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Honda

Tuesday, 6th of January 2009

Polls

The vehicle we tested was the 2.2 CDTi which makes up the majority of the CR-V sales for Honda in the UK. Performance was impressive considering the size of the vehicle, initially it is easy to think that a 138 bhp diesel in a car of this size isn’t going to be enough, but on both motorways and b-roads the CR-V performed admirably. The 6th gear is a fantastic feature, especially on the motorway as it allows for maximum MPG to be realised whilst still allowing for swift progress to be made.

The executive model which we tested came with heated leather seats, cruise control and DVD sat nav, all of which enhance the driver and passenger experience significantly! This car is a very comfortable cruiser and you really don’t feel fatigued at the end of your journey, even if you are driving from Manchester to Cornwall. The engine can be quite noisy at low speeds although the premium sound system can mask this quite easily!

What you would expect from Honda really, the vehicle never felt anything but solid and well built. The biggest improvement is in the interior which is miles ahead of previous efforts from Japanese manufacturers. Traditionally, buying Japanese was seen as something of a trade off for bullet proof reliability over excitement, flair and a quality interior, with the new CR-V however Honda seems to have caught up with a lot of the European manufacturers in this department. With this in mind it will be interesting to see how much of a dent Honda can make in sales of the BMW X-3 and Mercedes B-Class with the new CR-V, you certainly get more kit for your money!

Airbags for driver and passengers plus side curtain airbags mean that you should escape relatively unharmed from anything but the most serious of accidents. The solid feel of the car certainly gives the impression of security. Our car had the brilliant reverse parking camera which really does help when trying to squeeze into tight parking spaces, parking sensors all round also help in this respect. A cacophony of beeps greets you every time you start the engine, which is indicative of just how much security equipment you have in the new CR-V!

We fitted four adults plus enough luggage for a week’s vacation into the new CR-V and whilst this would be a stiff test for most vehicles we found it coped well. Legroom for the driver and passengers was never compromised and the retractable vinyl covering for the boot helps in terms of luggage space.

You could buy or lease a new CR-V with all of the kit I have mentioned for roughly the same price as a standard ‘premium badge’ SUV which poses an interesting question for the customer. The CR-V certainly has the look of a ‘premium’ vehicle and is a huge step forward from the previous model which was only seen as competition for the Nissan X-trail and other offerings from the Far East. This improvement should be reflected in the residual values of the car which will only tempt buyers or those looking to lease even more. The average 35 MPG from an SUV doesn’t hurt either!

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