Honda CR-V Range Car Review

Facts At A Glance
Car: Honda CR-V range
Prices: £19,725-£26,210 - on the road [est]
Insurance Group: 12
Emissions: 173-194g/km
Performance: [2.2 i-CTDi] Max Speed 116mph / 0-62mph 10.3s
Fuel Consumption: [2.2 i-CTDi] (combined) 43.5mpg
Safety: driver, passenger, side and curtain airbags, vehicle stability assist, trailer stability assist, ABS, electronic brake assist, front seat belt pre-tensioners, rear seat belt monitor, active front head restraints
Dimensions: Length/Width/Height, (exc door mirrors) 4530/1820/1805mm

HANDLE WITH FLAIR

Our Rating: 7.3 / 10

Honda’s CR-V compact SUV has a fresh look. Jonathan Crouch checks it out….

Let’s assume for a moment that you want a compact 4x4 but have absolutely no interest whatsoever in going off road. It would be used for the school run, pressed into duty for continental holidays and may be asked to do some light towing. Above all, it would need to drive like a car. The best pick? Probably Honda’s now improved CR-V.

Do you know what the most disquieting thing about compact SUVs is? The nagging sense of dishonesty. All too often these vehicles are trying to portray a rugged image when, for the most part, they’re utterly hopeless as soon as the tarmac runs out. In the real world, the most owners will actually want to do is to haul a trailer or get out of a muddy car park. And Honda, more than any other car maker, is a company that lives in the real world, designing its products to suit.

One car to benefit from this rather refreshing approach is the third generation CR-V, now facelifted and at last available with an automatic gearbox for diesel models. Here’s a model which, though still able to deal with towing and slimy surfaces, for the most part concentrates on providing what most compact SUV owners really want: a more pragmatic and useful on-road package. Put simply, it drives on road better than its rivals.

The CR-V can handle gentle off-road tracks thanks to its four-wheel drive system but think of this as an all-wheel drive equipped car rather than a ‘proper’ SUV. The system has been tweaked a little to direct even more torque to the rear wheels when the front wheels start slipping. This is actually more handy if you’re planning to use the CR-V in bad weather conditions or on an Alpine skiing jaunt.

Honda claims to have benchmarked the best family hatchbacks in its class (rather than other 4x4s) when it comes to handling. There’s the kind of independent suspension set-up you’d be more likely to see on a mildly sporty car, plus the centre of gravity has been dropped by fully 35mm. As a result, you can forget the cumbersome roly-poly road manners and ponderous ride quality still common to some cars in this class.

And those improved looks? Well, there’s a fresh front bumper and grille, a revised rear bumper, and colour coded bumpers on EX grades. There are smarter alloy wheels and upgraded fabrics and plastics inside, giving the CR-V interior a more premium finish. A slicker audio console design has also been introduced, while improved sound deadening around the engine and cabin makes the CR-V an even quieter and more relaxing car to drive.

Otherwise, it’s as you were. The rear seats split 60:40 at the base and 40:20:40 at the back and slide back and forth to maximise either leg or luggage room. They even recline to really let rear passengers flake out on longer trips. When not required, the rear seats can be tumbled forwards and stowed upright to create a space big enough for a pair of mountain bikes. You won’t even need to remove the front wheels. Extra versatility is served up with the ‘Double Deck’ luggage storage system created by a shelf that sits just over a foot off the load floor. This hinged slab allows luggage below to remain easily accessible but out of view.

Prices start at just under £20,000 and rise to around £25,000 – comparable in other words to obvious rivals like Toyota’s RAV4 and Land Rover’s Freelander2. as ever, two engine options are available. The petrol powerplant is a 2.0-litre unit based on the 1.8-litre i-VTEC petrol engine found in the Civic range, in this instance pumped up to produce 150bhp. It’ll get to 60mph in a respectable 9.9 seconds but if you’re loaded down with people and gear, the modest 190Nm torque figure may well prompt you to look at the diesel engine. This is the celebrated 2.2-litre i-CTDI diesel good for 140bhp but with a generously stuffed 340Nm of torque. If you’re planning on towing anything, look no further than this unit. Equipment levels are generous with features like an eight-way powered driver’s seat, leather upholstery, front and rear parking sensors and a rear-view camera offered according to trim level.

The Honda