2012 Honda CR-V Review

2012 Honda CR-V Review

Bruce Sheridan

Overview

The 2012 Honda CR-V is completely redesigned for this year, and Honda takes a very Honda-esque approach by taking a conservative approach but improving on the things that crossover SUV family drivers want most. This new rendition of the CR-V has the same old 4-cyl engine tweaked for more gas mileage than before. The new CR-V is actually smaller than the old one, but it did not lose out on any interior room.

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There's a reason that the CR-V is one of the best selling crossovers in the class. Not only does it deliver a lot of passenger room and mpg at a reasonable price tag, Honda has gone above and beyond with including new technology and features into this new vehicle.

If you want a comfortable and economical crossover SUV and don't really care to have the most rpm and tightest handling, then the CR-V is perfect for you.

2012 Honda CR-V

Starting MSRP	Max City / Hwy MPG
$22,495	23 / 31

Pros	Cons
Ample interior room	No v6 option
High mpg	No third row
Lots of easy to use technology	Conservative Honda styling

Trims

The 2012 Honda CR-V comes in three trims. Each trim has the same engine, so it's really just about how much optional equipment and technology you want on your new car deal. The top level EX-L trim really rolls out the red carpet; a navigation package, heated leather seats, rear seat DVD players and satellite radio are all just some of the features available.

CR-V Trims
Name	MSRP	Engine	Best MPG City / Hwy
LX	$22,495	2.4L 4-cyl	23 / 31
EX	$24,595	2.4L 4-cyl	23 / 31
EX-L	$27,245	2.4L 4-cyl	23 / 31

Performance

The Honda CR-V is not the most agile or most powerful crossover SUV on the market. It only comes with the same old 2.4L inline 4-cyl engine, and although it is responsive, smooth and strong for a 4-cyl engine, it can't compare to competitor's v6 engines. Its engine puts out 185 horsepower and 163 lbs-ft of torque. There is also only a five speed automatic available, but there is an available AWD system that gives it a bit more strength. The CR-V sports some of the best fuel economy in this class, with 23 city / 31 hwy mpg.

Interior / Exterior

The interior is one of the CR-V's definite strong points. Even though it does not have the optional third row seating that some of the competitors have, it has more than enough room to comfortably seat five adult passengers and cargo. The interior is well laid out, and with the higher trims it really has a luxurious feel to it. The exterior is pretty much standard from Honda; conservative. Not a bad looking vehicle at all, but it did not change much from its redesign.

Features

Honda has made an emphatic point in this year's CR-V to pack it full of technological features. Not only is it loaded up, but they did a very good job laying them all out in an easy to utilize way. Every CR-V comes with Pandora radio, Bluetooth, USB connectivity, SMS text message system and an optional rear seat DVD player. The only real complaint most people have is with the outdated and difficult to use navigation system.

Safety

The 2012 Honda CR-V is not only one of the safest vehicles in its class; it is one of the safest of all vehicles period. It aced its government crash tests, getting a perfect overall score of five out of five stars. It also got perfect marks in its IIHS safety tests, and was named a 2012 IIHS Top Safety Pick.

Along with the slew of standard safety equipment featured on all new cars these days, the CR-V has a standard rear view camera on all trims. They also have wide angle side mirrors to give you even more visibility.