Fleet preview Honda CR-V
Evolution is the watchword behind Honda’s sixth-generation CR-V design, but it is launching with a tax-friendly plug-in hybrid for the first time, as Guy Bird reports.
Interior:
Visual surprise and delight is fairly thin on the ground inside the new CR-V, but it is a well-packaged functional space and there are some neat touches, especially in the back. The rear seats recline with more angle so passengers can truly relax, knee room is great – boosted by 16mm due to a 40mm longer wheelbase – and the ceiling has been carved out above the rear seats to create decent headroom. Twin sunroofs, the front openable, rear static, allow natural light in and there are also two touch-on-and-off round spotlights embedded in the rear ceiling, which are a cut
above the old-school tacked-on, clunky ceiling light units. Up front, all is logical if rather uninspiring in terms of colour (dark) and materials and finish (expected and unoriginal). Underneath the 9in centre infotainment screen a full-width horizontal filet air-vent section has a sporty honeycomb grille facia which seems slightly out of kilter with the CR-V’s more sedate family crossover reality. But it does at least match the exterior front grille.
Exterior:
The sixth-generation CR-V was launched in the US in mid-2022 and its dimensions and aesthetic are roughly the same. At 4705mm long, 1865mm wide, 1655mm high and on a 2700mm wheelbase, it’s 80mm longer than the outgoing Mk5, with a 40mm stretched wheelbase and 10mm wider stance. In context, that’s a fraction longer than a Skoda Kodiaq (4697mm) and just shy of a Volvo XC60 (4708mm), but both of those rivals are wider which helps explain their chunkier stance and CR-V’s unremarkable one. Honda’s own PR describes it as a “design evolution” and it is. Slightly different hexagonal grille designs – the full hybrid e:HEV has lighter framing compared to the plug-in e:PHEV’s thicker horizontals (pictured) and Honda suggests increased visibility for the driver has been created by a low bonnet whose edges are more easily visible and large windows.
Powertrains:
The big news for this CR-V is that it is the first generation of the mid-size Honda SUV to offer a plug-in hybrid (e:PHEV). Both variants will use the same 148hp 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, the hybrid employing 4WD and the plug-in 2WD. The e:PHEV is assisted by two electric motors able to propel the vehicle for a useful 50 miles in EV-only mode and this CR-V can recharge its battery in 2.5 hours when the weather is warm (25 degrees C via an AC 6.8kW max charger). Confirmed economy and emissions figures so far are 42.8mpg for the e:HEV and 18g/km CO2 for the e:PHEV.
30 | June 2023 |
www.businesscar.co.uk
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