HONDA CR-V E:HEV RS

The Honda CR-V e:HEV isn’t the Japanese company’s first petrol-electric hybrid.
It’s the latest in a long line of hybrids that started with the cutting-edge, two-seat Insight way back in 2001.

But the CR-V e:HEV (it’s a mouthful) has a big role to play as Honda fights to find a place in the new order of things that started with the move to SUVs, then the swing to electric vehicles and finally the arrival of the Chinese — in full force.

You might say it’s time to shape up or ship out.

STYLING
CR-V starts from $44,700 driveaway for the five-seat, two-wheel drive 1.5-litre VTi X+ with an auto.

VTi X7 is basically the same model with seven seats and is priced from $46,800.
There’s six colours and seven grades from which to choose: VTi X+, VTi X7, VTi L, VTi L7, VTI L AWD, VTi LX AWD and e:HEV RS.

All but the hybrid are powered by the same 1.5-litre four cylinder turbo.
Only VTI L and VTI LX are available with all-wheel drive (VTI L with all-wheel drive is $2500 more).

Standard kit is generous, with cloth trim and two-zone climate air, auto lights and wipers, an auto-dimming rear view mirror, keyless entry and start, electric parking brake, power adjust driver seat, walk-away door locking, front and rear parking sensors, reverse camera with dynamic guides plus a hands-free power tailgate.

RS ups the ante with a sports body kit along with some sporty touches inside, including alloy pedals, black headliner, leather accents and red stitching for the seats, steering wheel and transmission shift.

It also comes with a sunroof, rear fog lights, adaptive high beam and active cornering lights – all of them LED.

Importantly, as you will soon discover, it’s also the only model that gets sport drive mode along with an enhanced engine note.

CR-V comes with a 5-year unlimited kilometre warranty, plus 5-year roadside assistance.

Service intervals are 12 months or 10,000km, with the first five visits capped at $199.
Variants with built-in navigation receive five years of complimentary over the air map updates.

INFOTAINMENT
Infotainment consists of a 9.0-inch colour touchscreen, eight-speaker audio, active noise control, Bluetooth, AM/FM/DAB+ digital radio, wireless Apple CarPlay and wired Android Auto, wireless smartphone charging pad plus connection to the Honda Connect app.

VTi-L adds satellite navigation and a Smart KeyCard.

There’s USB-A and -C ports in front, along with a 12 volt/180W outlet, with another two USB-C ports in the back and a 12 volt outlet in the luggage area.
RS gets 12-speaker Bose audio.

ENGINES / TRANSMISSIONS
The hybrid combines two electric motors with a larger, 2.0-litre direct injection Atkinson style four-cylinder engine.

The electric motors are positioned side-by-side rather than in-line with the crankshaft as they were previously.

The all-new E-CVT motor spins at 14,500 rpm and produces 135kW peak power and 335Nm of torque.

The generator motor, which spins at 17,000 rpm, puts out 120kW and is dedicated to charging the battery pack.

Combined system output is 152kW.

The 1.5-litre turbo makes 140kW and 240Nm in comparison.

SAFETY
New CR-V is still to be rated by ANCAP for safety.

An improved Honda Sensing safety system features a total of 11 airbags, with a new front camera and radar system.

Honda’s Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE) body structure has been updated to distribute crash energy more evenly throughout the front, side, and rear of the vehicle. 

There’s also forward collision warning, autonomous emergency braking (AEB), lane departure and lane keep assist, traffic jam assist, road departure mitigation, adaptive cruise control, low-speed braking control, traffic sign recognition and high beam support.

VTi-L and above add blind spot monitoring and rear cross traffic alert with e:HEV RS also getting LED active cornering lights and adaptive driving beam.
However, there’s no head-up display or 360-degree camera.

DRIVING
CR-V as we recall originally stood for Civic Recreational Vehicle, but this has now morphed into Comfortable Runabout Vehicle.

No matter because it is reasonably comfortable as well as roomy inside, and comes with a new-found upmarket feel.

With reach and height adjustment for the steering wheel and plenty of power adjustment options for the driver’s seat, finding the right driving position is easy.
The front seats are also heated.

With 15mm more legroom, the rear seats also slide 190mm backwards or forwards, in case you need more room.

And they recline, with 16 positions and an additional 10.5 degrees — so passengers can kick back on longer trips.

Boot space is a generous 581 litres but the floor hides a tyre repair kit.

The objective was reportedly to achieve the ultimate all-rounder, encompassing the same off-road performance as a cross country vehicle, the same level of comfort as a passenger car and even the same level of appeal for sports car lovers.

Dream on . . .

Three drive modes are available, selected via a console mounted switch: Economy, Normal and Sport in the RS.

The new set up also includes new high and low-speed lock-up ratios for direct engine drive on the highway and in the city.

A new “B” transmission setting enables stronger regenerative and engine braking.
This can also be controlled using the supplied steering wheel paddles.

On paper it all sounds fabulous and it is until you get the opportunity to stretch the CRV’s hybrid legs.

While it’s reasonably quick off the mark thanks to the instant kick from the electric motor, the CR-V quickly runs out of puff.

This becomes especially evident when it comes to overtaking and climbing long, steep hills where the hybrid powertrain starts to wail like a banshee as it attempts to deliver the goods.

At this point, the provision of Sport mode makes a real difference and is the only cure for its rural-induced asthma, but of course it must be selected each and every time you start the vehicle.

It brings the CR-V to life, ramping up the revs, enhancing throttle response and giving the vehicle a much sportier feel.

In comparison, performance in Economy mode is woeful and we gave it away within minutes.

Normal as the name suggests is fine for most situations.

In addition, with Sport mode activated Active Sound Control boosts the engine note.
Steering is light and the ride quality is generally pretty good, although cabin noise can be intrusive on coarse bitumen as can be the ride can become jarring.

The 12-speaker Bose sound system is excellent.

Too bad Android Auto requires a cable and is not wireless like CarPlay.

Rated at 5.5L/100km, we were getting 6.3L after 740km of mixed driving, much of it out west.

Fortunately, the 57-litre tank is happy to take standard 91 RON petrol.

SUMMING UP
We just can’t see how Honda’s price it up policy has legs.

While the CR-V hybrid is a practical, polished offering, petrol-only versions represent better value for money.

What’s more, although CR-V is advertised as “Available in Hybrid with 5 and 7-seat options,” the hybrid is in fact available only in expensive, top of the line RS form and not with seven seats. It misses out on all-wheel drive as well.

It’s supposed to be a family vehicle.

Then there’s the competition to consider.

Sales are down almost 30 per cent so far this year and with no less than 23 competitors, we’re hardly surprised.

Many of those competitors are hybrids, and some are cheaper and arguably better.

In our experience, Australians are a price-driven lot.

RATINGS:
Looks: 7
Performance: 6
Safety: 7
Thirst: 7.5
Practicality: 8
Comfort: 7
Tech: 8
Value: 5
Overall: 6.9

AT A GLANCE

MODEL RANGE
Honda CR-V VTi X+ $44,700
Honda CR-V VTi L $48,800
Honda CR-V Ti X7 $46,800
Honda CR-V Ti L7 $53,000
Honda CR-V VTi L AWD $51,300
Honda CR-V LX AWD $57,000
Honda CR-V e:HEV RS $59,900
Note: These prices are drive-away

SPECIFICATIONS (Honda CR-V e:HEV RS 2.0L 4-cylinder petrol, 2-motor hybrid, CVT automatic, FWD)

ENGINE:
Capacity: 2.0 litres
Configuration: Four cylinders inline
Maximum Power: 135 kW @ 5000 rpm
Maximum Torque: 335 Nm @ 0-2000 rpm
Fuel Type: Regular unleaded petrol
Combined Fuel Cycle (ADR 81/02): 5.5 L/100km
Two-motor hybrid system: Combined maximum power 152 kW

DRIVELINE: CVT automatic, front-wheel drive

DIMENSIONS, WEIGHT AND CAPACITIES:
Length: 4704 mm
Wheelbase: 2701 mm
Width: 1866 mm
Height: 1681 mm
Turning Circle: 12.0 metres
Kerb Mass: 1771 kg
Fuel Tank Capacity: 57 litres

BRAKES:
Front: Ventilated disc
Rear: Disc

STANDARD WARRANTY:
Five years / unlimited kilometres