Honda CR-V

Murali Iyer | murali@iiflcap.com

91 22 4646 4613

DD MMM YYYY

30 April 2019

Test Drive Review

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Bigger, better, brasher

Honda unveiled the new CR-V at the 2018 Auto Expo in Delhi, and immediately drew rave comments given its macho looks and aggressive stance. In 2001, when Honda introduced the CR-V to India, it

was the second generation globally. This iteration is the fifth generation globally (and the fourth for India). The CR-V has always held a special place in the minds of aficionados because of the manner

in which the SUV drove – the volumes have taken a beating as the CR-V (so far) was only available in a petrol variant, while all other SUVs in the market were equipped with oil burners under their

hoods. Well, Honda has corrected this now, even though the petrol mill continues to be used.

Looks and design

For starters, the new CR-V is bigger, bolder, and (dare I say) brasher than the outgoing CR-V. The lines are bold and aggressive, and it instantly fills the rear view mirrors of any vehicle that you may

be following. There is a lot of muscle that one can see, but it also has a latent pleasing personality to it. So think muscular, and yet, gentle, not mean and nasty. The design team was tasked to come up

with a vehicle where the dynamics are better, and they seem to have achieved it without compromising on some visual elements that are typically Honda or those that link the current CR-V

to the older ones.

There is a lot of added mass that clearly shows up in the beefed-up bonnet and those muscular lines

that give so much of character to the CR-V. A thick chrome ring highlights the split grille with the Honda logo in the middle, while the daytime running LEDs highlight the full LED headlamps with a

slim LED turn indicator nestling on top – the slim fog lamps at the bottom also get the full LED treatment. The front three-quarters gives the best view of the monocoque, with roof rails and a

shark-fin antenna on the roof. The strong fenders and the creased wheel arches give it more appeal, but it is from the sides that the real growth of the CR-V can be seen. A longer wheelbase, better

ground clearance than before, lot more glass all around, and that lovely rear overhang

complementing the bulging wheel arches. The CR-V is definitely striking to look at, with a strong crease starting from the front bumper and running all the way to the rear.

This isn’t an ugly or ungainly design that we are dealing with here, and the overhangs are very nicely

done, despite the stretched wheelbase. The extra metal beyond the rear wheel arches add to the feeling of stability, as do the lovely 18-inch diamond-cut alloys that add a lot of character. The

improved ground clearance helps too, with AWD having an even better ground clearance than FWD variants. The L-shaped LED tail-lamps offer a sleek design to complement the chrome strip extending

from end-to-end at the rear. Overall, the new CR-V ticks all the boxes nicely in terms of design and

visual appeal.

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Honda CR-V

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Honda CR-V – competition comparables

Honda CR-V Toyota Fortuner Ford Endeavour Mahindra Alturas G4

Hyundai Tucson VW Tiguan Skoda Kodiaq

Average monthly volumes

FY19 71 1762 486 286 128 88 170

Dimensions

Length (mm) 4592 4792 4903 4850 4475 4486 4697

Width (mm) 1855 1855 1869 1960 1850 1839 1882

Height (mm) 1679 1689 1835 1837 1845 1660 1672 1676

Wheelbase (mm) 2660 2745 2850 2865 2670 2677 2791

Ground Clearance (mm) 198-210 215 255 244 172 149 188

Seating Capacity 5 7 7 7 7 5 5 7

Kerb Weight - Petrol (kg) 1545 1880 1900 - - 1379 - -

Kerb Weight - Diesel (kg) 1666 1725 2140 2145 2204, 2238 2394 2150 1587 1720 1799

Fuel Tank (ltr) 57 80 80 70 62 71 63

Boot Space (ltr) 150-472 (522) 296-710 427-1050 270-750 513 615 270-630

Turning Radius (m) 5.5 5.8 6.2 5.5 5.35 5.75 6.1

Tyres 235/60 R18 265/65 R17, 265/60 R18 265/60 R18 255/60 R18 225/60 R17, 225/55 R18 215/65 R17, 235/55 R18 235/55 R18

Engine

Fuel P D P D D D P D D D

Transmission CVT 9AT 5MT, 6AT 6MT, 6AT 6MT, 6AT 6AT 7AT 6MT, 6AT 6MT, 6AT 7AT 7AT

Drive 2WD 2WD, 4WD 2WD 2WD, 4WD 2WD 4WD 2WD, 4WD 2WD 2WD, 4WD 4WD 4WD

Size (cc) 1997 1597 2694 2755 2198 3198 2157 1999 1995 1968 1968

Power - Petrol(bhp) 151.9 163.7 - - 152.9 - -

Torque - Petrol(Nm) 189 245 - - 192.2 - -

Power - Diesel(bhp) 118.4 174.6 157.8 / 197.3 180.5 182.5 141 147.9

Torque - Diesel(Nm) 300 420, 450 385 / 470 420 400.1 340 340

Fuel Efficiency (kmpl)* 14.4 / 19.5, 18.3 10.01, 10.26/14.24, 15.04 14.2, 12.6 / 10.6 12.35 13.03,12.95 / 18.42,16.38 17.06 16.25

Price (Rs Lakh) - ex Showroom Delhi (Petrol)

Base - - - - 18.75 - -

Mid - 27.83 - - 21.85 - -

Top 28.25 29.42 - - 23.72 - -

AWD - - - - - - -

Price (Rs Lakh) - ex Showroom Delhi (Diesel)

Base - - - - 20.78 - -

Mid - 29.84 28.2 - 23.62 28.7 35.37

Top 30.65 31.7 30.61 27.7 24.22 31.46 36.79

AWD 32.75 33.6 32.98 30.7 26.95 31.46 36.79

Source: IIFL Research, *claimed

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Interiors and features First up, we are now dealing with a 7-seater CR-V, at least in the diesel avatar. The petrol sibling

features the conventional 5-seat layout. But straight away, the third row is fit only for small kids – or just about for ‘cattle class’ over small journeys. Anything longer, and one may well be dealing with

an acute attack of ‘rigor mortis’! Well, okay, there is a little more leg room that opens up when the middle row is slid forward – but two issues even then... One is that legroom will still be inadequate,

and secondly there will be issues with the leg room in the second row – and we will come to that a

little later. Also, climbing into the third row means joining a crash course at a Yoga institute!

In my view, the best option is to use the CR-V as a conventional 5-seater. With all seats up, the boot space is 150 litres, which improves to 472 litres with the third row folded. The boot space in the

petrol variant is 522 litres – this is due to the second row sitting flush on the floor. With the second row folded down – for carrying more load – the boot space is 936 litres in the diesel variants (1,084

litres in petrol). There is an adjustable floor provided in the 7-seater to ensure a flat loading bay. Unfortunately, Honda hasn’t provided an electric switch for the tail-gate.

The cabin is bright and airy (the panoramic sunroof makes life more cheery), with a nice twin-tone

treatment to the dash; quality of plastics/switchgears is premium, and there is a lot more luxurious

feel to the interiors than before. The dash is smartly laid out, with controls within easy reach. There is a 7-inch frameless touchscreen that takes centre stage. It comes with ApplePlay and Android Auto,

but surprisingly gives SatNav a miss. The digital instrument cluster is easy on the eye. The CR-V comes with “Lane Watch” – a camera mounted at the bottom of the passenger-side wing mirror,

giving a wide angle (~80°) of the view that side on the centre screen. It shows up when the ‘left’ turn indicator is given or can be brought alive by depressing a button. Cool feature, that!

Another attraction is the lack of conventional transmission. While the petrol comes with the

traditional lever for gear shifts, the diesels don’t have any stick transmission. They use a button-

operated transmission with controls positioned on the centre console. This is a real cool-looking feature and opens up a lot of space on the front. The diesels come equipped with paddle shifters too.

Be prepared to get used to these buttons, and also for time taken while quick shifting between drive and reverse modes in this arrangement.

Seating is extremely comfortable upfront, and so too is ingress and egress (even more so at the

rear). Bolstering is very good, with the wide seats offering a lot of support. The driver’s seat also offers an 8-way electric adjustment for the best driving position, while the leather-clad steering feels

good. The view from the driver’s seat is clean, with wide wing mirrors, a large IRVM (with auto-

dimming facility), and the push button start/stop system within easy reach. Rearward view is compromised due to the thick D-pillars, and the rear seats (especially with the headrests up). While

you have to rely on the reverse camera and rear parking sensors, I wish Honda could have provided sensors at the front too. While the “Lane Watch” is a fine feature (expensive to replace though), why

are simpler features missed out in cars like these, I wonder?

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Honda CR-V

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Slip into the second row, and the rear bench is wide enough for three adults. But the person in the middle will have to contend with not only a raised seat base but also a protrusion in the back due to

the armrest. The seating also gets compromised by a prominent floor hump, and the AC vents jutting out a tad. On long journeys, seating in the middle of the second row would be tricky. The seats have

good cushioning though and are comfortable. For third row passengers, there are four roof-mounted AC vents with 4-speed fan control. They contribute to superior cooling very quickly. But passengers

are bound to feel claustrophobic due to not just the lack of space, but also the smallish quarter glass

– the panoramic sunroof helps in a small way, but not when the sun is beating down!

Engine, performance, drive, handling The CR-V in its new avatar comes in two engine variants, and two drive variants. The 1997cc petrol

mill comes in a 2WD avatar and is mated to a 6-speed CVT. The 1597cc diesel is the new mill under the hood – this comes in both 2WD and AWD avatars, and is mated to a new 9-speed automatic

torque converter. The 2.0-litre SOHC i-VTec is the same from the outgoing model; it produces 154 bhp of peak power @ 6500 rpm and a peak torque of 189 Nm @ 4300 rpm. The point of attraction

for almost everyone is the 1.6-litre i-DTec oil burner from Honda’s ‘Earth Dreams’ family that is good enough to produce 120 bhp @ 4000 rpm and a peak torque of 300 Nm @ 2000 rpm. This comes in a

single turbo version to India, while Honda offers it abroad as a twin turbo producing 160 bhp. At the

outset, this is the disappointment. But let's keep that aside and drive.

This oil burner isn’t the usual clattery oil burner that we have seen from Honda – this is much more refined, and less noisy. But you do feel the lack of power on the highways and when trying for those

quick overtaking on clogged highways. Also, with such low power, was there a need for a 9-speed torque converter? I don’t think so. After the sixth cog, the higher gears are mere ego boosters of

driving a 9-speed SUV – nothing really comes out of it otherwise. While pushing the AWD to its limits on the highway, I was sorely disappointed when it the speedo needle climbs ever-so-slowly as the

engine reaches the maximum strain level on speeds. But overall power comes through very

smoothly, and it is not only an able cruiser, but also a nifty drive in city traffic. Having said that, I found the diesel a more involved drive than I did the petrol – there the power delivery is smooth, but

the drive isn’t too involved. The lack of paddle-shifters or a tiptronic also contributes to the less involved drive.

Overall drive and handling is excellent though, with the CR-V feeling rock steady in most

circumstances. It isn’t a vehicle that you can throw into corners gaily – there is a hint of body roll when you take corners at high speeds, but otherwise it handles with aplomb. We took the AWD on a

stretch of land where all that you had for a road was lots of gravel, mud, slush, and a host of refuse

material. The AWD handled itself very well, with adequate traction and handling uneven surfaces at bad angles with ease. The higher ground clearance also helped. While power is transmitted to the

front tyres as standard, the AWD transmits upto 40% of torque to the rear wheels as and when required.

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Honda CR-V

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The suspension is fairly absorbent, and the CR-V took really bad surfaces with ease – not just did it go over those surfaces without making us feel tetchy, the noise levels were also well contained when

the CR-V was going over those surfaces at higher speeds than is normal. Body movement over bad surfaces is well contained at regular speeds. Braking is pretty sure, and brakes have adequate bite,

with the 18-inchers providing adequate grip. All in all, this isn’t one of those vehicles that you would set tarmacs on fire with. But if you are looking for a steady ride on even bad surfaces (with Honda

reliability), then the CR-V is a good vehicle to be in.

Worth the money?

The new Honda CR-V has definitely grown bigger and better, comes with loads of features, adequate comfort, a third row (alright, just for kids), an oil burner under the hood, and boasts of pretty good

fuel efficiency (actually, that can also explain the de-specced version for India). It is contemporary, looks good, is refined, and offers a fairly decent package. But is it worth the price that is being asked

for? There is surely a lot more car on offer, but the money being asked for is definitely on the higher side. If you are looking for a reliable vehicle with the right ingredients, then look no further. But if

you are looking for something more, then there are others in the market.

Please click on the below pictures to refer to our earlier car reviews:

Top: Lanewatch camera under ORVM

Above: Lanewatch display

Right: Lanewatch button

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Name, Qualification and Certification of Research Analyst: Murali Iyer

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Key to our recommendation structure

BUY - Absolute - Stock expected to give a positive return of over 20% over a 1-year horizon.

SELL - Absolute - Stock expected to fall by more than 10% over a 1-year horizon.

In addition, Add and Reduce recommendations are based on expected returns relative to a hurdle rate. Investment horizon for Add and Reduce recommendations is up to a year. We assume the current hurdle rate at 10%, this being the average return on a debt instrument available for investment.

Add - Stock expected to give a return of 0-10% over the hurdle rate, i.e. a positive return of 10%+.

Reduce - Stock expected to return less than the hurdle rate, i.e. return of less than 10%.

Distribution of Ratings: Out of 223 stocks rated in the IIFL coverage universe, 117 have BUY ratings, 6 have SELL ratings, 65 have ADD ratings and 33 have REDUCE ratings.

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