HONDA launches have been like waiting for a bus in recent times: none for a long time and then three or more come together. So recently in Ireland we had the new HR-V joining the earlier arrival ZR-V and the latest CR-V, and the E:NY1 electric. And if all those confuse you to a headache, don’t even think about how some of them have their names switched between each other for different markets.
BY BRIAN BYRNE
For this week, though, we’re concentrating on the sixth generation of the CR-V, which just happens to be Honda’s biggest selling model in the world. Reaching Europe last year, in Ireland the Honda franchise has suffered from a shortage of stock but that is all behind them and we have it now leading that veritable bus convoy through local showrooms.
The CR-V has long been an important model for the North American market, so the more recent generations have always been designed to look strong. The latest one is even more so, with a boxier overall shape than the previous two iterations. Along with a straight-up front-end treatment and less of a curve at the rear, the car both looks and is bigger than its predecessor even though the height is actually lower. Less style in this instance is better, in my mind.
That more square ethos is also inside this time with a straight-across dashboard design adding visual stretch. The infotainment screen has been brought up higher, but doesn’t intrude on visibility because it is mercifully smaller than the acreage we have been getting from some carmakers. Honda is making that a virtue, as also are the straightforward climate controls that don’t require screen menu-searching nonsense. The car is automatic, but I have some reservations about the buttons operation of the transmission. Well placed, but differently-shaped for drive and reverse that can be confusing. You do not want to be confused when parking in tight spaces. The masterclass in this respect is Stellantis, and I humbly suggest Honda and others check out their Peugeot or Opel cars as exemplars.
Trim throughout is design and quality top class, with a mix of artificial and real leather upholstery, and the car has the roominess that one would expect in a competitor to Audi’s Q5 and BMW’s X3. The extra length adds significant capacity to the cargo area compared to the previous CR-V.
The car is now available full hybrid or plug-in hybrid powertrains. In my case, as I don’t have a charger at home, I drove it for my time as a standard hybrid, which seamlessly switched electric, mixed, or petrol modes as the load required. I didn’t mollycoddle the 215hp 2-litre and came away with an average of 5.9L/100km, respectable for a big car by European standards (there’s a bigger Honda SUV available in the US and China but this is their flagship here).
My overall sense was of an exceptionally comfortable big car, but not feeling heavy either as a vehicle or in its handling. I had a number of mostly motorway trips, but also a fair amount of in-town driving and at no stage did I feel it to be bulky except in one of those daft underground car parks from the 1990s, apparently designed by an architect who never had to use one. Even then, my mirrors (I don’t depend on cameras) and the known square shape of the car made parking ding-free.
For those who need a biggish SUV, there are lots of options out there just now. You can go European with the VW group, Korean from Hyundai and Kia, and there’s a rake of Chinese newcomers in and coming. But with tight supply no longer an issue, and the overall quality of the CR-V, it’s one not to forget while shopping for a 2025 car change.
A Honda doesn’t come cheap, but a premium is often worth paying for technical quality ... and common sense.
