The CR-V is all new this year, from the tyres up, aside from the carrying-over of the generally excellent 2.2-litre i-DTEC diesel engine.
It's been Honda 's diesel stalwart for many years now and while its power output is generally well behind that of similar engines from other car makers, its refinement and punchy performance are still right on the money for the class. It's still a classy cruiser this engine, and it returned a reasonable 7.8-litres per 100km fuel economy in our time with it. Not bad considering the size of the car, the standard-fit four-wheel drive and the fact that it was fitted with an automatic gearbox.
Now, normally, I’m an advocate for self-shifters, but this one is just out of place and out of its league. For a start, it’s only got five speeds, at a time when most rivals can offer six, seven or even eight-speed autos. It also simply doesn’t suit the engine, leaving it feeling unnaturally strained and slow-revving. While an auto is generally desirable in a car of this price and size, I’d stick with Honda’s slick-shifting six-speed manual if I were you.
Elegant
It's a much better-looking car on the outside, this CR-V. While the styling of the last-generation model always grew on you, it was never quite as elegant or resolved as it should have been. This new one is a major improvement, quite American in its looks with a big, bluff grille and a shape that seems to be more imposing, more muscular.
Inside, there’s lots of space in the front and back seats, and a big, square, flat-floored boot with a 589-litre luggage capacity. The rear seats can be folded flat with a single tug of a lever to give you as much as 1,627-litres of space, so the CR-V’s reputation as one of the most practical and spacious cars in its class remains undimmed.
Entry price
Up front the cabin looks and feels mostly classy, but there are some problems here too. The main one is that of the switchgear. Honda has gone, clearly, to a lot of trouble to make sure that the main sweep of the dashboard looks and feels classy, and it does both. As for the switches, steering wheel, instrument displays? They're lifted from the Honda Civic and are not good enough.
Quite apart from the fact that the trip computer readout is more or less unfathomable the fact is that at the €39,000 entry price of the CR-V, the Civic-derived buttons and switches are at full stretch. Take into account that our test car came rammed with equipment such as leather, heated seats, power tailgate, satnav, glass roof, reversing camera, and much more, pushing its price to north of €50,000, and they are simply out-classed.
The trouble is that Honda, in a global sense, has something of a split personality. In the US, its biggest market and the market for which the CR-V has clearly been originally designed, Honda is a mainstream carmaker, a direct rival for Toyota. Over here though, it's attempting to squeeze into a narrow, semi-premium space – more expensive and classy than a Toyota or Ford, but less expensive than a BMW or Audi. That's fine, and Honda's reputation for fine engineering can carry that load. But as long as it's using switches and plastics designed for the bump and grind of mainstream sales in the US, it's going to be playing perceived quality catch-up.
Body roll
There's a final problem: a lingering nose hair – the steering. It's simply too light and too quick-geared. There's actually little wrong with the CR-V's dynamic deportment. It corners tenaciously, with little body roll, and while the ride is firm, it's never uncomfortably so. But that steering means that you end up turning into corners too fast, with little or no idea of what the front end of the car is up to.
It leaves you feeling too detached from what’s happening under the tyres and, consequently, makes the CR-V a less of an enjoyable driving experience. Get the steering input just right and the CR-V corners beautifully. The rest of the time it just feels awkward. At least in town it feels better and then the light steering helps produce a sense of agility.
So while it's still good to be back in the CR-V's company, the sad fact is that it's not quite the friend I remember. That cabin design, gearbox and steering all need serious remedial work. True, it is as comfortable, practical, refined and of as high quality as ever, and it should prove as reliable as the day is long. If this were a long term relationship, I suspect the CR-V would just grow and grow on me anew. But this fleeting meet-up has left me worrying about age and nasal hair growth.
Our verdict: 4/10
Nice looks but refinement and dynamics not on a par with the previous version
Lowdown Honda 2.2-litre i-DTEC auto
Engine
2,199cc 4-cylinder turbo diesel with 148bhp @ 4,000rpm and 350Nm of torque @ 2,000rpm.
0-100km/h 10.6secs
Official l/100km 6.8l/100km (41.5mpg)
Emissions (motor tax) 180g/km (€750 with 5-speed automatic gearbox)
Features Standard spec includes 17in alloys, cruise control, dual-zone climate, six airbags, stop-start, daytime running lights, USB stereo input. Range-topping EX adds leather, satellite navigation, keyless entry and start, panoramic glass roof, power tailgate.
Price €51,565 as tested. Range starts at €39,295