Honda’s crossover is now more popular than ever thanks to a number of thoughtful upgrades.
The 2017 CRV was introduced in Detroit’s historic Eastern Market yesterday. It draws on the lessons from Honda’s most recent models and refines it to make the best CRV ever. This is good news for Honda’s 300,000+ customers who purchase the CUV every year.
The 2017 CR-V uses a more powerful version Civic’s 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine. It boasts 190 horsepower and 179 pound feet of torque. This makes it more powerful than the compact sedan. However, peak torque is only available at a smaller range of revs than the Civic’s wider 1,700-5500 revs. Honda’s 75-percent take rate is reasonable as this engine will be standard on every CR-V except the base model.
You can’t have a turbo-powered crossover if you don’t want to sacrifice a lot of content. The base LX is the only option. The loss of power isn’t too severe – the 2.4-liter naturally-aspirated engine produces 184 horsepower and 180 lbft of torque. Peak torque is only available at 3,900 rpm. Honda has not released official fuel economy figures. However, the larger displacement engine will be more efficient than the turbo 1.5-liter. A continuously variable transmission is standard across the entire range, regardless of powertrain. Front-wheel drive remains standard. All-wheel drive is an option. Pricing is not yet available. However, we believe that AWD will continue to command the same $1,300 premium than the current car.
The 2017 update brings more interior refinement to the Touring model. We crawled around the cabin and noticed a significant improvement in the dash and door panels. Honda claims that the cabin is larger, making it the largest in its class. This is most evident in the extra 2 inches of legroom at the rear. Your author, who is six feet and one-inch tall, had ample space in the back with a bigger driver up front.
Honda has updated the CR-V’s interior with many of the excellent features found in the new Civic. This includes the beautiful center-mounted touchscreen infotainment screen. Honda’s Sensing suite, which includes collision-mitigation brake, forward collision warning with pedestrian sense, road departure mitigation, adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping aid, also makes an appearance. In a move that was well received by journalists at yesterday’s debut, Jeff Conrad, Honda Senior Vice President, confirmed that Honda’s seven inch touchscreen will have a physical volume knob.
The CR-V will be made public at the Los Angeles Auto Show next month, before going on sale in the winter. You can expect full pricing and information on fuel economy in the coming months. Scroll down to read Honda’s official press release.