The letters might suggest extra speed, but this is a story of racier styling.

SIZZLE that’s seen rather than sensed is the draw of a new flagship edition of Honda’s smallest crossover.

The e;HEV RS edition of the HR-V has sportier styling features throughout, but under the bonnet it employs the same 1.5-litre four-cylinder hybrid drivetrain as the L and LX grades already on sale, with identical 96kW and 253Nm outputs.

Power is sent to the front wheels through an e-CVT automatic transmission, and combined fuel consumption is rated at 4.3L/100km.

But if looks can thrill …?

Well, the RS is out to be seen with new features including RS badging, a black RS grille, door lower garnish, bumper lower garnish, 18-inch wheels and door mirror caps.

The interior achieves black synthetic leather, suede and cloth upholstery with red trimmings on the doors and lower dashboard, as well as red stitching dotted around the cabin.

That’s on top of features already offered on other grades including LED lighting with adaptive high beam, an electric tailgate, dual-zone automatic climate control, an 8.0-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and safety features like autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, adaptive lane guidance, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and a reversing camera.

For 2026, all H-RV gain ‘hybrid’ in their naming convention, so the ‘Hybrid RS’ will top out the spending choice at $47,900, with the Hybrid L and Hybrid LX at $43,500 and $45,800 respectively.

All have been available since May 29.