We video test the 2018 Honda CR-V AWD Sport Sensing... Well-proportioned and handsome with an impressive engine, nicely made interior and attractively modern.
The Honda CR-V has been a consistently popular medium SUVcrossover ever since it basically invented the concept with the Toyota RAV4 back in the 1990s. Now there is a new version here that shakes up the CR-V’s established order of things more than any model in its history, as it now comes with a small turbocharged engine and is, for the first time, available in a model with seven seats.
Not that you would know it to look at it, mind you, because the basic shape of the new car is classic SUV and distinctly a CR-V. Nicely proportioned and handsome, it is however quite busy in its details. Inside is comfortable with a nicely made interior that is well laid out and attractively modern. Everything you come into direct contact with is sturdy and made of high quality materials and what hard plastics there are well hidden.
One thing that IS different about this incarnation of the CR-V its tucked under the bonnet - Honda have used a more powerful 140kW/240Nm version of the Civic’s brilliant little 1.5-litre turbo engine. Like in the Civic, the engine is smooth, refined, decently powerful and nicely flexible as well. It boasts seamless performance around town and on the road, the CR-V boasts lovely chassis dynamics and has an impressive ride that is firm and controlled, but always comfortable and composed.
The steering is pleasingly weighted and offers decent feel and feedback, particularly for an SUV. Sharp and responsive, but with a nicely relaxed feel.
The latest CR-V is a big improvement over the previous generation. It has a lovely chassis that feels lithe and nimble, yet always composed and comfortable. It has an impressive engine that is more than powerful enough as well as refined and modern. It has a handsome basic overall design that is distinctly a Honda, yet also a pleasingly modern SUV shape.
In summary the CR-V is a largely handsome and distinctive entrant in the super-competitive medium SUV segment.
