Few cars in my neighborhood have been leaning more often lately than the new Honda CR-V. People obviously like it. I was a bit more skeptical at first, at least in terms of appearance. From the photos, it didn't seem to me that it should be a goddamn handsome man. However, the reality sounds much more favorable for Honda, but I still had to find a way to it. And what was she like? You will learn this in the following lines.
I don't want to bother the impatient ones with unnecessary tension and I'll write it straight away, the trip was very pleasant. Although the car didn't fit me well at first, after all, there is a certain difference between our cultures, but as they say, you can get used to almost anything and in this case it didn't even take that much work. A car with a menacing look reminiscent of an 18th century Japanese warrior's mask naturally commands respect on the road and sometimes attracts more attention than you might want at the time. However, you will be happy to forgive it while driving, confidence radiates directly from it in all circumstances. The driver is sometimes a bit worse off, especially when parking, and what is interesting, this time surprisingly more so when parking in front. The high-extended edges of the fenders give the impression of a massive front from behind the wheel. And she is true to some extent. When parking parallel, I sometimes had the feeling that I had to stand half a meter from the curb when looking at other cars, even though the parking camera showed the opposite.
I have to get used to the interior as well. And I don't just mean a color combination, which I could probably imagine better than black with imitation wood strips. Be that as it may, you can look at it, the materials are pleasant to the touch and the workmanship is also at a high level. But there are so many controls and buttons everywhere that it makes your head spin at first. On the steering wheel, behind the steering wheel, in the doors, even on the ceiling, and everything is secured by a large touch screen. Operating instructions please! No, I'm just kidding, it wasn't necessary, everything can be tapped comfortably and in the end quite intuitively on the go. And the march is extremely fun, if driving with an almost two-ton car, under the hood of which a paper-modest 15 is crouching, can be described as such. Yes, I'm not going to stress you out again. The drive unit has variable valve timing and the turbine monitors its proper breathing. Combined with a seven-speed automatic transmission, we have a full 193 horses driving all four wheels. The interesting thing is that if you prefer a manual, it can be, but you have to take into account that the engine output in this case is "only" 173 horsepower. Nevertheless, the car in this specification shows better dynamic characteristics, to achieve which it needs less fuel. Speaking of numbers, the combined consumption is half a liter lower.
But back to the machine, it works exemplary here and won't give you much reason to complain. If so, there is an option to choose the levels with the paddles under the steering wheel. It is also a very pleasant companion, firstly it holds very well and secondly the steering is pretty stiff and conveys your instructions precisely, giving a great feeling of control over the car. The chassis takes bumps with confidence, although it can also rattle and jump on the bigger ones, but it holds in corners and does not bother with excessive leans. The 4×4 drive also adds to the security, which successfully manages to neutralize the car's understeer. The brakes take some practice. When braking lightly, they work perfectly and you only need to exert a little pressure on the pedal. But as soon as you need a more vigorous start from them, you need to increase the pressure exponentially. You have to take this into account when you need to brake quickly to zero, and don't be afraid to stomp down hard. Regarding consumption, the manufacturer's data must of course be taken with a grain of salt, during the test the average consumption was between 8.9 and 9.4 liters. If we consider the size and utility value of the car, these are certainly not bad numbers. Only the fuel tank could be a little bigger, its 57 liters promises a range of around 650 km, which is not much.
Another important factor for such a car is of course comfort and space. Honda excels in this regard as well. The seats are large and comfortable, the possibility of heating probably goes without saying, however, although they are perforated, I did not find the ventilation function. But probably only my fault. The passengers behind you certainly won't complain either, there's enough space for everyone in the car and there's also room for a trunk. It is already voluminous at its core, and it can also be significantly enlarged by folding the rear seats flat, which both enables the transportation of large loads and, if necessary, can also offer a decent shelter for two people to sleep over. In connection with the additional panoramic roof, it can be almost a romantic experience that leads to anything :-).
Although I thoroughly enjoyed my week at Honda, I was somewhat relieved when he returned. For my needs, the car is quite a bit bigger than I would have imagined. In the urban jungle, it seems a bit clumsy, and keeping to the permitted 50 is almost a superhuman task. However, if you like cars of a similar type, definitely give Honda a chance and arrange at least a test drive, the CR-V is definitely an interesting and successful alternative.
