Luxury Soft-roader...Lacks power!

Exterior

CRV has decent exterior styling. The lines, the uplifted grills, mirrors, 17" tires give a macho look to it. The sliding roofline ensures it doesnt look like truck (e.g. Ford Endeavour, Fortuner, etc). The sunroof adds to the premium-ness of the car.

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort)

 Interiors are luxurious, may be not as much as a Jaguar, but surely looks upper class. The beige-black combination gives a elegant look. The instrument cluster is also impressive (typical honda!). Arm-rests are usable and helps in long-haul drives.

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox

I personally found the engine to be underpowered despite of the numbers like 2.4L 160bhp. Ofcourse this being a petrol engine will not give a torque at the low range like the diesel does, but for a car of this size and looks, I would have expected more power. A corolla or a civic can easily overtake a CRV when the green lights come to life. Gearbox is the same as that of accord and the overall refinement that you get is simply amazing.

 My CRV (manual) has given me mileage of 10.5+ in city and on highway it is upto 14. For a car of this size I would say these are decent numbers. I have heard that the automatic version really sucks at mileage..

Ride Quality & Handling

 Handling is good. The ride is a bit bumpy but its a soft-roader to live with it. I could take expressway long turns at 120kmph without any problem so the car holds on to the roads properly. There is no understeer. The bulky tires give enough comfort over bad roads. One can expect a 300km ride without any fatigue, thanks to the petrol engine and the refined power delivery.

Final Words

CRV is a good soft-roader for people who get irritated by the uneven torque of diesel SUVs. The interiors surely give it a premium feel. I am enjoying my rides in the CRV especially on the highways. It a bit to big for city rider in a city like Pune.

Areas of improvement  

CRV surely needs more power...may be a turbo-charger will help. Right now its like a macho man with a girl-like voice :)

 

Refinement, ComfortMileage, Power