Honda CR-V SUV verdict
Should you buy a Honda CR-V?
Yes, if you want something spacious, solid, reliable and comfortable. The CR-V isn’t really a class-leader in any sense except perhaps ease of ownership – it’s unlikely to give you any trouble, and we can easily see owners falling in love with its incredibly sensible way of doing things.
Its biggest issue is that the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid offers all of these things but with greater performance and efficiency, plus a much longer warranty – for near enough the same price. You’d have to really like the Honda to overlook such an impressive competitor, and as cars like this are bought more with the head than the heart we’d find it tough to recommend the CR-V in its presence.
If you do have your heart set on one, we don’t see a great deal of sense in opting for the slower, thirstier 4WD model, so we’d stick with 2WD – which is still good to drive.
As for trim levels, the entry S car is rather Spartan but stepping up to SE brings all the safety equipment you could want as well as the important touchscreen infotainment system. You may wish to go one further, though, for wipe-clean leather upholstery if you’re planning on sticking messy kids or dogs in the rear.
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What we like
The spacious, no-nonsense and well-built interior is a highlight, and it makes many rivals feel overly-designed and chintzy.
What we don’t like
Entry-level models are very stingy with their standard equipment. The hybrid powertrain doesn’t return exceptional fuel economy and can be very noisy. Infotainment is woefully outdated.
Further reading
