BILL OWNEY | Roomy Honda CR-V kind of the cute-utes - Texarkana Gazette

The 2021 Honda CR-V Touring. (Photo courtesy of Honda)

Roomy, refined, reliable, and zippy, the Honda CR-V is arguably the best compact SUV on planet Earth.

To be sure, competition among 5-passenger SUVs that sell from around $25,000 to $35,000 is intense. The niche is the largest in the U.S., accounting for roughly one in every four vehicles sold in the U.S., according to carsalesbase.com.

Gallery: Roomy Honda CR-V kind of the cute-utes

Check out various rating services and the CR-V runs neck-and-neck for No.1 with the Mazda CX-5, long my favorite, The Mazda is richly attired and athletic but lacks the CR-V's interior volume and lags on fuel economy. The top three usually include the Subaru Forester, also commended in this space. It is roomy, competent, and fuel-efficient, but suffers from a sluggish engine and, surprisingly for Subaru, reliability issues.

The CR-V is benchmarked against the Toyota RAV-4, which doesn't get as much love from critics as it does from buyers and owners. The differences between the two are minor. Both have a surprising amount of interior volume and both are rock-solid reliable. I was surprised on a recent test drive to discover that the CR-V rides and handles a little better, and has more comfortable seats

The list goes on, but the bottom line is this: Honda has figured out the cute-ute better than anyone. The CR-V is the Buick of compact SUVs. We're speaking, of course, of a time when Buick built cars coveted because they were attractive, solid, substantial, and rode well.

The Honda CR-V is all those things.

Whether one is sitting in front or back, the CR-V doesn't feel like a compact.

A better mousetrap

Redesigned in 2017, the fifth-generation CR-V rides on Honda's new platform architecture, built of a combination of high-strength steel alloys and designed to resist torsion and protect the cabin in an accident.

The result is a vehicle that is lighter, stronger, and safer. Many manufacturers have adopted these techniques but, in this case, Honda seems to have done it better than everyone else. The CR-V has superb steering precision, ride comfort, body control, and cabin quietness.

The interior is further quietened by an active noise cancellation system that uses the sound system to counter wind, road, and tire noises.

Where the CR-V shines is in roominess, offering best-in-class shoulder and legroom, rear cargo space, and total cargo volume with the rear seats folded-flat (75.8 ft3). Add in a rich array of cup holders, drawers, and cubby holders, plus goodies like USB charging points front and rear, and one has a family-friendly people-hauler.

Gas sipper

Most CR-Vs are powered by a turbocharged, 1.5-liter, double-overhead-cam, direct-injected, inline-4 engine. As the industry has moved to small-displacement, high-output engines, some manufacturers have encountered. Moving so much air and energy through a small space can lead to early wear and oil consumption engines.

Honda, long recognized for building some of the best engines in the business, took some steps to make sure the 1.5 is durable. It has a lightweight die-cast aluminum block with individual reinforced main bearing caps to minimize weight. Cast-in iron cylinder liners provide long-lasting durability. Each journal on the lightweight forged-steel crankshaft is micropolished to reduce internal friction.

For decades, Honda has invested heavily in the research and development of more efficient internal combustion engines. A number of those research findings are seen in this engine. For example, exhaust valves are filled with sodium, which cools the valve. Since the valve is internally cooled it doesn't need the enriched fuel mixture that is generally used in turbo engines to help cool the exhaust valve. The resultant leaner mixture reduces emissions, increases fuel efficiency, and helps increase power.

Dual variable timing control varies both intake and exhaust camshafts independently to optimize fuel and air intake in differing driving conditions.

The result is a more responsive and more fuel-efficient engine.

An intercooler reduces the temperature of the air entering the turbocharger, making it denser for greater performance. I'm so old, I remember when one only saw that technology on race cars.

In our week with the CR-V, we hit every corner of the county and averaged right at 30 mpg, which is dead-on with the EPA estimate. Toyota, he first-to-market with variable-valve technology, gets an average of 29 mpg in the RAV-4.

Both companies build first-rate and affordable hybrid versions of this model. The RAV4 Hybrid, starting at $29,795, averages 40 mpg. The RAV-4 is also available in a plugin model ($38,100) that is eligible for a federal income tax credit of up to $7,500. The CR-V Hybrid, starting at $30,650, averages 38 mpg.

Safety first

The CR-V comes with an impressive suite of driver-assist features to reduce both driver fatigue and the possibility of accidents.

While some companies seem to be struggling with lane-keep technology (we recently drove a minivan that occasionally drove itself off the road) Honda has it dialed in just right. Straight Driving Assist, for example, reduces the steering effort required when driving on a sloped or crowned road. When the system detects that steering effort is being applied to keep the car driving along a slope, the Electric Power Steering system applies motor assist. This reduces the muscle effort required to maintain the desired direction on the sloped road to the same level as is required on a flat road.

Standard on all CR-Vs are:

Collision mitigation braking system with forward collision warning and pedestrian sensing capability

Road departure mitigation with lane departure warning

Adaptive Cruise Control with low-speed follow

Lane-keeping assist

We salute Honda for making these life-saving technologies standard. In 2021, a proper vehicle should be able to stay in its lane and maintain a proper following distance. The CR-V does these things and much more.

Bottom line

The Honda CR-V moves to the head of the class.

December 20, 2020 at 08:47AM
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BILL OWNEY | Roomy Honda CR-V kind of the cute-utes - Texarkana Gazette

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