Comfort and luxury get wedded to convenience in the top-of-the-line Honda CR-V
THE C, R AND V IN HONDA CR-V EXPAND TO a ‘Comfortable Runabout Vehicle’.
That says it all really. And it’s true, the CR-V’s cabin is as comfortable as any luxury sedan and this top-of-the-line 2.4-litre AT variant of the car is loaded with all the features one looks for in a car. As for being a runabout vehicle, it has more than enough space for five passengers, their luggage and, maybe, even a pet to go on a long road trip and can even go around the city like an everyday car without any special needs.
Honda launched the fourth-generation CR-V in India this year in an attempt to reinforce their presence in the SUV segment. It has four variants and two engine options, a 2.0-litre petrol and a 2.4-litre petrol. The 2.4-litre engine is mated to a five-speed auto ‘box and is accompanied by Honda’s on-demand 4×4 system, which otherwise keeps the car in the front-wheel-drive mode.
The CR-V has a sharp and upmarket styling and the front end carries Honda’s current family look. The rear end looks inspired by Volvo SUVs while the shark-fin antenna is a typical BMW design feature. The fourth-generation CR-V is based on the same platform as its predecessor and the design has undergone an evolutionary change, though there is continuity in form and
proportions. However, the new car is longer due to the pulled back tail-gate and the triangle rear quarter-glass, but is, in fact, shorter in length than the previous car.
Notable exterior features are HID headlamps with lens washers, 10-spoke alloys, chrome-finished door handles and an electric sunroof. The car can be further customised by opting for the
‘Inspire’ or ‘Elegance’ styling packages offered by Honda. The cabin has beige coloured leather upholstery, steering wheel and gearstick and two-tone (grey-and-beige) interior. There is speed adjustable cruise control, which can be opted for via the controls on the steering wheel and the 6.1-inch touchscreen display on the fascia provides the controls for the music system, Bluetooth connectivity and hands-free telephone. Honda have provided Navteq maps for navigation, which are displayed on this screen. There is also a second five-inch TFT screen on the dashboard that shows the reverse camera feed, a clock, average fuel consumption, range and the contents of the flash drive connected to the car.
The driver’s seat in the CR-V is eight-way adjustable and both the front and rear passengers have great leg-space. The boot, as we said before, is large enough and the cargo space can
be further increased by collapsing the rear bench by pulling the levers in the boot.
The CR-V is high on safety features such as Honda’s patented G-CON technology, which absorbs the G-force on impact, ACE body structure, which prevents the crash energy from passing on to the occupants along with the standard air-bags, ABS, EBD and ESP package and also a hill start assist.
The car is powered by Honda’s 2,354-cc, in-line four, i-VTEC petrol engine that has a maximum power output of 190 PS at 7,000 RPM and 226 Nm of torque at 4,400 RPM. The engine is mated to a five-speed automatic gearbox and the driver can also opt to shift the gears manually using the paddle-shifters located behind the steering wheel. The auto ‘box is quite responsive and the car has a linear acceleration, but we were disappointed to see that the acceleration figures are similar to that of the 2.0- lirre manual car (which itself is not very quick) in spite of having a more powerful engine. It also has a low average fuel consmption figur of 7.87 km/I, which can get heavy on the pocket considering that it is a petrol car.
It fares much better in other areas, though, such as handling, which makes it feel like a compact sedan. There is hardly any body-roll while driving through corners and it stays rooted even on wet roads, as we found out during our test. It also stops very well and even the worst of bumps go unnoticed, for the suspension is quite capable. This results in a great ride quality and occupant comfort, which have always been the CR-uV’s strong points.
However, the mediocre performance figures and fuel efficiency of the car do raise a question whether the better equipment and convenience of an automatic transmission compensate for the increase in price when one can let go of a few things and opt for the comparatively cheaper and frugal 2.0-litre engine.
The CR-V’s cabin is as comfortable as any luxury sedan and this top-of-the-line 2.4-litre AT variant is loaded with all the features one looks for in a car
Story: Piyush Sonsale
Photography: Sanjay Raikar
