Honda CR-V DTi-L 2014 Review

Our first taste of the diesel CR-V left us impressed with the driveability of the 2.2-litre turbodiesel engine with the five speed auto, leading to our opinion that the new oiler is the pick of the current CR-V bunch. 

Given the chance for a second look, we thought we’d see if it’s as impressive off the road as it is on.

VALUE

This one’s the top of the line $45,340 DTi-L model, which adds features like leather trim, heated front seats with driver’s memory settings, proximity entry, Xenon headlights and 18-inch alloys. 

The diesel engine is also available as the lesser-equipped DTi-S, which can be had for $38,290 with a six-speed manual or $40,590 with the five-speed auto, and all diesel CR-Vs are all-wheel drive.

DESIGN

The diesel CR-Vs retain the class-leading 556L/1120L (to window base) cargo space and full-size spare of the existing petrol models, along with the diesel auto’s 1500kg braked tow rating. The manual DTi-S stretches to 2000kg, which could be crucial if towing larger watercraft or camper trailers.  

As for off-road credentials, the CR-V isn’t particularly known for its mountain-climbing ability, with segment rivals like the Subaru Forester and the Nissan X-Trail carrying a better reputation for dirt-road readiness. 

The CR-V’s 170mm of ground clearance is at least 40mm less than those rivals, but it’s about the same as the Mazda CX-5.

Like most new cars, the CR-V’s undercarriage is lined with plastic, but there’s a thin aluminium plate under the engine that won’t cop much of a battering, so big rocks and rutted tracks need to be negotiated carefully. 

There’s reasonable entry and departure angles, and the body’s perimeter is all unpainted plastic to hide any off-road scuffing. 

The fitment of a tow bar would be a good idea if contemplating off road recoveries in your CR-V, as the rear transport hook is attached straight to the floorpan, and very unsuitable for any snatch work.

The DTi-L also has a 476kg payload, which could easily be exceeded with five aboard, plus their luggage and a towed load. 

ENGINE / TRANSMISSION

All CR-V diesels come with the 110kW/350Nm 2.2-litre turbodiesel, and the five-speed torque converter auto is the only transmission available on the top DTi-L.

The DTi-L carries a 6.9L/100km official combined fuel figure, which is a significant drop from the 8.7L/100km figure of its 2.4-litre petrol VTi-L counterpart, and offers a healthy dose of relaxed urge over the petrol’s 140kW/222Nm outputs. 

SAFETY

Like petrol CR-Vs the new diesel models carry a five star ANCAP safety rating, with front, side and full-length curtain airbags, hill-descent, stability and traction control, and trailer stability assist.

DRIVING

All-wheel drive CR-Vs come with Honda’s torque vectoring Real-Time all-wheel drive system, which brakes any spinning wheel to send power to the wheels with grip, unlike the less effective on-demand systems fitted to some rivals. 

This makes for very little wheelspin in low traction situations, even with its road focused tyres, and confident forward progress is assured as long as you keep within its clearance limitations.

Given a reasonably smooth track, the diesel CR-V will confidently climb pretty serious inclines even without low range gearing, with max torque available just off idle at 2000rpm. 

Despite the low clearance, the CR-V is pretty good at absorbing the bumps off-road, and the DTi-L’s 18 inch wheels still have a reasonably thick 60-series sidewall for puncture resistance.

It will also go down hills with confidence, with hill descent control that allows speed to be fine-tuned between 8-20km/h by the cruise control buttons.