CR-V still enjoying 1,000-1,200 units a month
A little CR-V History. Back in 1994, the market for compact 4x4s was very different to the one we have today. If you wanted a modestly-sized SUV back then, you had to make do with SUV’s built around a truck chassis. They were lumberous, slow and handled more like a boat. However at the time, there were ahead of the pack and buyers were lining up to have these Jurassic SUV’s in their garage. Product planners at Honda identified a new niche market and they quickly introduced the 1st ever CR-V. Sitting on a Honda Accord sedan chassis with a 4×4 system bolted underneath, the CR-V was a runaway success until today.
With this all new CR-V in Malaysia, Honda has decided to extend the model lineup by introducing a higher specification 1.5 Turbo version.
Honda designers changed the look and feel of the car when it replaced cute and chunky with bold and aggressive. The latest version extends that theme, with a sharp, assertive look that mirrors many of the design cues of the Civic and Accord. It is longer, wider but lower than its predecessor, with the Honda corporate face now including bigger front grilles and sharp-edged headlights flanked by LED daytime running lights. In profile view, this CR-V shows a rising belt line, with blacked-out centre and rear pillars emphasising the lengthened side glass area and increase in interior space.
This CR-V’s cabin has taken a step up in materials quality, with soft padding on many of the touch-points for driver and passengers, crisp trim finishes, new colours and more leather around the instrument panel. The CR-V retains its position as one of the very best cars in its class in terms of driver appeal.
Key to this is the steering and suspension, the steering wheel offering consistent weighting and accuracy at its chunky steering wheel. There is a littler lack of feel, but it’s still more informative than its rivals’ systems, so the CR-V can and will be an entertaining drive on a winding road when called on. The new chassis delivers too, the CR-V remaining largely flat when cornering, that ability achieved in conjunction with a supple, controlled ride. It’s agile enough to forget you’re in something so tall, though get too carried away and numerous driver aids will rein in your over enthusiasm in a relatively unobtrusive manner.
