More than a year has passed since the US debut of the Honda CR-V and the sixth generation of the world’s second best-selling SUV arrived in Europe late last year. A couple of weeks ago we had the plug-in hybrid version of the CR-V e:PHEV and now we’re going to take a look at the classic, hybrid version of the e:HEV in the Advance version, the best specification, with 4×4 drive.
First, again, a few words on the look, because CR-Cat really deserves it. Honda’s current minimalist design just keeps getting better and better. Starting with the likes of the Jazz, which (incomprehensibly for me personally) almost nobody likes, through the Civic, with its slightly more aggressive look, continuing with the polarizing ZR-V and the quite handsome HR-V, there’s a car that just about everybody will probably like.
The CR-V has quite athletic proportions, the premium silhouette of a large SUV, an American frown front and rear, and aside from those “small” wheels with high profile tires, it’s a well-designed car. But let’s remind ourselves that this actually only has advantages – you don’t have to worry about scuffing a wheel on a curb when parking, and the high profile playfully filters out the slightest bumps, which contributes significantly to better ride comfort.
Honda has taken the dashboard of the current Civic as the template for all new models, and so it is with the new CR-V. It’s got everything I love about the brand’s other current models, too. Valuable-looking plastics, quite sober use of chrome trim, mechanically precise-to-the-touch ventilation controls, and a simple infotainment system that’s easy to use. And in the cabin, you’ll find a truly full complement of equipment, including features more typical of luxury cars until recently.
Available features include a head-up display projected on the windshield, heated steering wheel, heated and ventilated seats, 360-degree camera parking system and a front camera that monitors the area in front of the car at low speeds. You’ll also connect wirelessly to Android Auto now, not just Apple CarPlay. You can charge wirelessly too, and by the way – the wide centre tunnel compartment can fit two phones side by side, which isn’t exactly common either.
Another camera in the right mirror projects the entire area without a blind spot when the turn signal is activated on the center display, so there is no need to monitor the mirror itself. The Honda Sensing driver assistance system also newly detects cars approaching from the side at an intersection or roundabout. If you were old-fashioned (like me), almost all of this can be turned off, of course, it just takes quite a bit of time before each drive.
The front seats are rather stiffer, with fully adjustable lumbar support and, most importantly, good lateral guidance. The rear seats are softer, with a high-set seat cushion, so they support the thighs well. The backrests are adjustable and the knee room is great. Plus, by sliding the rear seats, a little of that extra space can be devoted to luggage. Because even though it’s got a cool 579 litres in the base, it’s still less than the e:PHEV version.
After my experience with the e:HEV hybrid and the engines in the Jazz, HR-V, and Civic, I was a bit apprehensive about the CR-V. Mainly about the power reserve but also about the acoustic comfort. Unjustified. The Honda CR-V e:HEV is acoustically soundproof. The engine is stripped back from the cabin really superbly and if you want a bit of a sporty (albeit artificial) sound in the cabin, that’s available in Sport mode. The CR-V’s simulates a sort of virtual gears and it sounds quite interesting.
Aerodynamic noise levels are low within this category, and the thicker windscreen and laminated double glazing in the front doors are to blame. The rear ones are already conventional, which is a bit of a shame, you can hear it a bit more there in the 130 highway. And now something about the chassis…
It shows us that everything based on the current Civic platform has excellent driving characteristics. The ZR-V and now the CR-V have confirmed this for us. The four-wheel version weighs over 1,800 kg, but in the corners it behaves as if it were at least half a tonne lighter. Corner entry is also precise thanks to the precise and steep steering, no front wheel wobble or uncertainty here. The CR-V simply leans in easily and smoothly and continues with great confidence and only a minimal tendency to understeer. The moment you feel the urge to head out of a corner, just give the steering wheel a little tug and the electronics, even with the help of AWD, will playfully sort it out.
All-wheel drive is now a “Real Time AWD” system, and the current version is defacto a permanent four-wheel drive, as there’s always some torque going to the rear wheels. Under certain conditions, such as acceleration or cornering, then more and specifically it can be up to 50%. This can be monitored in one of the menu items on the instrument cluster, just like the last generation CR-V.
A glance at the technical data table raises some doubts about the dynamics, but in principle, sub-10sec acceleration to 60 is acceptable in a normal car. The CR-V’s four-wheeler is on paper 9.5sec on it, but it’s nothing mind-blowing, of course.
The Civic and ZR-V, which have very good dynamics with the same system, are around 8 s. Holt, you can’t fool a big SUV and the weight too much. Although the electric motor has stepped up by 20Nm and a couple of horsepower and torque has gone up in the petrol two-litre as well. The weight, for example, is 300kg more compared to the Civic, so it’s actually almost a miracle that there’s only a 1.5 second difference in acceleration between the two. Emotionally, however, the CR-V doesn’t go badly at all.
Maybe also because the i-MMD drive now has not one, but right now two permanent gears. In addition to the original one, which roughly corresponds to sixth gear, one more has been added for lower speeds. The effect of this solution is that acceleration from a standstill and at lower speeds is better than one would expect from the parameters.
The new CR-V e:HEV’s system output is 135kW (184k) and 335Nm of torque, matching the parameters of the main traction motor. This makes the CR-V essentially more of an electric car than a conventional internal combustion engine car, it just carries a sort of mobile petrol power plant instead of large batteries. There is a battery, of course, but only a smaller one, with a capacity of 0.6 kWh, serving as a power backup when instant power is needed.
For the AWD version, Honda puts average consumption at 6.7 litres per 100km. In practice, however, it’s a bit more, and our average over nearly 800 km was 7.2litres per 100km. On the motorway, though, the CR-V’s pulls comfortably over 10 litres from the tank, because that’s where the benefits of the hybrid powertrain cancel each other out with physics.
You’ll pay at least €45,490 for the hybrid version of the CR-V and €47,490 for the tested quad. For the top-of-the-line Advance trim, you need €51,990, and our test example still had the metallic paint for €750, bringing the final price to €52,740. A lot?! We’ll leave that up to you…
The Honda CR-V has taken a giant leap forward between generations. A car that didn’t even have any significant weaknesses before has been replaced by a successor that’s a whole lot better at absolutely everything. It has a great design, a spacious and very well soundproofed interior, finally a large boot and a well-tuned chassis, providing both comfort and driving pleasure at the same time.
