If the Honda CRV didn't invent the Cross over segment, it certainly solidified it.
So the company has a lot at stake when it does a major refresh.
The 2012 CRV is exactly that.
Let's drive it and check the tech.
Well, the 1st thing you've noticed, I'm sure about the new CRV is well, that's a CRV.
It doesn't look so pedestrian.
So cheap to be honest.
Looks like a much richer car.
It's got a bigger presence on the road, specially from the rear.
It is interestingly now also the entry level SUV from Honda since the element is gone.
Now, this new CRV for 2012 starts about 23 gran but that's not the CRV we're in.
We're in the top trim level with the top technologies, the EXL with navigation.
And only the EXL trim level can have navigation, bare that in mind.
You can't get an inexpensive CRV and have that head unit.
Which might be okay 'cause that nav system annoys me.
It's functional but it's fuggly.
That should be their new trademark.
It's okay to use, it's fine, it tortures a bunch of the letters and the read outs.
That's one of the oldest systems on the market today and it got nothing that recommends it more than myth.
So take is at what it is.
Standard audio in this car is 160 watts in 4 speakers.
But of course, we're on the high trim car.
So it's 7 speakers and that includes a subwoofer.
And we've 300 and something watts instead of a standard 160.
Now what's coming out of those speakers?
Some new choices.
First of all, check this out.
I've not got Pandora integration through an Iphone connection.
That's pretty cool.
And you can get to your station list, you can operate the transport, you can do all of that right there from the screen.
It's a 1st for Honda.
You do the thumbs up and thumbs down function that keep Pandora feature but you can't create stations.
You gotta do that back on your phone but they do show up nicely.
Now, this 2012 CRV also has built in Blue tooth hands free.
That's fine.
But also Blue tooth streaming.
We've also got a USB pig tail down here with the I phone plugged in.
You can also plug in a USB thumb drive.
So you got almost all the modern options for audio with the exception of HD radio and no hard drive which is no problem to me.
Now the Blue tooth hands free technology's got a new trick in it as well.
Now, built in base.
You've got text reception and reply on the screen.
Check this out.
There's my text coming in, and I hit the read button and it shows me visually as well as reading it to me in her goofy voice.
Then I've got these canned responses I can send back.
As this current Honda fashion and I like it, they've got this multi display up here that goes to about 4 or 5 screens.
There's your media read out, your efficiency read out, that could be a piece of wallpaper.
Put a photo there, real dumb, or you could go back to your basic clock.
And of course navigation can always take on this screen now and let that become sort of a rich helper screen.
One choice only on this guy for a gear box, a 5 speed automatic.
They get a CVT in the Japanese market I understand but here, strictly the 5 speed, no manual.
Notice when I go to a reverse, what happens, I get a rear camera with views.
Now I checked them out as I walk around back there and it's just one camera.
So they're doing some cropping basically of the image or taking a different piece of the sensor.
It works okay.
The visual quality is not the best I've seen.
I noticed you do have guidelines but they don't predict trajectory.
They just gives you a basic sort of a distance read.
Tried and true up here in the engine bay.
Honda 2.4 litter inline 4 sitting side saddle.
Front wheel drive is based.
All wheel drive is available.
185 horse, 163 foot pounds of torque.
Both of those are up just a little bit in the outgoing CRV.
Gives this guy to 16 in about 9 seconds.
Weights well over 2 tons by the way.
MPG is 23 31 in front wheel drive.
Gets the back wheel to start helping out and it lose 1 MPG per count.
And there's that econ button in the dash.
That intrigues me.
Let's go drive the whole package.
Okay.
Let's go for a ride.
Now, I've got the econ button on.
I'm getting these green bars on either side of these speedo there.
And that's gonna show me that I'm driving in a green fashion, almost too obviously.
And if I step on it, that goes away.
Really numbs out the throttle response when you're in econ.
That seems to one of the 1st things that does and I suspect it's holding gears a little less lengthy.
The ride is nice.
It doesn't have any of those harsh moments on kind of a crappy road right now and I'm not getting those pointy inputs from the bad asphalt which is a good thing as this car's gotten nicer looking on the outside.
It needs to ride in a way that goes with that.
CRVs to me have always sold well partly because they feel light.
They're not a big handful to drive and this continues that trend.
If you like the feeling of a lighter.
almost a 1 finger driving experience, the CRV is still your boy.
And we've got the all wheel drive model here.
And I can tell you this, Honda has upgraded that All wheel drive technology a little bit so it isn't rare that you get the rear wheels in the picture.
They are feathered in, I understand.
A little more frequently in everyday driving than they used to be.
Not that it's been off rotor but it will give you better traction in challenging driving conditions.
And that mere 1 MPG drop for all wheel drive, that's a pretty good sacrifice
