Honda CRV – Review (2012)
As one of the original SUV, the current crop of Honda CRV (also known as CR-V) has a long history to live up to.
When originally released in the mid 1990s competition for this compact crossover SUV was virtually non existent. Leap forward some 15 plus years and the market place is almost at saturation point with variety with all major manufacturers producing a compact SUV to compliment its range.
The current Honda CRV is essentially the third generation of CR-V produced by Honda and has been around in its current guise since late 2006. In 2010 the Honda CRV received a facelift in order to make it more competitive in the current market place dominated by the likes of the Mazda CX7, Volkswagen Tiguan, Toyota Rav 4, Nissan X-Trail and Subaru Forester.
The current line up of Honda CRV comprise three models the base model (known as CR-V), the sports (CR-V Sport) and the luxury (CRV-Luxury). At present there is also the limited package on offer which increases the spec of the base model to include 17 inch alloy wheels, blue tooth connectivity, rear park assist and interior mats.
Across the range all Honda CRVs have the same 2.4 litre in line 4 cylinder DOHC i-vtec engine producing 125kw of power and 218Nm of torque. The base model comes in either a six speed manual or 5 speed auto while the rest only have the 5 speed auto. The only real differences between the models is the interior kit and body styling.
The model we tested was the base model Honda CRV with the limited edition pack and the six speed manual transmission. Given the target purchaser for this style of vehicle, namely female with a couple of kids to ferry around, I would strongly recommend the auto over the manual (Albeit there is a $2,400 price difference).
The interior fit out of the base model Honda is of a good standard including electric windows front and rear, velour trim, single stack CD and a simple but effective airconditioning/heating system. The obvious limitation of a single CD player is overcome by an iPod connection concealed in the centre storage console.
The price difference between the base model and Luxury model is almost $10,000 and the only real differences is a leather interior, upgraded climate control and sound system and a couple of extra cup holders I question whether there is really the necessity to upgrade.
From a safety perspective all models have a 5 star ANCAP rating, front/rear and curtain airbags and ABS and EBD.
The handling of the Honda CRV is responsive and nimble with enough power to get yourself in and out of trouble. In the CR-V there is no space saver spare but instead a full size steel or alloy. With all wheel drive this SUV has limited off road capabilities, not that it will generally be used for this.
As with many of these SUVs visibility to the rear is restricted however this can be overcome with the rear park assist.
Overall the Honda CRV will compete favourably with the competition although not being an absolute standout.
For further information see: www.honda.com.au
Category: Reviews
Connect
Connect with us on the following social media platforms.