Rewind 17 years, and back in 1995 we saw the launch of the first-generation Honda CR-V. In those early years, the term soft-roader was applicable to only a few cars in the market. Also, no one could have guessed that SUVs and soft-roaders would constitute such a significant part of the automotive market in years to come.
Now Honda has launched its fourth-generation CR-V in an environment that couldn’t be further removed from the automotive landscape of the mid-1990s.
What’s new?
Well, to start off with, the engines are carried over from the previous generation, but with mentionable changes. Internal friction has been reduced, among other things, and now both petrol engines deliver more power while fuel consumption has been reduced. Die turbodiesel’s CO2 figure has dropped from 176 g/km to 162 g/km while the 2,0-litre petrol engine’s power output is up by 4 kW (18 kW for the 2,4-litre petrol) and emissions are down from 196 g/km to 178.
More important are the technologies that have been added. Firstly, the all-wheel drive system has been updated to send torque to the rear wheels faster than was the case in the previous car.
In terms of safety, features include trailer stability assist (TSA), lane-keeping assist (LKAS) and adaptive cruise control (ACC). Note that LKAS will actually lightly assist the driver in terms of turning the steering wheel.
The range
Eight models will be offered. The range consists of three engines (2,0-litre petrol, 2,4-litre petrol and a 2,2-litre turbodiesel) while two transmissions are available, a six-speed manual and five-speed automatic. The base 2,0-litre model with the six-speed gearbox is the only one available with front-wheel drive. The 2,0-litre only comes with the Comfort level trim, followed by the option of the Elegance and Executive for the 2,4-litre and Elegance or Exclusive for the turbodiesel.
On the road
Open the driver’s door of the CR-V and the controls and layout are typical of Honda. This means it is easy to navigate and everything is at hand, but, if you expect something along the line of the multi-tiered interior of the CR-Z hybrid you might be a little disappointed. And I did, so I was.
There isn’t anything that stands out or which grabs attention, but during our test ride I could also not put my finger on anything that was out of place. The materials are fairly good while there are even soft-touch materials in specific areas.
The small colour screen (we don’t get the bigger colour screen that can be seen in the video above) is neatly tucked away from the sun with the result that it is always readable. Here you can flick through the menus of the sound system, fuel consumption and trip computer.
The driving position – as well as seat comfort – is spot on, and those buyers that need to navigate tight spaces and parking lots will be happy to know that the view towards the front corners of the car are less obstructed than in some competitors.
During the launch, we had access to the 2,4-litre auto and the 2,0-litre manual. Depending on your daily commuting situation, you are likely to make a decision on the choice of transmission, but I felt the five-speed automatic transmission connected to the 2,4-litre engine was a little out of tune with the best drivetrain systems available in the market today.
Press the accelerator down and the transmission jumps to a lower gear, but there isn’t a lot of torque available, so you need to press further to activate the kick-down switch resulting in the revs jumping close to the red line, which finally sees this SUV starting to gain some momentum.
The base 2,0-litre manual version might actually be the CR-V to get. You know it is only a 1 997 cm3 engine up front, so you don’t expect a lot from it, but still it does just enough for the task at hand. Plus, there is that typical slick Honda shift action from the six-speed manual gearbox.
Along the highway section of our route, and over a Western Cape mountain pass, the CR-V performed in the way one would expect it to. The ride is mostly well-damped while the cabin proved to be well insulated from exterior noise.
As seems to be the trend today, Honda has also moved from hydraulic to electric steering, but I will lie if I said I experienced a noticeable difference in normal driving conditions.
Party trick
One of the new highlights is without a doubt the folding mechanism for the rear seats. Pulling two levers – one on each side of the luggage compartment – folds the base section of the rear seats upward, the backrests flat and at the same time the headrests inward. A neat trick that must have had Honda’s engineers scratching their heads for a very long time.
Summary
The CR-V ticks many boxes in this challenging segment. The specification is relatively good, and some of the technologies are definitely welcome. Also, Honda has an impeccable reliability record while at resale time you are guaranteed to walk away with a smile.
However, today this segment is very competitive, more so than five, 10 or 17 years ago, and there is now an even wider range of soft-roaders to pick from.
Specifications:*
Base model
Model: 2,0-litre Comfort, front-wheel drive
Engine: 2,0-litre, four-cylinder, petrol
Power: 114 kW at 6 500 r/min
Torque: 192 N.m at 4 300 r/min
0-100 km/h: 10,0 seconds
Fuel consumption: 7,2 L/100 km
Fuel tank capacity: 58 litres
CO2: 172 g/km
Top speed: 190 km/h
Price: R299 900
Service plan: 5 years/90 000 km
Warranty: 3 years/100 000 km
Top model
Model: 2,2 Exclusive, all-wheel drive
Engine: 2,2-litre i-DTEC, four-cylinder, turbodiesel
Power: 110 kW at 4 000 r/min
Torque: 350 N.m from 2 000 r/min
0-100 km/h: 10,6 seconds
Fuel consumption: 7,0 L/100 km
Fuel tank capacity: 58 litres
CO2: 186 g/km
Top speed: 190 km/h
Price: R499 900
Service plan: 5 years/90 000 km
Warranty: 3 years/100 000 km
*According to the manufacturer
**Look out for road test of a CR-V in an upcoming issue of CAR.
