUVs are great for folks who like the room and comfort of their elephantine big brothers, minus the elephantine part. The price tags of some are on the low side, too. We recently tested three squirt-sized SUVs, back-to-back, and found much to love, with a few carps, natch. Two of them are already on their way out as we make way for 2023, but this was our first drive for each, so we thought it would be valuable for shoppers to be able to have a look at both 2022 and 2023 models.

2023 Honda HR-V

This was my first HR-V and it followed a test of the splendid 2022 CR-V Hybrid I had over the summer, which I liked very much. Whether you choose the HR-V or the CR-V depends on your needs, of course, as well as your budget. The HR-V starts at $24,895, making it very economical indeed, and a great alternative to the more expensive, bigger CR-V.

The HR-V was given a third-generation relaunch in 2016 and got a refresh in 2019. Honda has now given the 2023 HR-V a makeover and it shares its platform with the Civic, delivering a dinky-winky naturally aspirated 2.0-liter inline-four from Honda’s compact sedan, making 158 horsepower.

The good news is that the new trim is both wider and longer and delivers more interior space. Ride and handling are improved, too, via a new independent rear suspension, replacing the outgoing model’s torsion beam setup. Trims available are the LX ($24,895) Sport ($26,895) and our tester, the EX-L ($28,695.) Mileage on our tester was about 27 MPG city/highway combined. The front seats are supportive and comfy, and handling/braking was acceptable.

Sadly, you can’t get a manual transmission anymore. But they’ve added a particularly useful and practical “Honda Sensing Suite.” This contains the many alerts we’ve come to know in recent years which some find annoying but which, it cannot be denied, saves lives. The nav system in my test HR-V gave me problems, though, The nice lady telling me where to turn simply quit talking, twice, resulting in missed exits and having to stop and re-program to get her to start up again. (No cracks, please, about this being the opposite of what some men have to do with some passengers.) Eventually I just gave up and used my phone after the second day of the 7-day test.

Aside from my Nav sys experience, there is a whole lot right with the HR-V, and very little wrong. It’s a good choice for shoppers looking for affordable, capable wheels.

2022 Lexus UX 200 F SPORT

The outstanding feature of the teensy UX 200 SUV is undoubtedly its looks – all sharp and angular and authoritative. The rest of the vehicle sets it apart from all that Lexus is known for – cushiness (it’s not cushy) power (it doesn’t have any) and the company’s notorious hefty price tags.(The UX 200 starts at a mere – for Lexus – $32,000.) It also impresses with high-quality materials within and a distinctive, mod dashboard layout.

It comes in base, Luxury and our tester, the F Sport trim level. Its front-wheel drive engine is a tiny 2.0-liter four-cylinder making 169 horsepower and 151 lb-ft of torque, fed through a variable automatic transmission that’s nice and smooth. The upside of the small engine is the relatively good fuel economy – 32 miles to the gallon, highway/city combined, and unlike other luxury cars, you can put regular in your tank.

How does it drive? Slow, boss. You’ll get to 60 from zero in a little under 9 seconds, but once you’re rolling, it doesn’t feel so feeble, and you’ll buzz around nicely in cities and parking lots. Handling and braking are all ok, but make sure you give yourself lots of room between yourself and the vehicle in front of you as emergency braking is reported to be longer than average – 129 feet from 60 MPH.

It’s not overly cushy. You’ve got some nice padding up front but the back will be rather cramped, especially for the big and/or tall. The ride is reasonably smooth, but not all the time, and it’s fairly noisy in the cockpit. An optional eight-speaker sound system is passable, but the overly sensitive, occasionally infuriating mouse controller in the middle of the front and passenger seat is something both auto journalists and buyers have complained about for years.

On the other hand, there are a lot of standard goodies in the base model, like dual-zone climate control, a Wi-Fi hotspot, adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assist and blind-spot monitoring.

The UX 200 is offered for 2023 as a hybrid only, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t check out the 2022 gas-powered model I drove if you’re in the market for a stylish get-around car that won’t win you any drag races at green lights, but which will, for fans of the brand, satisfy your needs.

2022 Mazda CX-5 Turbo

This is an inexpensive car ($26,250) designed particularly well in that it’ll do whatever you ask of it quickly, it’ll haul people or equipment or your bicycles, and, while not drop-dead gorgeous, it’s reasonably attractive. There are many reports of CX-5s going anywhere between 200,000 and 250,000 miles before quitting, too, so it’s possible you’ll get your hard-earned money’s worth unless you hit stuff.

The CX-5’s 3.5 litre, four-cylinder engine is not an absolute monster even if you opt for the turbo, and you don’t expect it to be. Yet it cooperates – fill the tank with 87-octane regular gasoline to obtain 227 horsepower, 93-octane premium and you’ll get 256.You can tow 2,000 pounds. The handling is surprisingly nimble, thus enjoyable.

The interior aims upscale and succeeds much of the time, and it’s quiet in the cockpit at speed. I liked its particularly detailed stitching in its dashboard, steering wheel, and doors, and that the plastique is kept to a minimum. Some new goodies for 2022 included standard all-wheel drive, a slightly updated front and rear styling and a suspension upgrade. The rear seatbacks can recline for added comfort.

It’s got all the latest safety features from airbags to ABS brakes, blind spot monitoring and, as options, a driver attention monitoring system and reverse automatic emergency braking. There’s a knob to control your infotainment inferface and it’s not very hard to adjust to, and standard infotainment features include a 10.25-inch display, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, Mazda Connected Services, a Wi-Fi hot spot, Bluetooth, two USB ports, a four-speaker stereo, and HD Radio.

It is a snappy, practical ride worth the money.