The £25,000 model we tested boasts leather upholstery, heated seats, DVD satnav with parking camera, a premium sound system and a panoramic sunroof with electric blind.
You can top that with an adaptive cruise control that utilises radar to maintain your distance from the vehicle in front. It works well, but can be slow to react if a car pulls into your lane through a motorway curve. In which case the collision mitigation system might cut in. This provides audible and visual warnings should you close too quickly. More warnings, including the tensioning of the seatbelts two or three times, are triggered if you fail to respond. If the closing speed between the two cars is still too great, it will initiate hard braking and activate the belt pre-tensioners. The system operates above 9.3mph, and when the differential between you and car in front is more than 9.3mph. It’s a good safety net, but no substitute for paying attention.
The CR-V is easy to drive, its excellent clutch and clean-acting, low-effort gearchange making for smooth progress, as do a well-weighted brake pedal and reasonably precise steering. This is backed up by an ESP system – Honda calls it vehicle stability control – which counters under- and oversteering skids.
That said, this is still a big car, and though large door mirrors, parking radar and, in the case of the EX, a rear-view camera (useful, but hard to judge distances with) make it simpler to park, it can be cumbersome at times.
The new CR-V is 10mm shorter than its predecessor, and though it’s fractionally wider, it’s also lower and sits on a reduced wheelbase. Despite this, and bigger seats, it’s spacious, with particularly impressive rear-seat packaging. Despite the absence of sixth and seventh seats, as provided by the Hyundai Sante Fe, it’s a roomy, comfy and practical environment – marred only by excessive road noise. And even that’s not really serious.
