2015 Honda CR-V Review

Northville territorial division, Michigan -- Honda has quite 1-2-3 clock in its Accord, Civic, and CR-V models. These 3 cars frame seventy five % of the brand’s sales within the U.S. to date this year, and systematically post sales numbers at or close to the highest of 3 necessary thought segments: family sedans, small cars, and compact crossovers.
This last section is growing quicker than ever, and therefore the Honda CR-V has been beating all comers. With 241,015 sales to date in 2014, the CR-V is earlier than the best Ford Escape by over ten,000 units. Given the CR-V’s roaring sales success, you’d expect it to be a category leader in fuel economy, technology, and refinement. however newer crossovers have truly surpassed the CR-V in these key areas recently, exploit Honda with masses to try to to for the CR-V’s 2015 mid-cycle refresh.
The company responded with a surprisingly significant update this year, giving the 2015 Honda CR-V a new engine and transmission on with many smaller changes. will this list of enhancements bring the CR-V back in line with the most effective in its class? we tend to drove the updated model around rural Michigan to seek out out.



Have your cake and eat it too: Better mpg, a lot of responsive feel

Fuel economy could be a massive win for the revised 2015 Honda CR-V. Its ratings climb by a vital three mpg combined, up to 27/34/29 mpg city/highway/combined for front-wheel-drive models and 26/33/28 mpg for four-wheel-drive models. impart Honda’s EarthDreams a pair of.4-liter four-cylinder engine, borrowed from the Accord sedan, on with its ceaselessly variable transmission, for the improvement in fuel economy.
The new powertrain doesn’t gain any power compared with the recent a pair of.4-liter, however will raise torsion by eighteen lb-ft to 181 lb-ft. The real gains will be felt in terms of refinement and responsiveness. The direct-injection engine is swish, and therefore the CVT does a decent job turning the additional torque into peppy acceleration around town and quieter, lower-rpm cruising at route speeds. Yes, the four-cylinder gets slightly buzzy at high revs underneath onerous acceleration, but driving the 2015 CR-V back-to-back with a 2014 model and its five-speed automatic revealed a big seat-of-the-pants improvement in terms of NVH and power delivery. a lot of necessary, the 2015 CR-V’s new engine leapfrogs newer competitors such as the Nisan Rogue’s thrashy four-cylinder and the motorcar Cherokee’s unsorted nine-speed automatic transmission.



Other mechanical enhancements for the 2015 Honda CR-V embody retuned steering, augmented sound deadening, and revised suspension standardisation. While the CR-V still can’t quite be considered fun-to-drive just like the Mazda CX-5, these enhancements build a notable distinction and facilitate bring the CR-V’s driving expertise into a lot of upmarket territory. The CR-V goes down the road with rather more poise than before, thanks to its considerably quieter interior, tighter and a lot of responsive steering, and composed body motions that offer a confidence-inspiring feel from behind the wheel.
Upping the technical school game
A new range-topping Touring model is that the headliner for the 2015 CR-V in terms of tech, because it brings new active safety options not solely to the CR-V, however to the Honda lineup overall. This new suite of technologies, known as Honda Sensing, comes customary on the CR-V moving and includes lane departure warning, accommodative controller, lane keep assist, and collision-avoidance brake assist. The latter 2 systems were antecedently solely out there on Acura models, and that we expect to ascertain them migrate to further Honda product going forward. For the Touring’s all-included value of $33,570, the 2015 Honda CR-V provides associate degree spectacular worth proposition, particularly considering the opposite luxury options enclosed an influence tailgate and an influence driver’s seat with memory.


Don’t declare lesser 2015 Honda CR-V models from the technical school game, though, as a result of all versions except the base LX gain the company’s new HondaLink flick system with a 7-inch touchscreen. we tend to still have many quibbles with this method, like its lack of volume and tuning knobs, but the clear, modern-looking on-screen HondaLink graphics make the old CR-V’s dated infotainment screen look like a 1980s video game.
Other interior updates include nicer materials and a rather revised center stack, and these changes go a protracted approach toward rising the CR-V’s antecedently drab interior. Touches like convincing fake wood trim and nicer grained plastics bring its interior style aptitude up to par with the car’s already-impressive packaging and house potency, because the 2015 CR-V maintains its spacious feel and versatile hold.
Back on prime
Honda’s numerous upgrades to the popular CR-V have resulted in a compact crossover that’s better positioned than ever to do battle in this competitive segment. The reinvigorated 2015 Honda CR-V checks all the boxes for compact-crossover shoppers, and no other competitor offers such a well-rounded package as this more efficient, a lot of refined, and better-equipped CR-V will.
This abundant improvement may not are necessary to stay this crossover’s sales at the highest of the charts, however Honda’s temperament to travel the additional mile brings the already common CR-V back to benchmark standing.