Honda CR-V review

The Power of Dreams. As slogans go, surely Honda's counts as one of the best. We love to dream, after all, and when it comes to the Japanese manufacturer, that could mean a superbike, a private jet, a speedboat engine – or the latest Honda CR-V.

We’re not suggesting the CR-V will have you dribbling into your pillowcase with desire as profusely as the Honda Civic Type R hot hatch, but as a big family SUV with a hybrid engine, it's pretty hot property.

The previous-generation CR-V saw Honda ditch pure petrol power in favour of a hybrid setup. This new version has taken things one step further by adding a new plug-in hybrid (PHEV) version on top of the regular hybrid, giving you two big cars to choose from that are each surprisingly efficient and affordable to run.

In fact, the PHEV – badged e:PHEV – is the first plug-in hybrid Honda has made for the European market, and while it looks like it has hit the ground running, there are lots of rival PHEV family SUVs, including versions of the Hyundai Santa Fe, the Kia Sorento, the Land Rover Discovery Sport and the Lexus NX.

The e:HEV, too, has its work cut out if it’s going to beat the Citroën C5 Aircross, the Ford Kuga, the Kia Sportage, the Peugeot 5008, the Toyota RAV4 and the VW Tiguan.

Read on to find out how the Honda CR-V compares with the best family SUVs.

Both versions of the Honda CR-V come with a 181bhp 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and electric motor. The difference between the e:HEV (hybrid) and e:PHEV (plug-in hybrid) is that the e:HEV comes with four-wheel drive, while the e:PHEV gets a much larger 17.7kWh battery and has front-wheel drive.

On paper, both CR-Vs will sprint from 0-62mph in 9.4 seconds, but they feel quicker than that official figure lets on. Indeed, no matter which you go for, you won’t struggle to get up to motorway speeds or nip around slow-moving traffic.

That said, if you’re in the market for a PHEV with truly punchy performance, the 305bhp Lexus NX 450h is much quicker – we clocked one at our private test track accelerating from 0-60mph in just 5.8sec.

When its battery is charged up, the e:PHEV operates just like a fully electric car. That means smooth, quiet and fairly nippy acceleration up to motorway speeds and beyond. On our real-world test route, it covered 37.6 miles before the engine chimed in – short of its 51-mile claimed range but greater than the 36.8 miles that we saw from an NX on the same day.

A clever new two-stage gearbox has been fitted to the CR-V and the plus point is that it has allowed Honda to add a towing mode to the e:PHEV version. With that engaged, the e:PHEV can use all of the power from its petrol engine and electric motor, towing up to 1500kg – more than the 1350kg of the Hyundai Santa Fe PHEV and the same as the Kia Sorento and the NX.

The e:HEV has no towing mode and can pull 750kg, much less than the 1500kg of the NX 350h and the 1650kg of the Santa Fe Hybrid and the Kia Sportage.

If you’re looking for comfort, the CR-V is a sound choice. You see, its suspension set-up manages to find a great balance between firm and soft, taking speed bumps in its stride and and feeling much calmer on pimply motorways than stiffer rivals such as the Mazda CX-5.

True, it doesn't quite match the pillowy comfort offered by a Citroën C5 Aircross but, as an upside, the CR-V feels better tied down over undulations and less likely to trouble passengers prone to bouts of travel sickness.

The e:PHEV replaces the reactive dampers in the e:HEV with adaptive ones, but if you keep it in its softest Comfort mode, the ride doesn’t change all that much.

Big family SUVs like the CR-V are not usually associated with with nimble handling. There are some tidy offerings around, though – most notably the BMW X3 and the Mazda CX-5. The Peugeot 5008 and the VW Tiguan aren't too shabby, either.

Unfortunately, even if you set the CR-V e:PHEV’s adaptive dampers to Sport mode, it's not on their level. It just never feels particularly sporty, leaning more through corners than those rivals and approaching the limits of grip far easier.

The thing that steals most from the experience is the steering. Sure, it’s fine for everyday driving, but it only gives you a general idea of what the front wheels are up to and is too heavy regardless of which driving mode you’re in.

The two-stage automatic gearbox is effectively a two-speed unit with a high and low gear. That means that, unlike the previous CR-V (which had a CVT auto gearbox), it doesn’t keep the revs as high as possible when you’re accelerating, so there's less engine noise.

Thanks to its larger battery, the e:PHEV can eliminate engine noise altogether by driving on electricity alone for long periods. When the battery runs flat and the engine chimes into life, you hardly notice – contrasting with the NX, which sends a small vibration through the steering wheel and seat. 

The CR-V does generate quite a lot of wind and road noise – more than you will experience in a Sorento, NX or Discovery Sport. On longer journeys, that could become a little tiring.

Driving overview

Strengths Comfy ride; plenty of performance; e:PHEV has long electric range

Weaknesses Quite a lot of road noise; not as fun to drive as rivals

If you want something that feels like an SUV to sit in, the Honda CR-V’s high seating position will be right up your street.

It’s also a plus that it’s really easy to get comfortable, with the standard-fit eight-way electrically adjustable seats giving you plenty of movement. Better still, all but the entry-level trim also get a handy memory function, so you’ll never lose that position even if someone else has a drive.

A 10.2in digital driver’s display is standard across the range but, outside of a couple of simple info screens, it can’t be configured to your taste like the instrument screens can be in the VW Tiguan.

Other than that, the screen is crisp and clear, making it easy to read at a quick glance as you drive along. All but Elegance models get a clear head-up display, showing you the same info right in front of you.

Best of all though is the fact that you get lots of physical buttons and dials to quickly access parts of the infotainment system or to adjust the air conditioning. That makes it far less distracting to use when you're driving than the touch-sensitive buttons in the Seat Tarraco.

Thanks to the CR-V’s tall side and rear windows, visibility is excellent. And despite the rear pillars being rather wide, the large side windows help with the view over your shoulder.

Parking should be pretty easy, too, thanks to every CR-V getting front and rear parking sensors and a rear-view camera. Top spec Advance Tech trim swaps the camera for a 360-degree one and even gets Honda Parking Pilot, which will park the car for you in certain circumstances. 

Bright LED headlights with automatic high beam come as standard, so you’ll always be able to see plenty at night. If you avoid the entry-level trim, you’ll get adaptive high beam, allowing you to keep your full beam on without dazzling other drivers.

The 9.0-inch touchscreen in the CR-V is identical to the one found in the Honda Civic. It's conveniently positioned high on the dashboard for quick visibility, and has physical shortcut buttons and an audio knob for easy on-the-go control. 

However, it falls short in terms of screen resolution and presents a somewhat outdated user interface.

The standard 12-speaker Bose sound system offers a sharper sound quality compared to the 10-speaker setup in the NX, but it must work harder to overcome road noise.

There are soft-touch plastics and leather-effect materials on the upper areas of the CR-V, something that looks like stitched leather on the door trims, plus gloss-black panels and silvery highlights that create an upmarket atmosphere.

It doesn’t take much searching, however, to find vast amounts of scratchy plastics in very obvious areas. When you consider the price tag, especially of the e:PHEV, that’s disappointing. 

Build quality is pretty good, at least, with everything feeling sturdy and solidly built. Even so, the NX, CX-5 and Discovery Sport knock it for six. Even the Sorento is smarter and more solid overall.

Interior overview

Strengths High driving position; great visibility; physical air-con controls 

Weaknesses Interior materials are a bit disappointing; digital driver display isn’t as versatile as in some rivals

We have few complaints about front space in the Honda CR-V. If you extend the front seats all the way back, you'll have plenty of leg room unless you're exceptionally tall, and there's loads of head room.

Even with the standard-fit panoramic glass roof, you won’t be at risk of smearing hair gel on its glass underside. By comparison, in a Peugeot 5008 with a panoramic roof, head room is greatly compromised.

The interior is suitably wide, with a decent-sized armrest between the driver and passenger. The armrest lifts to reveal a cubby with a sliding tray, two cupholders and a wireless charging pad with a built-in fan to cool your phone as it charges. On the downside, the door bins are quite narrow and the glovebox isn’t huge.

On paper, the CR-V looks massive, thanks to acres of leg and elbow room. However, when you get in the back, it’s impossible to ignore the giant hump in the roof that sits right in front of your forehead. 

That hump is where the roller blind for the panoramic roof lives, and it makes the rear seats of the CR-V feel rather claustrophobic – even if you’re an averagely tall adult. Oh, and don’t even think about sitting in the middle, because the raised middle seat robs you of more head room. Even with the rear seatbacks reclined, our tallest road tester had to sit with his neck bent. 

If you have young children, the abundance of wide door openings will ensure that putting them in a car seat is a breeze. Furthermore, the low sills offer excellent accessibility for grandparents.

Keep in mind, though, that the vehicle can only accommodate five seats. If you require more seating, be sure to consult our guide to the best seven-seaters.

Regardless of which trim you go for, your front-seat passenger will get electric seat adjustment but without seat height adjustment or adjustable lumbar support. They will, at least, get a heated seat if you go for the entry-level trim or a heated and ventilated seat if you go for one of the Advance trims.

The rear seats split 60/40, rather than the more useful 40/20/40 arrangement you get in the Peugeot 5008 and the VW Tiguan Allspace. They can, however, be slid forth and aft in the regular hybrid, allowing you to prioritise rear leg room or boot space.

What’s more, rear headroom can be increased thanks to the rear seats reclining in eight different settings. Yes, eight. That means head room can vary from good, when sat upright, to great, as you recline the seat ever further backwards.

Strangely, unlike most hybrids and PHEVs, the e:PHEV actually has the most leg room of the pair, due to its battery being placed under the rear seats instead of under the boot floor, giving you a total of 635 litres. The e:HEV gets 596 litres.

With its height-adjustable boot floor in the lowest position, the e:PHEV swallowed eight carry-on suitcases (one more than a Lexus NX) with space left over for a couple of soft duffle bags.

It's a shame, though, that the adjustable floor doesn’t run the length of the boot. Instead, it stops short of the rear seat backs giving the CR-V an uneven boot floor. Without the awkward ridge, we reckon it would swallow 10 carry-on cases. 

You shouldn’t have any issues loading bulky items into a CR-V, because there’s no load lip to speak of. Because of the way the back seats fold down, you have an unimpeded flat space up to the back of the front seats (useful for trips to buy furniture, for example).

Practicality overview

Strengths Loads of rear space; big boot, especially in e:PHEV; generous space for front-seat occupants

Weaknesses No height or lumbar adjustment for passenger; 60/40 split-folding rear seats; small glovebox and door bins

If you look at list price, the Honda CR-V e:HEV looks quite expensive and will cost you more as a cash purchase than the Citroën C5 Aircross, the Kia Sportage and the VW Tiguan. The thing is, it comes with loads more equipment than those rivals, somewhat making up for the extra cost.

The CR-V e:PHEV is expensive however you look at it. It only comes in the top trim level and is priced in line with premium rivals such as the Lexus NX and Land Rover Discovery Sport.

Efficiency helps to offset the price tag, with even the e:HEV managing almost 43mpg and 151g/km of CO2 emissions, around the same as the Sportage 1.6 T-GDi. Of course, if you’re a company car driver, the e:PHEV will be the one to go for, with its electric-only range helping to reduce the BIK tax you’ll pay.

What’s more, unlike the e:HEV, you can plug the e:PHEV in to charge and that allows you to maximise the time you spend driving on electricity.

With a maximum charging rate of 6.8kW, plugging the CR-V into a 7kW home charger will get you from 0-100% charge in around 2.5 hours. That’s an hour faster than the Kia Sorento can manage, because that can only accept up to 3.3kW, but much slower than the Discovery Sport that can accept up to 32kW.

The CR-V range opens with Elegance trim. It comes loaded with standard equipment, including 18in alloy wheels, wireless phone-charging, dual-zone climate control, adaptive cruise control, electrically folding and heated wing mirrors, a heated steering wheel, a power tailgate and lots of other equipment.

Next in line is the Advance, which is the top trim you can have with the e:HEV. That version builds on the standard kit list and adds heated rear seats, along with the head-up display, electric memory seats, adaptive high beam and upgraded sound system that we talked about earlier.

Advance Tech sits at the top of the range and is reserved for the e:PHEV (it’s also the only trim you can have with the PHEV). It gets all the bells and whistles, including exclusive exterior styling, some bespoke details around the interior and other extras.

Honda finished an excellent sixth out of 32 manufacturers in the 2023 What Car? Reliability Survey – above Ford, Kia, Peugeot, Skoda and Volkswagen, but below Toyota (in second, behind Lexus).

Honda’s default warranty is three years/90,000-miles, including breakdown assistance. That’s pretty par for the course in the class and can’t match the five-year/unlimited mileage warranty that you’ll get from Hyundai or the seven years Kia gives you.

The new CR-V has yet to be tested for safety by the experts at Euro NCAP but you can rest assured that every version comes with plenty of standard safety kit.

Indeed, every CR-V comes with 11 airbags and Honda’s latest Honda Sensing 360 system, which keeps an eye on all areas of the car and includes blind-spot monitoring and cross traffic monitoring. 

What’s more, automatic emergency braking (AEB) is standard, along with lane-departure warning, traffic-sign recognition, lane-keeping assistance and a driver attention monitor.

Buying and owning overview

Strengths Loads of standard equipment; efficient engines; lots of safety kit

Weaknesses High list price; depreciates quicker than rivals; short warranty

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