CAN YOU TELL WHAT''S NEW?
07 February 2007 - Honda

SPOT THE DIFFERENCES WITH THIS 4X4

They now come in all shapes and sizes, large medium and small, soft and hard, with four and even two wheel drive, I’m talking about SUVs, sports utility vehicles, or 4x4s and 4x2s.

There seems to be no other sector in the UK car market that has such a diversity of models, each targeted at very specific groups of customers. Some have five seats, some have seven and now some are being styled and camouflaged to look like MPV people carriers so they are not as likely to be targeted as anti-social by the eco-police.

UK sales of 4x4s fell last year but much of this was put down to the run out of two old major model ranges, the Land Rover Freelander and the Honda CR-V. The industry does not expect 4x4 sales to fall again this year according to The Society of Motoring Manufacturers and Traders and they expect overall 4x4 and SUV sales to be in the region of 170-180,000 units.

Normally the Freelander just outsells the CR-V in the UK and last year, during the model range transition period, the CR-V came out the overall top selling 4x4 with 15,522 sales. The new model range went on sale from 1 January and Honda expects the new CR-V to achieve 22,000 sales this in the UK and 70,000 in Europe.

The Honda CR-V is built in Britain at Honda Manufacturing’s Swindon plant. UK prices start at £18,700 and rise through a huge model range and extra cost options list to £28,075. Just two engine choices are available, a 2.0-litre petrol and a 2.2-litre common rail direct injection turbodiesel with S, SE, ES and EX model grades. The ES grade will take 50% of UK sales followed by the top of the range EX which will account for 35% of sales. The split between petrol and diesel is expected to be 60% in favour of diesel. Most models have the option of manual or automatic transmission.

For the record 70% of CR-V owners are male, but in fact many are driven by women. The vehicle is popular as family transport, although the average age of owners is 50 something. Honda aims to drive the average age of ownership down to the late 30s or early 40s, more ‘yummy mummies’ are their target.

To do this Honda has moved away from the ’Chelsea tractor’ image with the launch of the new CR-V. The styling and the choice of two low emission, fuel efficient engines has allowed Honda marketing to launch the latest CR-V with their ‘Not all 4x4s are the same’ campaign. Honda says that the footprint of the CR-V is no larger than a Ford Mondeo estate car and the 2.0-litre petrol engine models have lower emissions than a Mini Cooper S 1.6-litre and of course the CR-V 2.2-litre diesel models have even lower CO2 emissions.

So the new CR-V takes on more of the look of an MPV, has seating for five, a flexible seating and load carrying arrangement thanks to its flat interior floor, it is filled with comprehensive levels of specification, has a lower centre of gravity for a flat and level ride, has a high safety rating with a relatively low 12E insurance grouping.

It will tick all the right boxes for many people who want a SUV that looks like an MPV and for those who really do not need their vehicle to be a rough and tough, go anywhere 4x4 offroader.

Although the CR-V 2.2 i-CTDi ES is expected to be the best selling model priced at £21,400 a considerable number of customers who want a fully specified model will fork out the extra money and go for the model I tested, the 2.2 i-CDTi EX with the advanced safety pack option priced at a hefty £27,925. On the face of it expensive but at least your money is marginally safer with the CR-V over other off-roaders. Glass’s Guide, the industry’s bible for residual values says the CR-V should retain 47% of its value over the traditional three-year/60,000 period. Most models have a vehicle stability programme as standard with trailer stability assist, anti locking braking and emergency brake assist. The vehicle has driver, passenger side and curtain airbags with a rollover sensor. The top of the range EX adds 18-inch alloy wheels, leather upholstery, heated front seats, electrically operated adjustable driver’s seat, DVD satellite navigation, Bluetooth hands free telephone kit and a rear parking camera. This item is of real use as rearward visibility from the CR-V is not so good. There is also a premium sound system, and a panoramic sunroof and the price of my test car included the adaptive cruise control with a collision mitigation braking system which is an early warning function which says you are getting too close to the vehicle in front, at speeds above 9mph.

With a large boot, folding and sliding rear seats to maximise the passenger and load carrying options and air conditioning plus all the items mentioned earlier this is a pretty well thought out package and being a Honda you can bet on the fact it is well built and it will be reliable.

The Honda 2.2-litre direct injection turbocharged all aluminium engine is one of the most modern available today. It has 140Ps of power and 251lb ft of torque at 2,000rpm. Top speed is 116mph and 0-62mph takes 10.3 seconds. Honda quotes the average fuel economy as 43.5mpg but I have never been able to get near the official figures quoted for this engine in the other vehicles that use it. The CR-V was no exception and 37mpg was the best I could achieve and that included a fairly gentle motorway journey. Drive to the front wheels is through a six-speed manual transmission which is smooth and precise. However the gearing for fifth and sixth gear is very high, supposedly to improve fuel economy and keep the emissions low. In reality it means more A and B road driving is covered in fourth or fifth gear rather than sixth, there just isn’t the flexibility in the engine and transmission set up to stay in higher gears.

The drive system operates the front wheels initially and gradually introduces drive to the rear wheels as needed. There is no need for driver involvement, it is simple. When grip is being lost at the front the power is diverted to the rear and to any of the four wheels that actually has grip. It allows for some off-roading but surfaces other than grass or gravel roads and tracks are best avoided. The diesel models have a useful 2,000kg towing capacity so the 4x4 system and the trailer stability function make the CR-V a possible choice for caravan, horse trailer and boat towers, indeed ideal for an active family.

The new CR-V with its low-key 4x4 styling and all wheel drive will retain current CR-V customers and because it has less of a ‘Chelsea tractor’ image it should conquest sales from other brands. The sum of all the parts makes it a pretty complete vehicle; it will do most things for most people who really do not need a rugged heavyweight off-roader. For me it just lacks character, it has no real faults but it didn’t create any real desire for me to own one.
MILESTONES. Honda CR-V 2.2 i-CDTi EX. Price as tested: £27,925. Engine: Four-cylinder, 2.2-litre, all aluminium, common rail turbodiesel, 140PS, 251lb ft. Performance: 116mph, 0-62mph 10.3 seconds, 43.5mpg (37mpg actual) CO2 173g.km. VED: Band E £160. Braked towing capacity: 2,000kg. Insurance group: 12E.
For: Refined driving, well equipped, high levels of safety, equipment and Euro NCAP rating, spacious and practical, built in Britain.
Against: Poor rear visibility, high gearing in fifth/sixth, so-so off road, lacks character.

Miles Better News Agency

www.honda-eu.com

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