NZ Company Vehicle collected the new generation 6 CR-V from Honda Newmarket on Thursday morning.
By 5pm Friday afternoon, we had fielded three inquiries from passers-by about Honda’s bigger, better and bolder SUV, which lent credibility to Honda NZ’s stated intention of selling 800 + units in the first six months of its release.
Clearly, the CR-V for 2023 is Honda’s worst-kept secret, but while the market (or at least those who asked us about our test vehicle) knows a bit about the CR-V and its three-model line-up, they are still a little mystified as to the magic of Honda’s e:HEV engine technology.
In the case of the CR-V RS, there are three distinct engine operations. The first is electric mode, where an electric motor – acting as a generator – and the lithium-ion battery power the SUV without using the two-litre petrol engine.
CR-V’s e:HEV system can intelligently determine when more power is required and bring in the petrol engine to work with the battery to power the electric traction motor in hybrid mode.
When the CR-V is at open road speeds and cruising, the engine driveshafts are connected to the wheels to minimise energy loss and improve efficiency.
And does it work? Honda claims an achievable 6.4 litre per 100km WLTP standardised fuel consumption figure, comparable to what a two-litre turbo diesel sedan weighing in at 1690kg might be expected to achieve. The CR-V masses 1771kg and is considerably larger.
The sixth-generation CR-V is considerably larger than its predecessors being 10mm wider than the previous model but retaining its turning radius.
It is 40mm longer in the wheelbase and 80mm longer overall and the increase in size is noticeable from inside the vehicle as well as being dramatically impressive on the outside.
Why is all this important on a road report? Simply to point out that while the CR-V looks and is larger than any of the CR-Vs before it, it handles far differently than expected.
Its nimbleness and flat cornering belies the physical stature of the CR-V, almost delivering a sedan-like ride quality to the SUV.
Some might think the seats of the CR-V – while attractive – are a little lacking in their side support on a visual inspection. The simple fact is, because the handling is so good, the seats don’t have to be that supportive – even in the performance-oriented RS model.
We appreciated the transferred simplicity of the interior which is very reminiscent of the Civic sedan which has long been a favourite of NZ Company Vehicle.
The cabin width honeycomb air vents, the clean look of the dash which is pleasantly interspersed with big user-friendly knobs for the AC, all contribute to a well-considered cabin.
A nine-inch next-gen screen cleanly displays the native satellite navigation and allows integration with Apple CarPlay with SIRI eyes-free and Android Auto with Google Voice and a Bluetooth hands-free phone and audio streaming connectivity through a premium 12-speaker Bose system.
With all the focus on connectivity, the CR-V has a plethora of charge ports and an effective wireless charging pad just in front of a slightly inclined and ergonomically excellent joystick-styled shifter.
Pulling the stick right back puts the drive into regeneration ‘B’ mode, which is fine, but when you shift it back to forward or reverse, especially reverse, you’ll likely find yourself in neutral.
A mild inconvenience but if that was the worst thing I could find – and it was – well, that speaks volumes to the attention to detail Honda has built into the sixth generation, hero of the range, CR-V RS.
