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View all search resultsThe New Honda CR-V - goes the extra mile
Smooth ride: Slippery track along the road, with heavy rain pouring in, poses no trouble to the popular SUV
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Smooth ride: Slippery track along the road, with heavy rain pouring in, poses no trouble to the popular SUV.
The new Honda CR-V, launched in mid-January this year, is equipped with the latest improvements 'from its engine to cabin ' to its renowned SUV series.
During the car's test drive from Jakarta to Bandung, I was impressed by its front and rear seats, which were comfortable and spacious, probably the roomiest in the class.
Along the trip, we were impressed to find the CR-V comes with more standard features than many competing compact SUVs. And I had a great time giving the new features a try as we drove along the Cipularang toll road to Bandung.
The car comes with, among other features, a rearview camera, Bluetooth, a USB port and Pandora integration.
It also has a power sunroof, a 7-inch touch-screen, a seven-speaker stereo system, satellite radio, dual-zone automatic climate control, forward collision warning, lane-keeping assist and adaptive cruise control.
From my passenger seat, I could not help feeling sleepy. The cool air conditioner ' equipped with new Nano technology to ensure the cabin's freshness through its climate-control feature ' did not help much to make me stay awake.
Groovy tunes coming from my friend's smartphone music archive, connected via Bluetooth with the car's seven-speaker stereo system, did make the trip enjoyable.
When we reached our first checkpoint, the toll road's Jatiluhur exit, my friend opened the window so we could feel the fresh country air. The power sunroof worked smoothly and soon, fresh air and great views of tea plantations near Padalarang woke me up.
With the new engine, the new Honda CR-V Prestige traction showed its capabilities and handled the road very well.
The slippery track along the road, with heavy rain pouring in as we drove near Cimahi, West Java, gave the popular mini SUV no trouble.
As we reached the Bandung highway intersection, my friend and I switched, with me now in the driver's seat. Finally, I got the chance to truly feel the car.
The dashboard's 7-inch touch-screen display worked perfectly as we set the GPS map to our next checkpoint.
With the GPS map suggestion and my personal knowledge of Bandung's traffic after spending more than six years in this city, we reached our next destination, Lembang, where we had lunch at the popular Lembang Brebes Fried Chicken restaurant and enjoyed the renowned dessert -- sumur fresh milk.
The trip did not stop here as we later continued our trip to Mount Tangkuban Perahu's crater.
Along the way, we drove across Lembang and then through the Boscha garden, the Jayagiri camping ground and pine forest before reaching the popular crater.
Honda has made quite a 1-2-3 punch with its Accord, Civic and CR-V variants.
These three variants made up 75 percent of the brand's sales in previous years and consistently posted sales numbers among the top three important mainstream segments: family sedans, small cars and compact crossovers.
The last segment grows faster each year and the Honda CR-V has been beating all-comers.
Given the CR-V's roaring sales success, you'd expect it to be a class leader in fuel economy, technology and refinement.
Newer crossovers, however, have actually surpassed the CR-V in these key areas lately, leaving Honda with plenty to do for the CR-V's 2015 mid-cycle refresh.
The company responded with a surprisingly significant update ' giving the 2015 Honda CR-V a new engine and transmission along with several smaller changes.
Fuel economy is a big win for the 2015 Honda CR-V, largely thanks to Honda's EarthDreams 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine, borrowed from the Accord sedan, along with its continuously variable transmission.
The real gains can be felt in terms of refinement and responsiveness. The direct-injection engine is smooth and the CVT does a good job turning the extra torque into peppy acceleration around town and quieter, lower-rpm cruising at highway speeds.
The four-cylinder does get a bit buzzy at high revs under hard acceleration, but driving the 2015 CR-V back-to-back with a 2014 model and its five-speed automatic revealed a big seat-of-the-pants improvement in terms of NVH and power delivery.
The 2015 CR-V's new engine also leapfrogs newer competitors such as the Nissan Rogue's four-cylinder and the Jeep Cherokee's nine-speed automatic transmission.
Other mechanical improvements for the 2015 Honda CR-V include retuned steering, increased sound-deadening and revised suspension-tuning.
While some may consider the CR-V not too fun-to drive - like the Mazda CX-5 -, these latest improvements make a notable difference and help level up the CR-V's driving experience.
The CR-V goes down the road with much more poise than before, thanks to its significantly quieter interior, tighter and more responsive steering and composed body motions that provide a confidence-inspiring feel from behind the wheel. A new range-topping Touring model is the headliner for the 2015 CR-V in terms of tech, as it brings new active safety features not only to the CR-V, but to the Honda lineup overall. The new suite of technologies, called Honda Sensing, is the standard on the CR-V Touring and includes lane-departure warning, adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist and collision-avoidance brake assist.
But don't think less of the 2015 Honda CR-V models from the tech game since all versions, except the base LX, get the company's new HondaLink infotainment system with a 7-inch touchscreen.
We still have a few quibbles with this system, such as its lack of volume and tuning knobs, but the clear, modern-look of HondaLink graphics make the old CR-V's dated infotainment screen look like a 1980s video game.
Other interior updates include nicer materials and a slightly revised center stack, and these changes go a long way toward improving the CR-V's previously drab interior.
Honda's upgrades to the popular CR-V have resulted in a compact crossover that's better positioned than ever to do battle in this competitive segment. The refreshed 2015 Honda CR-V checks all the boxes for compact-crossover shoppers, and no other competitor offers such a well-rounded package as this more efficient, more refined and better-equipped CR-V does.
The improvements may not be necessary to make this crossover's sales top the charts, but Honda's willingness to go the extra mile brings the already popular CR-V back to benchmark status.
