Honda Cars Philippines unveiled the all-new fourth-generation CR-V, with a new body, improved interior, tweaked engines, and the infamous Econ button from the Civic. The styling is an evolution of the previous generation’s, with a low-mounted grille but one that’s better integrated with the headlamps and front bumper. Honda’s new three-bar front grille adorns the CR-V but with thinner spokes than say on the City. The side features a tapering greenhouse that pinches into an arrow shape at the very rear, resulting in a pronounced kink in the D-pillar. Despite the quirkiness—or likely because of it—we like the design. Ugly seems to be the new beautiful anyway. (See also: new Subaru XV.) Daytime running lights and front fog lights are standard.
The interior has none of that peculiarity—just straightforward Honda efficiency and ergonomics. Everything seems planted in the right place, from the shift lever planted at the base of the dashboard to the simplified aircon controls. Huge gauges with incorporated assist indicators to encourage economic driving dominate the driver’s view. There’s a new five-inch LCD display that shows audio and trip computer readouts. It also acts as the monitor for the available rear-view camera. The audio head unit can connect via Bluetooth with a mobile phone, allowing operation of the phone via steering wheel switches. The rear seats split fold 60:40 in a one-touch operation. A lever allows each seat section to fold flat in line with the cargo area. A flat rear floor makes seating more comfortable even for three in the back. As was the previous generation, the CR-V is a roomy five-seater.
There are two variants available: 2.0-liter with front-wheel drive, and 2.4-liter with all-wheel drive. The 2.0 sohc iVTEC unit delivers 151bhp and 190Nm, and the 2.4 dohc iVTEC goes up to 183bhp and 220Nm. Both engines are mated to five-speed automatics. The 2.4-liter unit reportedly delivers ten percent better highway fuel mileage. The Real Time all-wheel drive system operates in front-wheel drive model by default. When needed, such as when starting on mud or rain-slicked road, it uses an electronically controlled clutch system instead of the previous mechanical pump, to enable quicker, predictive engagement of the rear wheels. The Eco-assist function is incorporated into the CR-V. This includes economical-driving coaching indicators on the dashboard, and the infamous Econ button as seen on the new Civic. Instrument lighting surrounding the speedometer is green when the driving is economical, and turns white when guzzling fuel. The Econ switch makes the throttle response milder and changes airconditioning settings to squeeze more mileage.
CR-V rides on MacPherson struts up front and a multi-link independent setup at the rear. The chassis’ noise insulation has reportedly been beefed up to give the car a quieter ride. A hill-start assist function keeps the brake engaged when starting on an incline, to prevent the car from rolling backward. ABS and EBD brakes are standard, are as dual front airbags.
The days of a sub-P1,000,000, 10-cheating CR-V were gone a long, long time ago, so here’s the pricing of the new car: the 2.0 LX is at P1,452,000, while the 2.4 EX is at P1,655,000, with the pearl white paint costing P20,000 more. We don’t foresee the CR-V regaining its bestseller crown with that pricing, but well-off families may very well love it.
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