Honda's diesel-free SUV still reaches practical heights



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If there has been a constant in the recent SUV rush, it's that the Honda CR-V is one of the very few vehicles that pays more attention. at the U-for- Since the launch of the second-generation model in 2007, the CR-V has almost always been the most spacious and practical of all mid-size SUVs and crossovers, and it's the only one of its kind. is surely the whole point. After all, if you care about the S-for-sport aspect, why do you buy an SUV in the first place? The utility is the name of the game here.

Diesel, however, is no longer in the game at all. As for the Toyota RAV4, the new Honda CR-V will not be equipped with a diesel version, but only available in hybrid version (arrival early 2019) and as a 1.5-liter turbo petrol .

It's essentially the same engine that you find in the current Honda Civic, just like the new CR-V platform and chbadis. Although the CR-V retains exactly the same length as its predecessor, its wheelbase is 30 mm longer, which allowed Honda, for the first time in a CR-V, to offer you seven seats. [19659005Septsièges

These are not just seating badignments, either. Not only-there-for-the-decorating seats. In fact, Honda engineers have in fact redesigned the 57-liter fuel tank for the seven-seater version, lowering it by 40 mm to allow third-row pbadengers to have more power. space for their feet.

can be slid back and forth from 150mm (as well as folding flat and tumbling it forward) so with a little judicious juggling, you can really find enough space for seven people , baduming that at least two of them are still young enough to be fans of Voltron: Legendary Defender. The seats in the third row are easily lifted by pulling on a strap – you can do it with one hand without difficulty.

Opt for the five-seater version and while the rear seat stays in place, the legroom is positively like, and thanks to the almost total absence of a transmission hump those sitting in the center back seat have, for once, a place to put their feet.

This five-seater version has a starting capacity of 561 liters that shrinks, for seven seats, to only 150 liters with all seats in place) so the CR-V is even more than hitting its marks when it is to be the most convenient car around.

Civic Characteristics

At the front of the cabin, the dashboard looks all but identical to the one you'll find in the Civic, but Honda had a good shot at making it look and feel a little more expensive, both in its choice of materials and how they are put in place, as it suits the higher position of the CR-V. It works more or less well – there are more soft touch surfaces, well-stitched leather, and on our (very) fake wood test car that did not look too much ugly.

use both the instruments and the Honda Connect touch screen. Unfortunately, the main instrument pack seems cheap and sometimes hard to read (try to calculate the amount of fuel that you have left), and the onboard computer is oddly Byzantine. Meanwhile, the Honda Connect screen has the same confusing menu layout as the Civic, and some very cheap graphics. Fortunately, you can at least solve this problem by plugging in your Apple or Android phone and using the smartphone link software instead. At least, the cabin at the front is as convenient as the rest of the car, with large door bins, and a huge center console storage area that can swallow a laptop or big bag.

diesel, however? Even with all the adverse diesel advertising, is this a wise move in the SUV market, especially since Honda's 1.6 iDTEC diesel (still available in the Civic) is one of the best engines diesel around, and one of the few even had an official eyebrow raised in his direction when it comes to emissions and pollution?

It would be tempting to suggest that Honda is hiding nothing here, but in fact the 1.5-liter turbo gasoline engine makes a much stronger case for itself than I would have thought possible. In general, the inevitable arithmetic of the big SUV and small gas engine equates to a dreadful fuel economy is inevitable, but in a way, the CR-V seems to have avoided it. You can choose from the front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive versions with manual gearbox, and a 173 hp engine, or an automatic CVT version with AWD and 193 hp.

This is a very soft engine, which raises his voice a bit under strong acceleration (and sounding strangely a bit more vocal in four-wheel-drive models) but in general proving very refined. The six-speed manual shift is a bit long in the pitch, but the CVT is actually the big surprise here – Honda says it's trying to make the gearbox gearless mimic the feel of it. a conventional automatic and, apart from one or two moments of complete acceleration, it does just that. It's really nice to drive.

Material Handling

Fuel Economy? We were driving on Austrian roads, near Salzburg, which are often more vertical than horizontal, but despite the gradients, the 1.5 is well acquitted. Most of the time, we saw an average fuel consumption of about 8.2 to 7.5 liters per 100 km (about 35 to 37 megabytes) and a better reading of the day, in CVT version at AWD, 6.8 liters per 100 km. or 41mpg, which is exactly what Honda claims you should get, on average. Impressive, especially when you feel how close the engine is.

In terms of management, you came here for the utility, remember? Honda does much of its Agile Handling Assistant (which adjusts stability control when you drive to try to point the car where you want it) but it's really a cruising car, no cornering. The direction seems artificial and pasty, and there is a bit of body pressing. It's better to sit in the very comfortable seats, let the ride quality sweep the worst bumps, and revel in the CR-V's excellent, refined, floor-covering ability.

While you might have to clarify that C is a new model for some people, and although we need to see Irish prices and specifications (we expect a 5-10% increase in price) before making a decision about right and wrong, we can not deny; We will not miss the diesel as much as we thought.

The Truth: Honda CR-V 1.5 VTEC Turbo CVT AWD

Price: To be determined but from approximately € 34 000.

Power: ] 193hp.

Couple: 243Nm.

0-100kmh: 9.3sec

Maximum speed: 200km / h.

Declared economy: 39.8mpg (7.1 liters / 100km).

CO2 emissions: 162g / km.

Engine tax: 570 €

Verdict: Always practical, always comfortable, always pleasant to drive. Do you still want this diesel?

Our note: 3/5

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