EX Front-Wheel Drive
2008 Honda CR-V Review

High-dollar crossover style in a compact-price SUV.

Introduction

Once funky and cute, the Honda CR-V has grown up to look more like a high-dollar crossover. This latest-generation CR-V, completely redesigned and re-engineered for the 2007 model year, is more powerful and more comfortable than the previous-generation models. Its new suspension geometry delivers an improved ride and better, more responsive handling. The four-cylinder engine employs variable intake valve timing to optimize horsepower and torque for acceleration and cruising speeds and it's paired with a five-speed automatic transmission.

Compared with the previous-generation CR-V, there's slightly more room in the front seat and (in most dimensions) slightly less room in the rear. There's marginally more cargo room. Everything by way of instruments, controls and storage is, respectively, logically arrayed, properly placed, and reasonably plentiful. Buyers choose from three models: the basic LX, mid-range EX, or leather-upholstered EX-L, which can be fitted with an optional navigation system that incorporates a rearview video camera for safe and easy backing. All have four doors and seat five.

Changes for 2008 are minimal. The EX-L now comes with dual-zone automatic climate control, an eight-way power driver's seat, and the same premium audio system that last year came only with the navigation system.

Real Time all-wheel drive is offered on all three models. The 2008 fuel economy figures from the U.S. government's EPA rate the front-wheel-drive CR-V at 20/27 miles per gallon City/Highway, and the all-wheel-drive version at 20/26 mpg.

Lineup

All Honda CR-V models come with a 166-hp four-cylinder engine and a a five-speed automatic transmission. Front-wheel drive is standard, four-wheel drive is available for all models ($1200).

The CR-V LX ($20,700) comes with fabric upholstery, air conditioning, cruise control, powered outside mirrors that fold, power windows, power central locking, driver's-seat height adjustment, 60/40-split rear seatbacks that recline and fold, tilt-and-telescope steering wheel, four-speaker AM/FM/CD/MP3/WMA stereo, trip computer/information center, a collapsible tray between the front seats, and 17-inch steel wheels with P225/65R17 tires.

The EX ($22,950) adds a tilt-and-slide power moonroof; intermittent rear window wiper/washer; steering wheel-mounted audio controls for a six-speaker stereo with an in-dash, six-CD changer; dual-deck cargo shelf; lights-and-horn security system; rear privacy glass; and an outside ambient temperature gauge.

The EX-L ($25,500) features leather-trimmed seats, armrests, shifter, and steering wheel; heated front seats; XM satellite radio with a 90-day trial subscription; and a front center console with storage for 24 CDs (replacing the collapsible tray). New for 2008 are dual-zone automatic climate control; eight-way power-adjustable driver's seat with power lumbar support; and the same 270-watt, seven-speaker (including subwoofer) premium stereo that used to come only with the navigation system.

The EX-L can also be equipped with voice-recognition GPS-based navigation, and a rearview camera. It is then priced as a separate model ($27,200). And the CD changer moves into what was the CD storage space in the console.

No other options are offered, although Honda-approved accessories available from dealers include wheel locks; attachments/racks for bicycles, kayak, skis, and surfboard; a roof box; auto-dim inside mirror with compass; amplified bass speaker system; and backup sensors.

Safety features that come standard include the required three-point seatbelts at all five seating positions; child safety seat anchors (LATCH); front airbags; front seat-mounted side airbags (to minimize upper body injuries in side impacts); roof-mounted, front and rear seat side air curtains (to minimize head injuries in side impacts and rollovers); and front-seat active head restraints (to minimize neck injuries in rear impacts).

For crash avoidance there are antilock brakes (which let the driver steer during panic stops); electronic brake-force distribution (which optimizes braking power front-to-rear during emergency stops); brake assist (which senses impending emergency brake application and boosts pedal pressure); Vehicle Stability Assist (Honda's electronic stability control system that attempts to minimize skidding in turns); and tire pressure monitors (which warn of dangerous drops in tire pressure).

Walkaround

Head on, the Honda CR-V's low, jutting jaw-like front bumper suggests a rugged skid plate while pulling the vehicle's visual mass downwards, reducing its perceived height. Large, sharply angled headlight housings crowd the upper grille and bleed down into the lower air intake. Stout fender flares stretch out to wrap tightly around the tires, giving the new CR-V a sturdy, planted stance.

The side aspect shows most clearly the latest CR-V's departure from the boxy, mini-SUV look. Starting from the gently rounded hood, the relatively fast windshield flows into a roofline that drops ever so slightly as it passes over the sharply tapered glasshouse, ending at the tailgate's top edge, which itself is pulled forward to a point almost directly above the rear wheel well. A strong character line runs from the top of the front wheel well back beneath the full-round door handles to bifurcate the side marker lens of the rear taillight. To us, it looks a little like the Mercedes-Benz R-Class in the overall outline.

The rear view presents more of the classic SUV look, with a trapezoidal backlight bookended by the trademark CR-V high taillights and atop a fairly tall and relatively broad, high-relief tailgate panel. The oversize license plate recess will accommodate almost any country's registration telltale. A repeat of the front end's skid plate look masks the rear bumper's mass and draws the eye to tires pushed out to the edges of the CR-V's side panels.

Interior

The interior of the Honda CR-V focuses on function with a bit of style tossed in to make things interesting. Everything is in its place for the most part, and everything feels the way it should. Quality of materials and fit and finish overall live up to Honda's standards; some trim pieces, however, showed traces of flash, those little flat bits of plastic left over from the seams of the original molds.

The grippy, waffle-textured, fabric upholstery feels durable. The EX-L's optional leather upholstery is, obviously, richer looking and likely more durable, but no more comfortable. The front seats of the latest model have slightly taller and marginally wider backs than their '06 counterparts, but are still short on thigh support. But to the limited extent the CR-V lends itself to sporty driving, the seatbacks' side bolsters do an adequate job of keeping occupants' upper bodies in place. Not so the seat bottom's bolsters, those being clearly shaped more for ease of entry and exit than for restraining occupants' posteriors. There is, however, a most welcome dead pedal against which drivers may brace a left leg as necessary and appropriate. And the driver's seat ratchets six-tenths of an inch higher in the '07-08 over the '06.

The rear seat is more moderately contoured, the better to allow it to fold and pivot forward against the backs of the front seats. The seat bottom breaks down 60/40, with the shorter piece on the left side; the seat backs, however, divide 40/20/40, into three sections, meaning you can fold the right or left side, the center section or any combination of the three. Nice touch. The top-hinged liftgate is an improvement over right-hinged tailgates, which open the wrong way for curbside unloading at U.S. airports.

Dashboard and instrument cluster are classic Honda, as in, friendly to eye and hand, with the only mildly discordant note the placement of the shift lever, sprouting from a pod suspended from the center of the dash. While neither as ergonomic as a floor-mounted lever nor as natural, in an archaic sort of way, as one mounted on the steering column, it is consistent with the emphasis on flexibility in the front seat area. In the LX and EX, the space between the front seats that might otherwise host a console and floor-mounted shift lever is dedicated to a unique, multi-use tray that when not needed folds down against the side of the passenger seat, opening a walk-through access to the rear seat. The EX-L gets a more traditional, fixed center console, with cup holders and storage space for up to 24 CD's; although some of this storage space is lost on EX-L's with navigation, where the console must house the CD changer as well. As if in compensation, a digital audio-card reader is still exclusive to the navigation model.

Most drivers will find the six-way adjustable seat and two-way adjustable steering give them the best of all worlds: a comfortable posture without compromising outward visibility. A low cowl keeps the edges of the hood in view. Rearward vision, however, sets no new standard and actually suffers some from the awkwardly shaped C-pillars. The rearview video cam that comes with the optional nav system helps and is an added safety feature because it can help the driver spot children behind the vehicle, though it lacks the guiding grid lines some others offer to help when backing into parking spaces and garages.

Audio and climate controls on the LX and EX border on retro in their simplicity and arrangement. Large, rotary knobs control the functions that vary by degrees. Buttons are used for on/off or simple selections. However, when in Park, the shift lever obstructs buttons for air conditioning functions and mirror heaters. And by operational necessity, the optional nav system layers audio and map display controls.

Comparing cargo space, the new CR-V ranks in the top half, regardless of the competitor's seating capacity. It als.

Driving Impression

The Honda CR-V's four-cylinder engine delivers competitive power. While hitting the gas in the CR-V won't snap any necks like some in the class aspire to, it delivers what most drivers need, if not want. And it does so reasonably smoothly, too, with less ruckus than the RAV4, although for reasons of mechanical design as much as anything, not as demurely as the V6-powered alternatives. There is more power available from the turbocharged Mazda CX-7 and the V6 engines available in other compact SUVs; the Toyota RAV4's optional V6, for instance, pumps out 269 hp.

The V6s pay a price in fuel economy, but not as much as you might think: Against the 3430-pound, 2WD CR-V EX-L's EPA-estimated 20/27 mpg, a 3549-pound, V6-powered 2WD RAV4 manages 20/25. Four-wheel-drive versions of the CR-V and RAV4 V6 promise exactly the same 26 mpg Highway.

The CR-V's five-speed automatic transmission is a good match for the engine. It's not best in class but well above average in smoothness of shifts, in controlling hunting for the right gear when climbing grades, and in holding a lower gear when helpful on downgrades.

Honda's Real Time 4WD is actually a car-style all-wheel-drive system, not a true off-highway-truck four-wheel drive, as it incorporates no lockable transfer case or ultra-low, off-road gearing. As such, however, it works seamlessly, invisibly allocating power to the tires slipping the least, although always favoring the front wheels by default.

The Vehicle Stability Assist includes traction control. Coupled with four-wheel disc brakes (vented in front and solid in the rear), ABS, brake assist and electronic brake-force distribution, VSA helps drivers maintain control in emergency maneuvers or in bad weather.

The CR-V handles well, with relatively little body lean in cornering. There's also relatively low head toss over rough and uneven pavement, helping to keep your passengers comfortable. Traversing aged railroad crossings at mildly elevated speeds produced no threatening sounds or gyrations. Steering assist could be backed off a notch or two, closer to that of the RAV4, which might improve directional stability and lessen the need for minor corrections in corners and long sweepers.

Noise levels were minimal. Tire noise correlated with pavement type and conditions. The EX-L version did the best job of insulating occupants from outside irritants. Sounds from under the hood, although low key, left no doubt the engine is a big four-cylinder and that it strained at times. Moderate wind whistle leaked into the cabin from the outside mirrors and around the A-pillars.

Summary

The Honda CR-V is probably the best vehicle in this class. Its interior is packaged the best, with seats that fold down to provide a completely flat cargo area.

NewCarTestDrive.com correspondent Tom Lankard filed this report from Vancouver, British Columbia, after his test drive of the CR-V.