Honda CR-V

Honda bosses admit that the company has had a turbulent time in recent years. First they were hit by the global downturn, and then the devastating earthquake and tsunami happened, knocking out one of their components factories and damaging the infrastructure. Research and development into new products was curtailed which meant a drought of new products. But those issues are now firmly behind them, and 2015 is going to be a defining year for the Japanese brand. The revised CR-V range kicks off a year that will see a revised Civic, an HR-V compact crossover, a new Jazz supermini and the sensational NSX supercar being propelled into UK dealers. Here we test the latest edition of the CR-V the world’s best-selling SUV that has been spruced up with a new 158bhp 1.6-litre i-DTEC engine to replace the outgoing 2.2-litre unit, a brand new nine-speed automatic transmission and tweaks to the mechanicals to lift refinement. That's aside from the remodelling of the styling, which includes new front and rear bumpers, reshaped tail lights and front grille, and high quality materials for the interior, including a new touchscreen dubbed Honda Connect.

There was little wrong with the outgoing CR-V, so the subtle refinements are the icing on the cake. There’s simply masses of room inside, with limousine-like rear leg space with a flat floor, generous headroom and a simply enormous boot with a handily low loading sill. There’s 589 litres available for luggage, even before you pull the lever to flip the rear seats, which extends to a massive 1,669 litres. These figures are class leading, and we wonder whether Honda is missing a trick by not offering a seven-seat version, like some of its rivals. The dashboard is attractively styled, with all of the controls mounted high up for ease of use. The infotainment system is perfectly placed within your eyeline, is intuitive to operate, with clear, colourful graphics. There’s a mixture of soft-touch and harder plastics, but an overall impression of solidity and exemplary build quality. The command-style driving position gives you fine forward vision, and because the windows are deep, all-round visibility is great.

The new twin-turbocharged 1.6-litre i-DTEC engine is paired exclusively to four-wheel-drive and produces a highly respectable 158bhp and 258lb ft of torque, and is a useful 10bhp up on the outgoing unit. Not only is the automatic model faster to 62mph by over a half a second, it’s more frugal, too, with official figures claiming 53.3mpg on the combined cycle, compared to 41.5 on the old car, but CO2 emissions drop from 175g/km down to just 139. This means a hefty eight per cent saving for company car users, but also means the vehicle excise duty is £160 less each year, too. Offering top-notch noise suppression and refinement, it’s a perky little unit, too, despite the reduction in cubic capacity compared to before. For our tastes, it’s the six-speed manual that gets the thumbs up compared to the automatic thanks to a creamy action and well-chosen ratios. The automatic, while smooth shifting, delivers a lot of engine noise when asked to kick-down, with the changes not happening as slickly as we would like. Elsewhere, the road manners are pretty good, with excellent grip, nicely weighted steering and decent body control. Ride comfort is absorbent, with only the deepest potholes transmitted into the cabin.

Model tested : EX 1.6 i-DTEC 4WD Automatic
Price : £ to be announced
Made in : Swindon, United Kingdom
Configuration : 5-door SUV, 5-seats, four-wheel-drive
Drivetrain : 1597cc, 4-cylinder, 16-valve, turbocharged diesel with stop-start
Transmission : 9-speed automatic
Power output : 158bhp @ 4,000rpm
Maximum torque : 258lb ft @ 2,000rpm
Top speed /0-62mph : 123mph/10.0 secs
CO2 emissions (tax band) : 139g/km (E) Euro 6
Economy  (urban/extra urban/combined) :  47.1/57.6/53.3mpg
Fuel tank size/range : 58 litres/680 miles
Insurance group/BIK rate : tba/23%
Size  (length/width with mirrors) : 4,605/2,096mm
Boot space (minimum/maximum) : 589/1,669 litres
Kerb/max towing weight : 1,658/tba kg
On sale : Now
In showrooms : March 2015
Prices : £ to be announced
Bodystyles : 5-door SUV
Engines : 1.6 (118bhp), 1.6 (158bhp)
Trim levels : S, S Navi, SE, SE Navi, SR, EX
Also consider : Mazda CX-5, Volkswagen Tiguan