Cars

Base MSRP price range: Car Type: Small sport-utility vehicles

$22,495 - $29,995
CR overall score
What's this? 77
Highs Powertrain, fuel economy, ride,
braking, roomy and functional interior, 87
standard rear camera, crash-test results.
77
Lows Road noise, at-the-limit handling, rear
blind spot. 27

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Full Track Report

EX 4-cyl
The redesigned CR-V has more cargo space and interior versatility and slightly more power and
better fuel economy than the outgoing model. Previous high points, like a smooth and unobtrusive
powertrain, continue to be virtues. Handling is responsive in routine driving, but emergency
handling is less competent. The ride is comfortable. But excess road noise and impaired rear
visibility remain low points.

Performance

Ride comfort and noise: The ride is comfortable and absorbent, with commendable isolation from bumps and
ruts. The body can rock just a bit on some uneven or rough surfaces, though. On the highway, the CR-V is very
steady. Wind and engine noise are well muted, but road noise is pronounced.
Handling: The CR-V maneuvers well in everyday situations. While steering feel is a little vague on center, the
steering is quick and well weighted. Compact dimensions make it easy to maneuver and park. Body lean is
controlled in normal driving. But when pushed to its limits, the CR-V felt unsteady as body lean quickly increased
and the vehicle hopped. Fortunately stability control intervenes to quell this behavior. It managed an OK speed in
our avoidance maneuver but it took a lot of work and didn't inspire confidence.
Powertrain: The 185-hp, 2.4-liter, four-cylinder engine delivers smooth and ample power. Its five-speed automatic
transmission, the only one available, works well and provides super smooth and responsive shifts. Our
all-wheel-drive CR-V's overall 23 mpg is among the best in class, and it runs on regular fuel.
Braking: Stopping distances are very short on both wet and dry surfaces. The pedal is firm and responsive.
Headlights: The low beams generate good light. High-beam light is more spread out and reaches a very good
distance.
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Acceleration: The 185-hp, 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine is smooth and willing with a refined sound. While it
provides average acceleration for this class, it feels a bit livelier than the previous CR-V. Expect an impressive
23 mpg in mixed driving on regular fuel with the optional all-wheel drive; front-wheel drive is available.

Transmission: Even though the five-speed automatic transmission seems to be down a gear or two compared
to contemporary competition, it works very well. Shifts are super smooth and responsive, with downshifts
coming quickly when more power is desired. There's no special shift gate or steering wheel toggles for manual
shift overrides. A manual transmission is not offered.

Routine Handling: Expect fairly responsive handling in everyday driving, with a prompt turn-in response and
no excessive body lean. The steering is quick with reasonable effort, but has a short band on center where it
feels vague. Overall, the car is very maneuverable and quite easy to place on the road.

Emergency Handling: When pushed to its limits, the CR-V tends to get disheveled. Body lean builds up
quickly and the tail shows signs of jacking up at the beginning of a slide. Eventually the stability control
squashes this behavior but it chips away at confidence. The CR-V managed an OK speed in our avoidance
maneuver but not without a lot of work.

Braking: Overall performance is excellent. Stops from 60 mph were very short in the wet or dry, and the brake
pedal felt firm and responsive.

Comfort and Convenience

Driving position: Drivers sit up high and have plenty of room all around. The tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel
has a good adjustment range and there is a well-designed left foot rest. The big windshield and side windows
provide great visibility to the front and sides. However, the small triangular windows behind the rear doors restrict
rear three-quarter visibility. A backup camera is standard, which is welcome.
Seat comfort and access: Front seats are wide and supportive, though some drivers wished for more lumbar
support, which is not adjustable on LX and EX trims. Top-level EX-L models have power leather seats. Both front
seats have fold-down armrests. The rear seat has generous leg room and plenty of room across for three. It also
has two recline positions. The flat floor provides plenty of foot room in back. Access is very easy, with the seats at
hip height for most people and rear doors that open almost 90 degrees.
Controls and gauges: We had just a few gripes about controls: A single knob adjusts radio volume and tuning,
and the separate power button is hard to find. Navigating the trip computer functions using the steering wheel
controls isn't easy. At least the climate controls are simple and the large backlighted gauges are easy to read.
Interior fit and finish: Inside, the CR-V feels basic. All the interior plastics are hard, but the dashboard is nicely
grained. Door panels look somewhat cheap. Upholstery on our EX is a thick, soft cloth. The carpets feel thin, but
are covered with nice thick mats. Most interior panels fit well.
Cabin storage and cargo room: Generous interior storage consists of a huge center console, a large glovebox,
and two-layer map pockets on the doors. A Bluetooth phone connection is standard, but satellite radio is only
offered on top-trim EX-L models. Cargo space is almost 50 percent more than the previous CR-V. The cargo floor
is low, making a handy hold for large items. And the rear seats fold 60/40 with a single pull on either of two levers
on each side -- one inside the cargo hold and the other inside each rear door. Before folding the larger seat
section, you need to make sure you first lower its center head restraint. The tailgate swings up, unlatched by an
exterior touchpad. The cargo cover stores flat on the floor in a dedicated spot when not in use. The CR-V comes
with a temporary spare tire stored under the cargo floor.
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Ride: The CR-V's ride is very absorbent, transmitting only muted kicks. Isolation from bumps and ruts is
commendable as well as the controlled damping from the up and down motions. The body tends to move
around a bit on uneven surfaces but it's no cause for undue discomfort. A supple and steady highway ride
makes for a smooth sail.

Noise: Road noise is pronounced, especially over coarse pavement or concrete slabs. Subtle wind noise and
the refined engine hum are unobjectionable and much less noticeable than the road noise.

Driving Position: The CR-V has a mostly roomy driving position. You sit up high and there is plenty of room
all around, especially knee and head room. The tilt and telescope steering wheel has a good adjustment
range, making for an easy reach. There is a well-positioned and shaped left dead-pedal foot rest. Tall drivers
had a problem adjusting the seat to optimize leg room and thigh support.
Visibility is good to the front and sides, with a big windshield and large side windows. The windshield A-pillar is
moderately wide but thick at its base. It seems that every CR-V generation gets worse rear visibility. This
version has large rear corner blind zones caused by the styling -- the triangular three-quarter rear-side
windows create a very thick rear roof D-pillar, creating a blind zone. At least visibility straight out the rear
window is decent. All CR-Vs come with a standard rear camera, a very desirable feature. Close

Front Seat Comfort: The wide and accommodating front seats are generally well-shaped and supportive. The
cushions are nicely padded and there is decent lateral support. Each front seat has an individual inboard
folding armrest -- a thoughtful feature. Several drivers wanted more thigh support, partly due to the inability to
adjust seat bottom cushion angle independent of seat height. Raising the seat height brings it forward and
flattens out the cushion tilt, affecting thigh support. There is no adjustable lumbar support on the LX and EX
models; some drivers wanted more lower-back support. Close

Rear Seat Comfort: The rear seat is roomy and comfortable for three adults. Leg room is generous and
enhanced by a completely flat floor. The seatback is split 60/40 and can be reclined at two positions.

Climate System: The manual, single-zone climate control system doesn't have many features but performs
well.

Front Access: Getting into the CR-V doesn't require a climb up or down. The doorsills are shallow and the
doors themselves are large and open wide. There are assist grips above every passenger door.

Rear Access: Access to the rear seats is very easy. The rear doors open to just about a 90-degree angle.

Controls And Displays: The large backlighted gauges are easy to read.
Most controls are straightforward. The climate controls are a simple array of knobs and buttons. There is a bit
 of a reach to the spread-out radio controls; the radio itself combines tuning and volume functions into a single
knob -- we'd prefer separate knobs. The separate hard-to-spot radio power button can be vexing. Navigating
the trip computer menu functions through the steering wheel controls isn't intuitive. There's also a long reach to
the panel illumination control, the fuel door release, and the steering wheel adjustment lever. Close

Trunk/Cargo: Once you fold the 60/40-split rear seatbacks, the CR-V's cargo area can swallow up to 36.0
cubic feet, according to measurements taken with our expandable pipe-frame box. It's easy to fold the seats,
with a release on each seat cushion as well as one for each section in the cargo area. The automatic folding
sequence has the seat cushion flipping forward, the outboard headrest folding and then the seatback folding
down. Payload capacity is 850 pounds. Towing capacity is limited to 1,500 pounds with the optional trailer hitch
package.
The rear liftgate opens by a touchpad and easily swings up out of the way. There is a finger pocket to help
close the rear gate. Cargo area accessories include two bag hooks, a one-piece retractable security cover, and
four study tie-down points surrounding the floor. The cargo floor is lower than the sill. The CR-V comes with a
temporary spare tire stored under the cargo floor. Close

Fit And Finish: The CR-V has a decently-finished interior but it's rather basic overall. While this Honda doesn't
look glaringly cheap, it lacks some of the detailing and features of nicer interiors in this class. All of the cabin
plastics are hard to the touch, and the door panels come across as somewhat low-rent. The nicely-grained
dashboard looks attractive with mostly good fits, but there are some evident mold lines on the map pockets.
On our EX model, the seats are covered in a thick soft cloth. The carpet is quite thin but it's mostly covered by
very nice thick mats. Close

Cabin Amenities:
Storage: The CR-V has generous cabin storage, thanks to a very large and deep center console compartment
and glove compartment. Another nice touch are the two-layer map pockets on the front doors.
Cup holders: There are two large cup holders on the center console. A two-container holder is on the folded
rear seatback armrest. Each door map pocket comes with a molded bottle holder.
Lights and visors: There are switched map lights for each side in front; the rear makes do with the center
dome light. The single-layer visors don't slide on their mounting rods for adjustment. Each visor has a lighted
vanity mirror.
Electronic amenities: There are two 12-volt power ports in the front seat area. An audio auxiliary input jack
and a USB plug are in the center console. Compatible music player control is integrated through the vehicle's
steering wheel and audio controls. Pandora streaming audio is supported for iPhones. You win some and lose
some when it comes to audio features. Bluetooth hands-free phone control is included on all models, a plus.
However, satellite radio comes only on leather-equipped models -- most competitors offer it on much more
basic models.
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Safety

Safety belts: All seats have lap-and-shoulder belts; the front pair has pretensioners.
Air bags: Side air bags protect front occupants and curtain air bags extend front and rear. Sensors withhold
deployment of the passenger-side's front and side air bags if they detect a child-sized passenger or if the seat is
unoccupied.
Head restraints: Front seats have adjustable, locking head restraints that are tall enough to protect an adult even
when lowered. The second-row head restraints must be raised for passengers to sit there; then they provide
adequate protection.
Crash-avoidance systems: Electronic stability control, traction control, antilock brakes, and brake assist are
standard.
Driving with kids: Safety belts can secure both front- and rear-facing child seats. Five easy-to-access LATCH
anchors allow LATCH installation in any rear seating position, but not all three at once. The two outboard
top-tether anchors are on the seatbacks, the center one is on the ceiling.
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Reliability

We expect reliability to be better than average, according to our latest subscriber survey.