Honda CR-V Hybrid
SECOND REPORT We’re cool, calm and collected at the wheel of our SUV
AFTER a couple of months with our Honda CR-V, I’m really feeling the sense of relaxation that comes with driving a hybrid family SUV. Is it exciting? Nope, but it does promote a very contented feeling when behind the wheel.
I’ve covered some decent mileage, too, with a good mix of A-roads and motorways, as well as my usual daily commute through South London. With the local speed limit now lowered to 20mph on most of the streets near me, I’m noticing that the hybrid Honda is ideal for coasting at this lower speed. If you play the acceleration game well, you hardly need to use the pedal – a light touch is all that’s needed to get up to speed. I must confess that I’m enjoying the simple driving experience on these uninspiring roads.
There’s no gearshift, just four drive-mode buttons to press on the main console (Park, Drive, Neutral and Reverse), and pulling away in near-silence starts every journey that I make with a sense of calm.
The clever powertrain in the CR-V means that it runs using the electric motor most of the time in town, while the engine fires up
sparingly to top up the battery. The car only really uses the engine to drive the wheels under hard acceleration or at higher speeds.
I’ve also enjoyed playing with my driving style to eke out better fuel economy from the Honda. On shorter urban journeys I find that accelerating up to speed, then coasting until the little green EV icon kicks in, allows me to just cruise along maintaining speed with an occasional dab of the pedal.
On a recent longer motorway trip up to our New Car Awards photoshoot, I worked out that I could just about maintain EV power in lane one, even at speeds in excess of 60mph, for short bursts. My average economy of 43.5mpg is okay, but it could be better if I drove more slowly. Watching the MPG display creep up is rewarding, but I don’t want to arrive anywhere late!
Our CR-V has some family-friendly touches, too. There’s plenty of leg and headroom in the rear for tall teenagers. Add in the twin USB charging points, and it almost stops them being moody, too.
When I’m taking younger ones, I like the ability to monitor them using the clever wide-angle mirror that’s set into the lid of the sunglasses holder. There are also Isofix points on both of the outer rear seats and enough room to get an adult in between them. Handy if you need someone there holding the sick bag – not that it should be a problem in the smooth-riding Honda.
The tech has been a pleasant surprise. My first impressions of the CR-V ’s display and graphics weren’t great. But I do like the simple sat-nav directions and the calm voice giving guidance. I’d usually turn off spoken directions immediately, but this time I haven’t bothered because it doesn’t badger me with constant orders. It’s all very civil.
In my next report, I’m going to take our hybrid to my CR-V-owning parents to see if the Honda can win them over, too.
“I like to monitor the back seats with the wide-angle mirror”