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New Models
DRIVEN: Honda CR-V Gets The Job Done
Restyled compact crossover SUV shows off its style and functionality, but its nondescript drivability fails to engage.
The Honda CR-V was restyled for 2012 with a bolder look and an expanded interior. (Photo: Honda)
This little crossover SUV does everything right, drives well, looks good, and it has a nicely outfitted interior. The engine is very quiet and reasonably powerful, and the handling is decent.
It is a good vehicle in just about every respect, except for one problem that might not bother most drivers who merely want to get where they’re going.
The Honda CR-V is – and there’s no nice way to say this – boring. Boring to look at and boring to drive, a well-turned-out appliance but little more. It’s like dating a lovely, pleasant and well-mannered girl who has nothing to say. There’s nothing wrong with her, per se, except that she’s boring.
For most drivers out there, boring is not a problem. It gets you to the grocery store, it cruises well on a road trip, it has lots of cubbies and stowage places, and it’s good on gas. And assuming that CR-V is like most Hondas, it should be quite reliable.
But for those of us who count ourselves among actual car enthusiasts, boring is where we draw the line between a vehicle we might desire and one that we don’t.
CR-V is one of the best-selling vehicles of any type in the U.S., so obviously Honda has hit upon a formula of style, features and driving character that appeal to a majority of people.
I liked the funkier original CR-Vs, which were akin to mini adventure trucks, but now that it is so-much-more refined and looks pretty much like everything else in its class, I really don’t care about it. Searching for it in a parking lot, it was all too easy to mistake it for any number of similar-sized crossovers.
CR-V did get restyled for 2012, designed to make it look more distinctive and increase cargo space. The grille has been enlarged and widened to create a bolder face, and the rear has been pushed out and made more vertical, which is a good look and allows more stuff to be stowed back there.
Although CR-V is very slightly shorter with a lower roofline than the outgoing model, space inside has actually grown for humans and their gear. Seating is comfortable all around, though this extra-tall driver could have used a smidge more legroom.
Honda’s usual separation between the center console and dashboard has been eliminated, creating a bigger console that spans the full distance, as do most of the competitors’. The dashboard looks stylish and appealing, although it has lost most of its former Honda quirkiness.
Power for the 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine is up somewhat to 185 horsepower and 153 pound-feet of torque, which is more than adequate for this relatively lightweight SUV. The transmission is a five-speed automatic with Grade Logic Control that does a nice job of holding a lower gear on a gradual descent.
Fuel mileage is a plus with the CR-V, which counts for a lot these days, though most competing compact crossovers boast comparable numbers. The test Honda was a top-of-the-line EX-L NAV (for the navigation package) with all-wheel-drive, and it has an EPA rating of 22 city and 30 highway. The highway mileage gains are attributed to improved aerodynamics.
It is a good vehicle in just about every respect, except for one problem that might not bother most drivers who merely want to get where they’re going.
The Honda CR-V is – and there’s no nice way to say this – boring. Boring to look at and boring to drive, a well-turned-out appliance but little more. It’s like dating a lovely, pleasant and well-mannered girl who has nothing to say. There’s nothing wrong with her, per se, except that she’s boring.
For most drivers out there, boring is not a problem. It gets you to the grocery store, it cruises well on a road trip, it has lots of cubbies and stowage places, and it’s good on gas. And assuming that CR-V is like most Hondas, it should be quite reliable.
But for those of us who count ourselves among actual car enthusiasts, boring is where we draw the line between a vehicle we might desire and one that we don’t.
CR-V is one of the best-selling vehicles of any type in the U.S., so obviously Honda has hit upon a formula of style, features and driving character that appeal to a majority of people.
I liked the funkier original CR-Vs, which were akin to mini adventure trucks, but now that it is so-much-more refined and looks pretty much like everything else in its class, I really don’t care about it. Searching for it in a parking lot, it was all too easy to mistake it for any number of similar-sized crossovers.
CR-V did get restyled for 2012, designed to make it look more distinctive and increase cargo space. The grille has been enlarged and widened to create a bolder face, and the rear has been pushed out and made more vertical, which is a good look and allows more stuff to be stowed back there.
Although CR-V is very slightly shorter with a lower roofline than the outgoing model, space inside has actually grown for humans and their gear. Seating is comfortable all around, though this extra-tall driver could have used a smidge more legroom.
Honda’s usual separation between the center console and dashboard has been eliminated, creating a bigger console that spans the full distance, as do most of the competitors’. The dashboard looks stylish and appealing, although it has lost most of its former Honda quirkiness.
Power for the 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine is up somewhat to 185 horsepower and 153 pound-feet of torque, which is more than adequate for this relatively lightweight SUV. The transmission is a five-speed automatic with Grade Logic Control that does a nice job of holding a lower gear on a gradual descent.
Fuel mileage is a plus with the CR-V, which counts for a lot these days, though most competing compact crossovers boast comparable numbers. The test Honda was a top-of-the-line EX-L NAV (for the navigation package) with all-wheel-drive, and it has an EPA rating of 22 city and 30 highway. The highway mileage gains are attributed to improved aerodynamics.
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