The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has unwittingly given us information that even Honda wouldn't give us when the HR-V debuted on April 4th. According to filings made with CARB, the brand's new Honda Civic-derived crossover will be getting that model's base 2.0-liter engine.
Previously, the last iteration of the Honda HR-V touted Honda's 1.8L four-pot, which made 141 hp and 127 lb-ft of torque. By no means inspiring numbers, but importantly, that engine managed to get 30 mpg combined, a somewhat decent figure for a crossover in this segment. Notably, the engine won't be changing based on the HR-V's driven wheels, either. That 2.0-liter will stick around regardless of whether the HR-V is all-wheel drive or front-wheel drive.