The Honda CR-V is the world's best-selling SUV and the 2019 model is capable of comfortably transporting families and their luggage, while offering a wide range of technological products to make traveling easier, more enjoyable and less tiring. .
With updated styling to go along with the technology, it's an SUV here and now, assuming you want a full-size passenger car and not a more compact midsize or small SUV.
Honda's CRC also offers a Head-Up Display (HUD) system and intelligent smartphone integration to keep the tech enthusiast behind the wheel happy. We spent a lot of time in the CR-V to see if everything was okay.
(Image credit: LaComparacion)
Honda CR-V Design and Handling
We driveHonda CR-V Hybrid EX
Engine: 2.0-liter hybrid
Power: 107hp
0-62 mph: 9.2 seconds
Top speed: 112 mph
Energy efficiency: 51.4mpg
Price: € 37.855
The Honda CR-V is long, tall and wide. If you're not comfortable maneuvering in tight spaces, this isn't the car for you. But if you're someone who needs room for people and all their belongings, the CR-V really has it.
One of the first things we noticed when we climbed into the driver's seat of the Honda CR-V was simply the impressive number of hoods available.
The door pockets are among the deepest we've seen and the center partition between the front seats provides a key tray, plenty of cup holders and additional storage space (the latter hidden under the lids). sliding armrest).
The width of the seat and the height of the head offer a lot of space, which makes the cabin a comfortable and airy place. Honda has also improved the 2019 CR-V's soundproofing, which means things are quieter on the move.
Our model came with a panoramic sunroof (an optional extra) that extended from the front seats to the rear seats, flooding the car with extra light if you decided to open the roof.
In the back, there are three seats that can comfortably accommodate three adults on a long trip with enough legroom. If the children in the back are frequented by children, they will have plenty of space.
A motorized tailgate, which can be activated from the key or a button located to the right of the steering column, provides easy access to the large trunk. Once open, it can easily store several large suitcases.
(Image credit: LaComparacion)
Coming back to the front seats, you'll enjoy the heated feature during the colder months (sorry rear-seat passengers, no heated seats for you). In addition, the driver can also benefit from a heated steering wheel.
On the roof, next to the sunroof controls, is a sunglass storage compartment with a second handy function. Press the panel to open it, allowing you to grab or stow your sunglasses, but click it once and you'll notice it has an additional mirror, allowing the driver and front passenger to keep an eye on the kids in the back.
Our Honda CR-V was an all-wheel drive model with good traction and balance on the road. The ride was smooth and cornering was stable with what appeared to be good weight distribution, making the CR-V easy to drive.
Acceleration is acceptable, but it's not the most effective way to respond to his right foot. Once this has been brought up to speed, the CR-V pulls along at a reasonable pace. The automatic gearbox does the job very well, but for those who want a little more control, you can opt for the paddle shifters mounted just behind the steering wheel.
The Honda CR-V's engine is equipped with a 2.0-liter engine, but it also incorporates a self-charging battery as part of its hybrid configuration. The result is an extended range from a single tank of fuel and we were able to easily travel over 500 km between fuel stops.
You can also go full electric with EV mode, although the Honda CR-V can only cover a few miles in this mode. The gasoline engine will not be longer than a jump in the shops.
However, something that surprised us a bit is the cornet. For a car this big, sound is surprisingly low in the Honda CR-V. Push it angrily and it will do little to lift your mood!
(Image credit: LaComparacion)
Honda CR-V technology and specifications
As we mentioned, the EX version of the Honda CR-V is equipped with many technologies. Heated seats and wheels, automatic headlights and wipers, adjustable air conditioning, power tailgate, rearview camera, parking sensors, and cruise control get us started.
Cruise control on the CR-V also comes with adaptive lane assist, which allows the car to keep you on track if you start to drift out of line by gently pulling the steering wheel in the right direction.
It's one of the best track assist features we've ever used. The CR-V follows the curve of the road surprisingly well.
You must keep one hand on the steering wheel offering some resistance, otherwise you will receive a flashing visual warning on the dashboard and, if you ignore it for too long, an audible tone that invites you to pay close attention and keep your hands on the wheel.
Cruise control and lane assist take a moment to learn, Honda's at-wheel controls aren't the most intuitive. After a few tries, we have developed the required press combination, but it may be easier to do.
The controls on the wheel can be a bit confusing.
(Image credit: LaComparacion)
Similarly, the head-up display (HUD) wasn't immediately obvious because it wasn't the default. There was a HUD button on the steering wheel, but that didn't allow viewing. Instead, there was a separate button to the right of the wheel that needed to be pressed.
This saw a small glass window rise between the wheel and the windshield, giving him information such as the current speed, the speed limit and the next direction of navigation.
It worked well and put this useful information in line of sight with the road, allowing us to not have to look more closely at the dashboard, thus allowing us to become a safer driver.
The Honda CR-V's dashboard is fully digital, which means it can show you much more than just your speed, your speed, and your fuel level. The center display can also show you what music is playing, navigation instructions, car stats like tire pressure, etc.
However, navigating the menus for this screen is still a bit fiddly, making it difficult to do the work you want. Over time, we have become familiar with the navigation requirements, but they could be better.
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The technological installation inside the CR-V
(Image credit: LaComparacion)
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A view of the digital board
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The HUD window.
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The button to raise and lower the HUD glass is hidden to the right of the wheel.
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Air conditioning controls, drive select and EV button
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One of the many storage areas in the CR-V
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Lift center armrest to reveal ports including 2 x USB
(Image credit: LaComparacion)
Focus on the large 7-inch touch screen located above the center console. It has plenty of room to display maps, audio channels, and more.
Touch screen recording requires some typing force to be able to record, it's not as sensitive as displaying your smartphone, but it generally works fine.
Honda's built-in satellite navigation system gets the job done, but it's not as good as Google Maps or Apple Maps. The good news is that you can plug your smartphone into the Honda CR-V and use the dedicated mapping and audio apps on the car's touchscreen thanks to the inclusion of Android Auto and D's. Apple CarPlay.
The real advantage of the CR-V, though, is that navigation instructions from your smartphone's mapping app are relayed to the digital instrument cluster display and HUD.
This does not happen in all vehicles, many of them only keep third-party navigation services on the main screen. This means it's just as easy to follow directions from Google or Apple as it is from Honda, greatly enhancing the driving experience.
And to help you and your passengers keep your devices charged, the Honda CR-V comes with two USB ports in the front and two in the rear.
- John McCann takes the wheel to give you another look at the wealth of cars - and the technology behind them - available today. Whether it's high-speed sports cars or sophisticated hatchbacks, he'll walk you through a range of makes, models, power outputs and prices in his regular TR Drives column.