If you were to take a look at the car lineups of some car manufacturers some years back it would look like; Sedan, Coupe and ... that would pretty much sum it up. Things have drastically changed especially in Japan but the trends have gone "international" even in the car business and as a result many new categories of cars appeared. The best example could be the SUV, the mix of a 4x4 and a family sedan but not really being one...or the other.
The concept of Sports Utility Vehicle came from the United States of America and it wasn't long before european and japanese customers wanted one in their garage. With all teh benefits made by the first manufacturers to propose such vehicles the others had to react quickly. One of them is Honda which, despite its lack of experience in the 4x4 world (a thing that doesn't seem to be a major criteria for the clients of this category)has been proposing an SUV ever since 1996: the CR-V.
Honda CR-V Test Drive, HDTV
(WMV9HD 720p Direct Download "Right click, Save as…")
Honda CR-V Test Drive, HDTV
(WMV9HD 720p Torrent "Right click, Save as…")
Today we have the pleasure to test the 3rd generation of CR-V. It is interesting to see how Honda, who wasn't a pioneer in this "niche" became one of its major actors.
So for this latest version Honda had to step towards the next level and took its inspiration straight from the country of Uncle Sam, the result is a "XXL" vehicle, clearly targeting the american customers (and those who like the same standards), all in all the new CR-V is bigger/larger/longer than the previous generations. With big front bumper and headlights the appearance of the car is massive and eye catching. Add the 18 inches wheels to the picture and you get the "American Package" ! Design wise we have to admit that we really like the CR-V except maybe a "bump" on the rear, right at the license plate, which makes the rear not as good looking as the front.
Starting off from an american concept the Honda SUV takes its distances from the US Style when it comes to the interior, in fact we have sadly been used to a quite low level of quality from american cars, reminds me of the last time I tested a Ford Mustang in Hawaî...bad memories...anyway, no such disappointments here but no surprises either, the interior is traditional, similar to the Stream's, a bit morose I would say (classy for others). In a way it would have been nice to have an interior as sweet as what the exterior shows. But, no big deal, the quality is there and it's a pleasure to seat in the CR-V, lots of room inside, comfortable leather seats with heating system and the long roads look shorter all of a sudden. As it's a family car there are tons of space to put all that you might take with you on the road here and there.
Under the hood now, in the US a 2.0L engine is proposed for the stock version and a 2.4L at the top of the category, in Japan only the 2.4 litres version is available and we won't complain about that ! The I-VTEC DOHC engine produces 170HP and 220Nm of torque, very useful to move the 1.5 ton of the vehicle.
This I-Vtec engine provides correct accelerations, as a family car the comfort is optimised, not the performances, the fuel consumption is about 11.6Km per liter.
On the road no surprises the CR-V reacts like a typical 4x4, again the accelerations are smooth, the automatic gearbox (only gearbox available in Japan) does its job pretty well but the most important thing: the CR-V is a very pleasant car to drive. Now when the kids are at school and your wife at work you might want to see what this car can do...in that case the 4 wheel drive and various passive safety systems should help you staying on the road...so we basically tried not to ! (stay on the road);after a long corner acceleration looking for a bit of oversteer we went for an emergency braking ! the car's Stability Control System got the body straight and allowed an optimum braking. Really, there are no reasons not to feel safe in this Honda CR-V.
To put an end to this article I would say that we had a very good time with this 3rd generation of CR-V, it sure does represent a great alternative to the other SUVs on the market (in the same price range). With its 170HP and 4 wheel drive system this car is certainly more at ease on a freeway than on some mountain roads but it became quite a habit for such vehicles. To have a higher look on the road this Honda CR-V might just be what you wanted !
Photo By David MICHAUD
Video by Olivier LEROY
Posted on 04/01/07 By G-A.G
