Honda recently refreshed everyone’s favourite on-road SUV – the CR-V. This third-gen CR-V has been on the market since late 2006, and was due for a facelift, especially in light of sluggish sales off late – possibly due to renewed competition from the likes of Toyota with its much awaited Fortuner. And while the Fortuner is much more of an out-and-out SUV, the CR-V is more car-like, and better suited to tarmac rather than rugged off-road trails. The changes themselves are minor, but let’s dig a little deeper nevertheless.

From the Outside



In the front, the CR-V gets a deeper, more sculpted face – with a larger helping of chrome, and a more prominent grille. The bonnet is redesigned, along with the front bumper, which features nicely integrated oval fog lamps.

In profile, the CR-V remains largely the same, with the exception of a new set of smart alloys. At the rear, once again the changes are minor, with simply a redesigned bumper. The CR-V is now offered with two new colours, ‘opal sage metallic’ and ‘mystic night pearl.’ Our test car came with the latter, and while it looked as though it was plain black most of the time, in direct sunlight you did see a discernable, and quite interesting, tinge of blue-green.

On the whole, the changes largely serve to make the CR-V look even more comfortable on the boulevard than before.

Engine : 2,354cc / in-line 4 cylinders / 16 valves / i-VTEC Fuel : Petrol Transmission : 6-speed Manual / Four Wheel Drive Power : 160bhp @ 5800rpm Torque : 160lb/ft @ 4400 rpm Price : Rs 23 lakhs (ex-showroom, Delhi)

From the Inside



As before, the CR-V is very well put together on the inside. The fit and finish is second to none, and there are a plethora of nice textures and materials in the cabin. Plus, there’s a great deal of attention to detail, for instance, the rubberised base of the upper glove compartment – said compartment also holds a USB port that can be used to connect your iPod. The in-built stereo is new, and features your iPod readout on the digital display.

The steering wheel is nicely sculpted, as it was before, but now also features cruise-control buttons on the right rim. The driving position is very car-like, with excellent seats that feature automatic adjustment for the driver. All the controls, including the centrally-mounted gearshift lever, fall easily to hand. The instrument cluster is largely unchanged, with the exception of the central display between the two main gauges, which has also been upgraded.

On the safety front, you now get six airbags, which include side curtain airbags, as well as side airbags with what Honda calls its Occupant Position Detection System (OPDS).

On the Road

Not much has changed under the hood of the CR-V, and, frankly, it wasn’t necessary either. The CR-V still comes with the option of 2.0 litre, four cylinder, petrol engine mated to a manual transmission, which provides drive to the front wheels, as well as a 2.4 litre, all-wheel drive version, with the option of both manual and automatic transmissions.

Our test car was a 2.4 litre, 6-speed manual – the combination of which is fantastic. The engine is refined and smooth, as expected. But, mated to a six-speed manual, it also feels racy, free revving and explosive. The shifts are short and crisp, and make the entire experience of putting power down to the road a pleasurable one – and that holds true not only for an SUV, but any well sorted car.

The CR-V is surprisingly flat through the corners, and you can feel the electronic four-wheel drive system working its magic to keep you glued to the road, and pointing in the intended direction of travel. On the move, once again, the CR-V feels very car like, and shares a great equation with the tarmac – which is not to say that it’s handicapped off-road as a result. Yes, it probably would voice the odd complaint on a journey to Ladakh, but with a neutral chassis, four-wheel drive, and low centre of gravity, it has a lot of grip off-road as well.

Verdict



What Honda have done with this minor facelift is take an already impressive on-road SUV, and improve it even further. The CR-V emerges from under the knife with the desired effect, as it looks youthful once again. The interiors, which were already exemplary, are tweaked just the right amount. The engine and drivetrain have, rightfully, been left untouched. So, if you want a crossover SUV to use largely on the road, and one that’s a pleasure from behind the wheel, this is still it.