By Otsile Kadiege

Honda South Africa is gearing up for the local launch of the sixth-generation CR-V crossover SUV. The newcomer sports an upmarket exterior design, a larger and premium interior, a refined 1.5-litre powerplant, a re-tuned suspension setup, an enhanced version of Honda Architecture and an improved suite of the brand’s safety and driver assistance systems.

Exterior design and styling

The new CR-V boasts a modern and premium look with a dash of sportiness thanks the new Honda design direction that debuted on the 11th generation Civic. Up front, highlights include a wider stance (10mm wider than its predecessor), a longer bonnet and a large, upright grille which is flanked by angular standard LED headlights as well as LED fog lights.

In profile, the CR-V has a new sporty look thanks to Honda repositioning the windshield pillars. It’s also 115mm longer than its predecessor and is shod with 18-inch wheels as standard. The rear sports an integrated roof spoiler and an all-LED interpretation of CR-V’s signature vertical taillights.

The 6^th-gen. CR-V is available in seven different colours, including a new Canyon River Blue Metallic exclusive to CR-V. Also available is: Platinum White Pearl, Lunar silver Metallic, Meteoroid Grey Metallic, Crystal, Black Pearl, Coffee Cherry Red Metallic and Brilliant Sporty Blue Metallic.

CR-V Exclusive derivative

The range-topping Exclusive grade features even bolder styling including more aggressive front and rear fascias and even sportier grille mesh highlighted with a gloss black accent. The Exclusive grade is the only trim with polished stainless-steel exhaust finishers, Front & Rear sport bumpers, 19-inch alloy wheels and a panoramic sunroof.

Interior design and technology

Inside, the CR-V shares much of its design, styling and tech with the new Civic. Highlights include an interior that’s capable of seating seven passenger, improved rear legroom (15mm), reclining second row seat-backs, improved Active Noise Cancellation and LED reading lights. Both CR-V grades also offer standard black leather seats with an 8-way power driver’s seat and 4-way power passenger seat. Heated seating for front passengers is also standard. 

Like the current-gen Civic, the new CR-V’s dashboard has a metal honeycomb mesh accent spanning the width of the dash. Atop the dash there’s a 9-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, and a new head-up display. More highlights include a standard digital instrument cluster (a 7-inch color TFT display for the Executive grade and a 10.2inch Interactive All-Digital LCD for the CR-V Exclusive), a three-spoke multifunctional steering wheel and wireless charging.

Safety and driver assistance systems

The new CR-V has an extensive list of safety as well as new and improved driver aids courtesy of the Honda Sensing suite of safety and driver assistive systems. New to the suite is  a new front sensor camera and millimeter-wave radar. The new camera features a 90-degree field of view, up from 50 degrees on the previous generation. The radar is now mounted directly behind the Honda logo on the grille, which helps to increase its field of view to 120-degrees from the 50 degrees on the previous generation.

Other safety and assistance systems include driver and passenger airbags designed to cradle the head and help control rotation, new front knee airbags, which come standard, Advanced Compatibility Engineering Body Structure and Collision Protection, an updated Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) and Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS), Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS), Forward Collision Warning (FCW, integrated with CMBS), Road Departure Mitigation System (RDM) and Lane Departure Warning (LDW).

Powertrain

Powering the new CR-V is an updated 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine developing 140kW at 6,000rpm and 240 Nm peak torque at 1,700-4,500rpm. It’s paired with a continuously variable transmission (CVT) that features a quieter belt design and a thicker case that reduces vibrations.

As mentioned above, the new CR-V is based on an enhanced version of Honda Architecture. According to Honda, this enhanced architecture that’s shared with the latest Civic improves ride, handling and overall refinement. This chassis includes MacPherson struts in front and a multilink suspension in the rear. All CR-Vs are equipped with 4-wheel anti-lock disc brakes with Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist.

Pricing and warranty

The new CR-V will go on sale locally on 9^th of February 2024. Pricing is as follows:

CR-V 1.5T Exclusive FWD R1,039,900  

CR-V 1.5T Executive FWD R959,900

Service Plan: 5-year / 90,000km

Service Intervals: 1-year / 10,000km

Warranty:  5-year / 200,000km

Roadside Assistance: 3-year AA roadside assistance