2024 Honda CR-V review: What’s the big idea? 

Honda’s range-topper SUV is capable… as is the competition

What you see here is an upwardly mobile Honda, this being by a distance the biggest, most powerful and plushest car ever to wear a CR-V badge. In the main, the result is extremely convincing.

It’s not much of a recommendation to say it annoyed me less than many rivals, but in these days when you can count on being scolded by most new cars many times in the same journey, it’s actually quite important. Better is the quality of the fit and finish, the reassuring sense of heft about it and the genuinely outstanding levels of comfort available. It’s a car in which you and your family could travel a very long distance.

Performance is reasonable and Honda quotes only separate power and torque figures for the ICE engine and electric motor (and, no, you can’t just add them up) but it’s not the kind of car in which you’re likely to find yourself haring about the place, though if you do you’ll find it handles well for such a big car. It will also do up to 50 miles on electricity alone.

There are drawbacks. First, if this is Honda pushing upmarket, it needs more attractive and intuitive displays. Second, this flagship model is not available with four-wheel drive, limiting its operations. And finally, it’s £53,995, putting it up against the plug-in version of the Land Rover Discovery Sport. And while the CR-V is good, I’m not at all sure it’s that good. AF

 

Honda CR-V e:PHEV

Price £53,995
Engine 2 litres, four cylinders, petrol, hybrid
Power 146bhp (ICE), 134bhp (EV)
Torque 139lb ft (ICE), 247lb ft (EV)
Weight 1923kg
Transmission Two-speed automatic, front-wheel drive
0-60mph 9.4sec
Top speed 121mph
Economy 353mpg (WLTP)
CO2 19g/km (WLTP)
Verdict Flagship lacks upmarket zing.