Japanese Car Auction Find – 2005 Honda HR-V

The 2014 Paris Motor Show is finally coming to a close. To finish off the week, we’re going to look at a Japanese car auction find that may remind you of a car we saw last week in France. That’s because today’s auction find is the original version of an upcoming new SUV we saw at the motor show.

It’s a 2005 Honda HR-V in classic metallic black:

As you can see, this is a far cry from the HR-V Concept we saw in Paris, although it still filled the same slot in Honda’s lineup. The original HR-V was developed to satisfy consumer demand for a car with the spaciousness and sturdiness of a CR-V without sacrificing the economy and maneuverability of a Civic. Thus, the HR-V was born as a High-riding Revolutionary Vehicle.

Believe it or not, the Honda HR-V was originally marketed to a young demographic as a sort of toy car. The original 1997 concept for the HR-V was called the “Wild & Joyful J-WJ” Concept, and Honda called it the “Joy Machine” when it officially launched in 1999. It was fun and frivolous, and didn’t really fit into any common segments at the time – it wasn’t a minivan, a conventional SUV or a truck. Unfortunately, this meant it was well-received in the showroom, but drivers didn’t know what to do with it on the road.

As a 2005 model year, today’s Honda HR-V auction find would have come out after a minor refresh in 2003 which included some exterior styling updates and a totally overhauled interior. Looking at the image below, you’ll see that the clean and crisp black interior holds up even to today’s higher quality standards. In fact, many argue that the original HR-V was a little too ahead of its time, which is why the model would cease production in 2006.

The original Honda HR-V achieved SUV-like performance by using the Real Time 4WD taken from the then-current Honda CR-V. At the time, what separated Honda’s four-wheel-drive system from other manufacturers’ was the addition of a Dual-Hydraulic Pump Rear Differential (DHPRD), which is a fancy way of saying that the four-wheel drive mode is automatically activated when the front wheels lose traction.

DHPRD is one of the many modern amenities that no other cars were using at the time. You’ll find that this 2005MY also boasts antilock brakes, dual SRS airbags, electric windows and mirrors, power steering, air conditioning, and even heat absorbing windows to keep the cabin comfortable.

Under the hood you’ll find a conservative 1.6L four-cylinder VTEC engine that outputs 123hp, paired up with an automatic CVT. The HR-V for the JDM also features a slightly tuned-up suspension and driveshaft.

The original Honda HR-V was only in production for a little more than half a decade, so there aren’t that many left in circulation. The find you see here is one of the best ones currently up for auction with an overall grading of 3.5 due to a few minor dings, and an interior grade of C due to minor wear and tear. Continue reading below the auction sheet for a full rundown of this auction find:

“Interior C, first registered 2005, month of first registration not known, J model, FAT, AC, power steering, power windows, airbags, timing belt has been replaced, service book, cigarette burn holes in driver’s seat, steering wheel worn, wheel caps scratched, ABA emissions code, rear panel and rear spare tyre housing distortion, minor scratches, left side door mirrors scratched, front windshield has stone scratches, other marks as per map“