Honda’s 2020 Avancier Flagship SUV In China Gets Subtle Facelift And Tech Upgrades

Since 2016, Honda has been selling the Concept D-inspired Avancier flagship SUV in China via its joint venture with GAC Group called Guangqi Honda Automobile.

Positioned above the Breeze compact SUV (which is China’s better-looking CR-V, by the way), the Avancier is a midsize crossover coupe that shares underpinnings with the Accord sedan. Confusingly enough, Honda also sells a largely identical model called UR-V that’s built by its other joint venture with Dongfeng Motors.

The Avancier is the more popular of the two, posting more than double sales in 2019 than the UR-V (71,552 vs. 27,840 units). Now, the first photos and information of the facelifted 2020 Honda Avancier surfaced online, revealing subtle styling upgrades.

Those include new horizontal grille inserts, sharper-looking bumpers, new quad exhaust tips, sleeker LED taillights and new alloy wheel designs. New colors have also been added to the palette. The styling changes result in a slightly longer body that now measures 4,858 mm (191.2 in)

Inside, the 2020 Honda Avancier gains new trim and upholstery choices, as well as the new Honda Connect 2.0 infotainment system. Visually, everything else stays largely the same but the configuration gets significantly upgraded. New features including hill descent control, wireless smartphone charging, a power tailgate, plasma air purification system, automatic headlights, and audio system.

The engine lineup remains the same, with Chinese customers offered the choice of a 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder unit rated at 196 PS (193 HP / 144 kW) and a 2.0-liter turbo-four delivering 276 PS (272 HP / 203 kW). The former comes paired to a CVT while the latter is mated to a nine-speed auto and offers the option of all-wheel drive.

Domestic pricing will be announced on March 31 when the facelifted 2020 Honda Avancier goes on sale in China.