The CR-V was first introduced to the UK in 1997 and depending on which country you go to, the name CR-V has a different abbreviation. In some countries it stands for ‘Civic Recreational Vehicle’, and in others, including the UK, it stands for ‘Compact Recreational Vehicle’.
The latest version is the third-generation, with an all-new one due in the near future. The CR-V has proved to be a huge success for Honda worldwide and is not only built in Japan, but also in numerous other countries such as North America, Indonesia, Taiwan, China, Canada, Thailand and here in the UK at Honda’s plant in Swindon.
The CR-V we had on test was powered by a 2.2 litre i-DTEC diesel engine and had a 6 speed manual gearbox. This engine produces 150ps, goes from 0-62mph in 9.6 seconds and has a top speed of 118mph. It has a fairly high CO2 emissions figure of 171g/km and an official combined fuel consumption figure of 43.5 MPG. We achieved an average of just over 35 MPG.
One of the CR-V’s best attributes is that it’s a very easy car to drive despite its length of 4,574mm. It can be parked easily and doesn’t feel at all cumbersome, which is probably due to the high position of the driver’s seat. You have a commanding viewpoint which makes you feel as if you’re the king of the road, and it’s this great all-round visibility that makes the CR-V and cars like it a dream to drive, as you do feel safer and more secure in knowing that you can see more of the road ahead.
The CR-V is comfortable, offers plenty of room for all five occupants and has enough space in the boot for their luggage. The rear seats are not the easiest to fold down, and they do not fold completely flat. You have to pull one strap, then another, and let the seat cantilever forward, which does take up quite a bit of valuable space. No doubt the next generation will have a more modern seat folding system.
The CR-V has an on-demand 4WD system: the front wheels are normally in use, but if the car detects extra traction is needed then it automatically switches to 4WD. During the time we had the car there was no ice or snow, and we didn’t take it off-road so we didn’t get the chance to try the CR-V’s 4WD capabilities.
The SE+ trim is based on the SE, but has some additional features including alcantara/fabric seat trim, dual- zone climate control, cruise control, privacy glass, leather trimmed steering wheel and gear knob, auto dimming mirror and front and rear parking sensors. The SE is the base car, but it comes with 17” alloy wheels, power door mirrors, air conditioning, multi-function computer and MP3 socket as standard, so it’s a reasonably well specified car at a reasonable price.
The badging policy at Honda always seems to be the wrong way round in my opinion, with SE being the cheapest car, then the ES, then the EX. It would be simpler if the ES was the base car, followed by the SE.
The SE+ costs £24,550, which is only £710 more than the SE.
