Honda's small SUV has some sizable advantages

Mark Glover’s AutoGlo car reviews also can be seen in the Northern & Central California Cruisin’ News magazine published monthly out of Folsom, California.

Sacramento, California -- You see so many subcompact crossover sport-utility vehicles these days that you can become jaded ... eyes drifting ... shiny object somewhere in the distance.

But when the small SUV is made by Honda, well, you pay attention.  Honda has long been a master of building dependable, small vehicles that get good fuel mileage and win big awards. Oh, and they sell like penny pancakes.

Take the Honda HR-V, for example.

Maybe you don't want to get the prize-winning Honda CR-V.  You want to spend a few bucks less.  You want an easy-to-handle, practical-size sport-ute that can tackle your basic chores -- usually involving transportation of a few human beings or some humble cargo.

If that's the case, the HR-V might be what you want.

My 2019 HR-V tester was the all-wheel drive Touring edition, generously equipped and showing a price of $29,585 on the bottom of the sticker.  It was loaded with customer-pleasing, helpful perks for that price -- leather trimmed seats, heated front seats, steering wheel-mounted controls, plentiful high-tech plug-in options, LED lighting and a full boat of top-notch safety features.

Regarding that last mention, the 2019 HR-V received a max five stars in federal government overall safety testing.  When equipped with the optional front crash prevention system, the Honda HR-V gets a Top Safety Pick star from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

For the 2019 model year, Honda tweaked the HR-V here and there, with refreshed styling touches and an infusion of some new technology. All positives.

What you won't get in an HR-V is neck-snapping accelerations off the line.  Power comes from a 1.8-liter, four-cylinder engine rated at 141 horsepower.  On suburban roads and city streets, I had no problems as performance was adequate and handling quite agile.  Coming down the freeway on-ramp, however, I really had to put my right foot in it to easily blend in. No surprise there.

And no surprise that the fuel mileage is an impressive 26 miles per gallon in the city and 31 mpg on the highway.  Once again, Honda knows its audience, and this HR-V is aimed at the prudent buyer desiring the basics ... without crushing the household wallet.

Good news: This HR-V gives you all that in spades.

Given the plentiful on-board perks and excellent safety features, I'm guessing most HR-V buyers will enjoy long relationships with their motor vehicle of choice.