Honda CR-V 2013 review

This is my second crack at this car and in hindsight I may have been a little harsh in my criticism the first time around. The CR-V still lacks any real punch, especially when it comes to steep hills  but on the flat around town it ain't half bad. Fuel economy for a car this size is impressive too.

Value

The 2WD manual is priced from $27,490 plus on road costs, with an automatic another $2300. Whether it's this one or the more expensive 4WD 2.4, both models get 17-inch alloys, a reversing camera, rear parking sensors, automatic-off headlights, cruise control, USB connectivity and Bluetooth hands-free as standard.

While the eqivalent 4WD is $5300 more that includes the auto which brings the difference down to $3000. Apart from some minor differences, the 4WD adds paddle shifts with the auto but that's about it.

Engine and transmission

The two-wheel drive is powered by a new 2.0 litre i-VTEC engine, while the four-wheel drive powered by a bigger 2.4-litre i-VTEC engine that delivers more power. The 2.0-litre i-VTEC engine delivers 114kW of power and 190Nm of torque.

It's hooked up to a  six-speed manual or five-speed automatic. The 58-litre tank takes standard unleaded and fuel economy is a claimed 7.8 litres/100km for the manual and 7.7 litres/100km for the automatic, with CO2 emissions of 182g/km for the manual and 179g/km for the automatic.

Safety

No worries here. Comes with a five-star safety rating and full gammut of safety systems, including six airbags and electronic stability control. Yes, 4WD is safer, especially in the rain  but 90 per cent of the time it doesn't matter.

Driving

Our test vehicle was the 2.0-litre five-speed auto. Like the look, like the standard of finish and like the biggish boot, which is larger than that in the Mazda CX-5. The cabin is bright and inviting, with good vision from the high driving position and a dash that is well laid out with chunky, easy to use controls.

It's very quiet and smooth, or at least it was to start with. Somewhere along the line our test vehicle developed a shudder in the front end that became worse at freeway speeds. Acceleration is a chore but once it is up and running, everything is fine.

The auto swaps a footbrake for the handbrake, which some drivers don't like and in this model the auto doesn't come with paddle shifts.
We clocked up about 400km of mainly freeway driving at a rate of 7.7 litres/100km.

The two wheel drive is cheaper and uses less fuel, but in this case that is unfortunately at the expensive of performance.  It's the same 2.0-litre four cylinder petrol engine as the Civic, which in itself isn't a problem. but it's 258kg heavier -- and that, I'm afraid, is.

Verdict

A good around town car with a largish boot. But if you're planning any longer trips with the family, I'd be looking at the 2.4-litre all-wheel drive model.