Honda has taken the covers off its sixth-generation CR-V family SUV, revealing the all-new mid-sizer in North-American specification overnight.
Compared to the outgoing fifth-generation model, the new CR-V is longer and wider, with length up by 59mm to 4694mm, and width increasing by 10mm to 1865mm. Wheelbase has also increased, with the front and rear axles pushed 40mm further apart to 2700mm, liberating more passenger space on the inside.
Those size gains are significant, making the new CR-V nearly 100mm longer than the Toyota RAV4 overall, and 10mm up in width and wheelbase. Against the Subaru Forester, another roomy mid-size SUV rival, the CR-V measures 60mm longer, 50mm wider and 30mm longer in wheelbase.
But what most people will immediately notice is the styling, which has been sharpened up considerably. Though the L-shaped taillight configuration remains, that’s arguably the only design element that carries over between the current CR-V and its replacement. At the front, the upper grille is both larger and more upright than that of its predecessor, while the headlamp housings have been pinched into narrow bars that extend out of the upper corners of that big grille.
A crisp body line extends rearward from the headlamp corners, passing through stalk-mounted wing mirrors, while the glasshouse is now bigger thanks to less intrusion from those side mirrors, a repositioned A-pillar, as well as a less prominent upkick to the chrome shoulder line on the rear quarter window. A set of 18-inch alloys are the standard wheel for all variants in the USA bar the Sport Touring, which receives black 19-inch alloys.
On the inside, the Civic resemblance continues with a mesh trim panel spanning the dashboard (and cleverly concealing the air vents), a tombstone style multimedia display up top (7.0-inches on low-spec variants, 9.0 inches on high spec), a part-electronic instrument panel and an identical steering wheel. At the bottom of the centre stack, Honda has provided a storage tray that is wide enough to carry two smartphones side-by-side, along with a pair of USB ports – one 2.5A USB-A, the other being a higher-amp USB-C outlet. In the back, two USB-C outlets are provided for rear passengers – though only on the high grade. Rear seat legroom has been boosted by 15mm as well, while the backrest can be adjusted through eight recline angles.
Behind the rear seats, Honda says the new CR-V boasts the most cargo space in the nameplate’s history, with a 34L increase for conventional models and 88L more for hybrids, the latter owing to better packaging of the hybrid battery pack. With luggage stacked above the cargo cover, the new CR-V can tote 1027 litres of stuff without dropping a seat (a more typical below-the-window-line cargo capacity figure is not yet available).
All in all, it appears to be a handsome transmutation of the Civic’s design language onto an SUV form factor, and one that should suit passengers better on the inside, too.
In the USA, the sixth-generation CR-V will launch soon as a 2023 model with petrol-only powertrains, before being bulked up toward the end of the year with the arrival of petrol-electric hybrid options. The pure combustion option is Honda’s familiar 1.5-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder, producing 142kW and 243Nm – slight increases over what the same engine generates in the current CR-V, albeit with a slightly wider torque band that delivers that maximum torque figure from lower rpm.
A CVT remains the only transmission available, while all models (in the USA at least) will be available with an all-wheel-drive option (standard on the flagship Sport Touring). Like the petrol engine, the AWD hardware isn’t a wholesale change over the previous generation, however it can now send up to 50 percent of engine torque to the rear axles. Hill-descent control has also been added for the first time, offering drivers the ability to set their descent speed down slippery inclines and maintain control.
The hybrid option pairs a 2.0-litre Atkinson-cycle petrol engine with two electric motors, providing a total output of 152kW and 335Nm. Fuel economy numbers have yet to be released.
While North Americans will be able to get their hands on the sixth-generation CR-V soon, Australian buyers will have a considerable wait ahead of them. CarsGuide understands that the new CR-V isn’t expected to arrive locally for at least another 12 months, with production sourcing the likely culprit – production for the new CR-V will kick off at three plants across North America (two in the USA, one in Canada), however the output of all three factories will be purely for left-hand-drive markets, and around 50 percent of that output is expected to be for hybrid variants.
Australia, Japan, the UK and other right-hand drive markets will have to wait, though precisely how long isn’t clear. However, one thing we likely can bank on is the arrival of the hybrid CR-V, which would make the sixth-generation CR-V the first to bring a petrol-electric powertrain to the Australian market.
It’s too early to talk about pricing, though a reasonable assumption would be that with the new CR-V’s increased size, feature set and the availability of a hybrid option – which if present trends are anything to go by, will be the one everyone will want – the sixth-gen CR-V will likely cost a not-inconsiderable amount more than its predecessor when it eventually gets here.
Keyword: The Toyota RAV4 Hybrid beater? 2023 Honda CR-V revealed as handsome, hybrid-heavy family SUV to battle Mazda CX-5 and Mitsubishi Outlander