Long-Term Test: 2015 Honda CR-V SE AWD- Part 3
Story and photo by John LeBlanc
We haven’t been avoiding talking about the way our long-term 2015 Honda CR-V SE AWD drives. Really! First, we took a deep dive into all the details that went into Honda’s refresh of its best-selling compact crossover, and then we looked at the five-passenger, all-wheel-drive vehicle’s noteworthy people and cargo hauling capabilities. We’re now three-quarters through our 60-day test drive, so it seemed an appropriate time to discuss how the Honda feels from the driver’s seat (we also wanted to wait until the winter tires finally came off).
Let’s be honest, though. Few driving enthusiasts are mounting posters of a compact crossover on their bedroom walls. Yet since the first small crossovers arrived in the late 1990s, buyers have come to expect an increasingly higher level of driving sophistication, and many of the changes Honda has employed in the 2015 CR-V have been directed here.
Many drivers who bought the CR-V when it first came out were downsizing from larger, truck-based SUVs, so a smaller vehicle like the CR-V must have relatively felt like an Acura NSX supercar to drive. In the intervening decades, the idea of a crossover that’s fun to drive became less a surprise. And a big reason why Honda’s had so much success with its CR-V, despite its SUV-like resume, is that it doesn’t drive like one. Whether in town or out, our Canadian-exclusive $31,663 (all prices include freight and pre-delivery inspection fees) 2015 Honda CR-V SE AWD tester drives more like a small car than ever, and a lot like the Civic that it’s based on.
While Honda has updated the exterior and interior bits on its 2015 CR-V, the automaker’s more substantial efforts were directed underneath the crossover’s sheet metal, primarily with an all-new powertrain that delivers the seemingly dichotic objectives of quicker acceleration and less fuel consumption.
Borrowed from the Honda Accord midsized sedan, all 2015 CR-Vs get a new, direct-injected 2.4-litre four-cylinder gas engine, hooked up to an also new continuously variable automatic transmission. The engine’s 185 horsepower rating is no different from the outgoing 2.4L unit, but it arrives 700 rpms earlier at 6,400 rpms. It also has more oomph than the $30,189 Ford Escape SE 1.6 EcoBoost AWD, $32,516 Kia Sportage EX AWD and $33,140 Mazda CX-5 GS AWD.
More significant for day-to-day use, the CR-V engine’s torque rating was increased from 163 to 181 pound-feet (only the Escape and CX-5 have more). So, as a result, 2015 CR-V is much quicker in a straight line than last year’s model. Front-drive versions take only 7.7 seconds to go from rest to 100 kilometres per hour; AWD models only 0.7 longer. Instead of the slowpoke of the group, the CR-V is now only behind the CX-5, which is 0.6 quicker to Ontario legal highway speeds.
Many small crossover buyers expect car-like fuel economy from their taller, heavier and larger AWD utility vehicles. The CR-V SE AWD’s respective 9.1 and 7.2 estimates are not that far off from its smaller Civic sibling and are equal to or better than the above-mentioned Ford, Kia and Mazda rivals. And so far, we’re averaging 10.8 L/100 km in primarily city driving.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the CR-V’s very non-CVT-like CVT.
The CR-V’s CVT does a great job mimicking a conventional automatic. The fake gear changes remove the typical CVT “rubber band” effect. You can also slide the CVT’s dash-mounted gear selector into S (for Sport mode) to hold the revs a bit (at the expense of fuel economy, of course). Unless you floor the accelerator for a run to the engine’s 6,400 rpm rev line, the CR-V always seems to be in the right gear.
As our recent long winter finally came to end, Honda Canada swapped out our CR-V’s 195 65R 17-inch Toyo winter tires for the same size of Continental three-season rubber. The change in tires, combined with relatively good driving conditions, allowed to see just how well the CR-V SE AWD is from the driver’s perspective. By all accounts, the Honda delivered few surprises.
Sitting tall in the saddle, the CR-V is easy to see out of. The adjustable steering wheel should suit most drivers’ body sizes, and the driver instrumentation is clear and easy to read. Honda’s driver’s seat also offers more long-haul comfort than track day support.
There are no steering wheel mounted paddle shifters; the CR-V isn’t really the type of vehicle. But the Honda’s steering is accurate, and communicates relatively well as to what’s going on at road level.
Honda says it has retuned the CR-V’s shocks and springs for 2015, but it remains a vehicle that is happiest when being driven at 7/10ths. When driven as if it had a Type-R badge affixed to it, the CR-V SE AWD takes a moment to settle in corners. The upshot is a very refined ride and quiet cabin. Even over bad road surfaces, the Honda crossover keeps the bumps and potholes at bay.
Of note: Some readers brought up the issue Honda is having with a vibration that seems to only happen at low-revving situations in the new 2015 models. We didn’t experience anything out of the ordinary. But Honda is apparently looking into the issue.
Granted, after six weeks behind the wheel of the CR-V SE AWD, the capacious and capable crossover did not bring out the Ayrton Senna in us. As such, keen drivers will still want to gravitate to a Mazda CX-5 for better road handling, as the Honda remains a middle-of-the-road proposition in the way it rides and handles.
Still, as a quiet and comfortable daily driver, that can fill in as the family station wagon or SUV, 2015 Honda CR-V SE AWD does a great job cosseting its driver and passengers, an attribute we think the majority of buyers in this class are more than happy with than chasing Civic Si drivers on a back road.