Honda boosts safety, fuel economy in new CR-V
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. — When you wear the title of America's best-selling SUV, there's not a lot of incentive to take chances on changes.
But Honda added more style, fuel economy and safety features for what it calls a "major-minor" refresh of its compact crossover SUV, the CR-V. It comes to showrooms starting this week.
"Honda did exactly what they needed to do," says Karl Brauer, analyst for Kelley Blue Book, who drove the new CR-V. It's "been the benchmark vehicle in (the segment) for years. ...They had to up their game."
Despite new pressure from rivals such as the all-new Jeep Cherokee and redesigned Nissan Rogue and Toyota RAV4, Honda's CR-V maintains impressive sales. Honda has sold 217,293 this year through August, putting it firmly on track to exceed 300,000 sales for another year. RAV4 managed to poke CR-V in the eye in August, becoming the SUV sales leader for a month, but remains well back for the year.
Certainly the most obvious change in the CR-V are the new front and rear fascias.The headlights have been narrowed to give the car a squintier, more upscale look. In the rear, there's a bolder chrome strip across the back to make CR-V appear wider. The interior has been upgraded as well. But the crossover's basic, boxy shape, however, is retained.
Those looking for spectacular performance will be disappointed. The new CR-V has a new, but no more powerful, engine. A more fuel-efficient, but less sporty, continuously variable transmission (CVT) replaces the conventional automatic.
They performed competently in a mix of highway and city driving near this Los Angeles-area beach community. But the CR-V isn't about the kind of tight steering, taut suspension and brisk acceleration that goes into luxury sports SUVs.
Instead, it's just an easy, likable vehicle to drive around — suited just fine to its market, which tilts toward practical people who want a dependable, roomy, no-fuss vehicle. The target buyers are young (median age: 32), college-educated, suburban, married women, many of whom have small children.
The one engine choice is a 2.4-liter four-cylinder that spits out 185 horsepower, the same as the outgoing model. The new engine adds direct injection for better economy and has improvements that make it slightly lighter. Honda says the CVT boosts fuel economy by 4%. Honda says the two-wheel-drive version will be rated at 27 miles per gallon in the city, 34 mpg highway and 29 mpg combined. The four-wheel-drive version is expected get 28 mpg combined.
One of the biggest changes in the new CR-V is a suite of safety technologies that can be found in the high-end version, called the Touring model.
The package, called Honda Sensing, includes a collision mitigation braking system, which automatically halts or slows the vehicle, depending on the speed, if it detects an imminent collision with another car or a pedestrian. The package also has a lane departure system that doesn't just warn the driver that they are drifting out of the lane, but nurses them back in during highway driving.
A self-driving car? Nope. The feature only works for about 15 seconds before the driver needs join in. Brauer says it still is helpful. "It won't drive the car for you — and you shouldn't try — but it will keep the car in a lane for a few seconds and help you while you drive."
It also now includes Honda's LaneWatch system — which has proved popular on other Honda models. When the driver turns on the right blinker for a lane change, a video view of the lane taken by a camera on the right-side mirror appears in the screen in the center of the dash. Plus, CR-V's backup camera now comes with three views — narrow, wide and from the top looking down.
Honda also added some convenience features that are showing up widely on the competition. They include a power tailgate and a push-button ignition.
Honda also tried to address some nits that owners have picked. For instance, there's now a sliding sun visor to better shield the driver's side window.
Pricing on the new Honda CR-V starts at $24,150 including $830 in shipping charges, up $200 from the 2014; or $25,400 for the all-wheel-drive version. The Touring, a new top-of-the-line model, starts at $32,350.
When the improvements are taken together, Honda hopes the CR-V's new look and features will keep its sales leadership intact.
"We don't want to rest on our laurels," says Jeff Conrad, senior vice president in charge of the Honda division in the U.S. "We want to be creative as the sales leader."