CR-V facelift revealed in US
Honda’s car-based SUV focuses on hybrid and downsized turbo engine options
What has changed on the exterior?
The Honda CR-V, a highly popular car-based SUV in many markets around the world, including Thailand, has received a mid-life update to keep it fresh after three years in its current generation.
The exterior changes are minimal and include new wheel design, a restyled grille and air vents up front, and rear lamps with darker tint.
More driver-assist features from Honda’s Safety Sensing package are now available in the CR-V, thanks to the cost of these technologies falling.
The engine range in the revised CR-V now focuses on more fuel-efficient options. They include the 2.0-litre petrol-electric hybrid and the 1.5-litre petrol-turbo from the Accord midsize sedan.
This update takes place in the US first before being extended to other global markets.
Will this focus mirror that of the Thai version?
People at the Thai Honda office are still tightlipped about the specs when the updated CR-V arrives next year.
But rather for technical reasons, the decision to sell the more modern engines in Thailand would probably rest on the marketing people.
At the moment, the Thai-spec CR-V comes with either a 1.6-litre diesel-turbo or a 2.4-litre non-turbo petrol engine. It should be noted that Thailand only got the diesel in this generation when it was dropped for Europe in favour of that hybrid.
And whether the downsized turbo will replace the 2.4 remains to be seen; the larger unit has been developed with E85 compatibility for the Thai market, so Honda might want to make good use of it in this generation of the CR-V.