The Honda CR-V has long been a family favourite. Its slightly gawky styling hides a vast interior with loads of room for passengers, and coupled with Honda’s reputation for reliability, it’s no surprise how popular it has become.
The latest model has some stiff competition, though. For starters, there’s the new VW Tiguan, a competent and classy off-roader. There’s also the Nissan Qashqai, which is smaller but rather more enjoyable to drive than an SUV has any right to be. And from BMW, there’s the X1, which doesn’t come cheap but is an excellent all-rounder. The CR-V will have to have more to offer than just space and reliability in its arsenal if it’s to beat these rivals.
Here’s a list of pros and cons.
Space in the Honda CR-V
What makes the CR-V so clever is the way it’s been packaged. There’s a low floor, which means occupants have more space, while still having an excellent view out through the deep windows. Three people can happily sit in the back seat, and there’s no lump in the floor for the centre passenger to negotiate.
Pulling a handle located on one side of the very generous boot space causes that side’s rear seat cushion to flip forward, the headrest to do likewise and the backrest to fall into the vacated space, creating a completely flat extended load floor. However, even when the rear seats in place the boot is big enough to swallow a family’s holiday luggage.
Up front there’s a cup holder and a box under the armrest, as well as a traditional manual handbrake, which makes manoeuvring in confined spaces easier and smoother than with the electric one found in many new cars.
Comfort in the Honda CR-V
While the CR-V’s seats are supportive enough, they are mounted quite high even at the lowest extent of their adjustability.
For taller drivers, that can mean having your knees jammed up against the edge of the dashboard, which encroaches on the footwell and knee area. You also feel as though you’re sitting above the dash, rather than being tucked under it as you are in most cars.
Also disappointing is the CR-V’s behaviour on imperfect road surfaces, where you notice thumps and fidgets beneath you. In fact, the whole car can feel a touch vague and wobbly at speed.
All three of the engines available are smooth and quiet when warmed up, but the two diesels are quite noisy when you first start the car.
Dashboard Styling of the Honda CR-V
Speedometers come no clearer than the CR-V’s large dial dead ahead of the driver, flanked by smaller but equally crisp semi-circular instruments for the rev counter, fuel level and engine temperature.
The other controls are well laid out, including those on the steering wheel for the trip computer and other functions, but the cheap-looking central touchscreen features a slightly labyrinthine menu system and fiddly buttons.
The Honda CR-V’s interior ambience doesn’t have quite the padded, tactile slickness of German rivals; in fact, some of the materials look rather cheap even compared with those in the Mazda CX-5. But it feels very solid and the whole car comes across as a quality job.
Driving Ease of the Honda CR-V
You get a great view of the road in front of you, but the CR-V’s considerable size can make it tricky to park. More expensive versions come with much-needed parking sensors.
And while manual versions come with a light clutch, it doesn’t offer much feel, which makes the bite point tricky to find and moving off smoothly a fine art. The gearbox itself can be rather stiff and notchy, too.
Otherwise this is an easy car to drive, especially if you choose the optional automatic. Keep in mind, though, that the latter isn’t available with the smaller diesel engine.
It’s also worth noting that there are two diesel versions, and the least powerful of the two only drives the front wheels, whereas other CR-Vs are available with four-wheel drive. On the road you rarely feel the difference, but it would be a different story on a very slippery surface.
Precise steering is a plus, and helps to disguise the CR-V’s bulk up to a point, but push too hard and it feels very top-heavy. It’s fine if all you want to do is sit back and relax, but doesn’t encourage any form of spirited driving in the way that a Mazda CX-5 and BMW X1 do.
The smaller but more economical of the two diesel engines feels a bit overwhelmed in the heavy CR-V, while the petrol also needs to be worked hard. If you can afford its higher price, the bigger diesel is the engine to choose.
Reliability of the Honda CR-V
The three-year, 90,000-mile warranty that you get with a CR-V is better than the 60,000-mile deals offered by most rivals, it’s trumped by Kia, Hyundai and Toyota, all of which offer longer warranties with higher mileage allowances.
Avoid the petrol version of the CR-V; not only feel rather anaemic to drive, but it’s also thirstier than any of its petrol rivals. The low-powered diesel, too, feels rather underpowered, but it does at least deliver a reasonably respectable fuel consumption figure.
The higher-powered diesel is the one to have, then, but its fuel economy figures look average at best, probably because it’s only available with four-wheel drive, which impacts on fuel consumption. Many rivals offer a two-wheel drive alternative with their equivalent engine options, and even those that don’t tend to use fractionally less fuel.
Safety in the Honda CR-V
It has a full complement of airbags, and systems to stop wheelspin and skidding on slippery surfaces. The four-wheel drive helps here, too, although a set of winter tyres will help more once the snow falls.
Impressively, Honda also fits an autonomous emergency braking system, which detects impending head-on crashes at low speeds and applies the brakes, as standard on every version of the CR-V. That’s something many rivals can’t boast, despite the fact that such systems have been proven to reduce head-on crashes by as much as 38 per cent.