The 2015 revisions to the CR-V include the introduction of a new 1.6-litre diesel, a concept that would have been scoffed at within Honda twenty years ago. With two-stage turbocharging, it produces a maximum of 158bhp when fitted to CR-Vs with four-wheel drive (front-wheel drive versions get a softer 118bhp version).
It can be a little gruff round town, but above 30mph its sound becomes almost completely lost among the ambient noise, much of which comes from the tyres.
The performance is okay, but the Honda CR-V is a heavy car. Only a single variant can accelerate from 0-62mph in under ten seconds, and it's not this one. The 168bhp diesel manual can do that run in 9.7 seconds, but the car tested here had nine-speed automatic gearbox which increases the 0-62 time to 10.6 seconds.
The automatic gearbox is worth investigating, though. Apart from the obvious fact that it removes the need to operate a clutch pedal, it also slides from one ratio to another very smoothly. You can tell it when to do this using paddle shifts mounted on the steering wheel if you wish, but with nine gears to choose from this could quickly become confusing.
The main reason for wanting to do it is if you're driving sportily, but nothing about the CR-V inspires thoughts of this. Although Honda says the suspension has been "enhanced", and emphasises that the car as a whole has been "developed and engineered for British drivers", there's very little sign of this.
It behaves well on smooth surfaces, but on more typical British roads it seems to have trouble carrying its own weight. Also, the low-profile tyres fitted to the 18-inch wheels used on the EX and SR (cheaper S and SE models run on 17s) do a poor job of absorbing bumps.
One positive aspect of this is that, since you probably won't be driving the CR-V quickly, fuel economy is likely to be good. Officially this version records 55.3mpg, and while I missed that by some margin I found it a lot easier to average more than 40mpg in the test car than compared to other, similarly powerful crossovers.
The best thing about the CR-V is how roomy it is. If you need to carry four adults, each of them, say, six foot three tall, no problem. There will still be room for a small-hipped person in the centre rear seat, plus 589 litres' worth of room for their luggage. Convert the car into a two-seater and there's 1,146 litres of load space up to roof level.
The worst thing is the rear visibility, which is very limited. I was also confused by the fact that the gear selector is of a type more commonly found on electric cars than diesel ones, but if you don't drive several different cars within a year this won't be a problem. I did appreciate the way Honda places the handbrake lever within easy reach of the driver these days, rather than down on the floor as it did in the previous CR-V.
Ignoring the £550 pearlescent paint option, the test car would cost you £34,120. It's the most expensive CR-V there is (prices start at £22,340) but in EX specification it has quite a lot of kit. It includes a panoramic glass sunroof, leather upholstery, electric adjustment for the driver's seat, a panoramic glass sunroof and a powered tailgate, none of which is found on the one-level-down SR trim. The City-Brake Active system, which will slow the car down if it senses an impending collision at speeds of up to 20mph, is standard on all models.
