2012 Honda CR-V Plymouth MA

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The all-new 2012 Honda CR-V is the fourth generation of Honda's popular and widely acclaimed first venture into the SUV market. A four-door, five-passenger, entry-level sport utility vehicle, the CR-V is comfortable and is quite useful for running about. The 2012 CR-V's styling definitely falls more toward evolutionary than revolutionary. Most of the changes are minor, leaving the visuals in familiar territory. Headlight housings are sleeker. The roofline is an inch lower, and the side sculpting is more pronounced. The most remarkable difference is something only following drivers get to enjoy, as the liftgate and taillight assemblies have received a complete re-do and look remarkably more contemporary than those on the 2011 CR-V.

2012 Honda CR-V Handling

Safety equipment comprises frontal airbags, front seat side-impact airbags, full coverage side curtain airbags, electronic stability control, ABS, Brake Assist, Electronic Brake-force Distribution, the federally mandated Tire Pressure Monitoring System, rear seat anchors and tethers for child safety seats (LATCH), and multi-angle rearview camera. Optional all-wheel drive improves handling stability in slippery conditions.  There is only one engine offered, an upgrade of the previous CR-V's 2.4-liter four-cylinder, and one transmission, an upgraded version of the 2011 model's gearbox. Those upgrades, though, eke out four more horsepower and two more pound-feet of torque.

Lineup for 2012 Honda CR-V

CR-V LX comes standard with cloth upholstery, air conditioning, four-way adjustable front seats plus manual height adjustment for driver's seat, cruise control, tilt and telescope steering wheel with illuminated cruise, audio, phone and information display controls, power door locks, power windows, power mirrors, two-speed windshield wipers, multi-media, four-speaker, 160-watt audio, Pandora internet radio compatibility, Bluetooth hands-free, text messaging and media streaming capability, on-board computer with trip and powertrain data and personalization of select functions, front center console and rear center armrest, floor mats, cargo area light, and 215/70R16 tires on styled steel wheels.

CR-V EX and CR-V EX AWD add one-touch tilt and slide power moonroof, security system, variable speed windshield wipers, fog lights, two more speakers, body-color outside mirrors and door handles, driver and front passenger seatback pockets, retractable cargo cover, rear privacy glass, and 225/65R17 tires on alloy wheels.

CR-V EX-L upgrades to dual-zone automatic climate control, leather-trimmed seats, leather-trimmed steering wheel and shift lever, 10-way power driver's seat including power lumbar, heated front seats, 328-watt audio system with seven speakers, including subwoofer, XM radio with 90-day trial period, and roof rails.

'12 Honda CR-V Cabin

Inside, the screen that serves either as the control panel for the audio or the nav system display parks front and center in the upper dash directly below a deeply recessed, smaller screen that handles the duties of the onboard computer and the rearview camera on the EX-L with the nav system. Not only is there a rearview camera, but it's a multi-angle unit that lets the driver choose between a top view and either a 130-degree or a 180-degree view. The cargo area sports four tie-downs and a very thoughtful, molded-in bracket down near the floor at the rear for storing the EX's and EX-L's retractable cargo cover when it's not in use. Honda also managed to give the rear seats true, one-step fold-down systems, activated by pulling either a lever on the sides of the cargo area or a strap on the outboard side of the rear seat bottoms.

Exterior Design of the '12 CR-V

All essential styling cues remain the same, with marginal adjustments to dimensions more than anything else.  The side silhouette is almost identical, for the most part, save for a one inch lower roofline and a one inch shorter overall length. Sculpting across door lowers is less linear, more recessed with a slight coke bottle-ness. Wheel arches are fuller and more sharply defined. The rearmost side window pinches down to a tapered trailing edge, accenting the rear taillight and backup cluster that now wraps around into the rear quarter, breaking up somewhat the added sheetmetal in the C-pillar. Full round door handles over oval recesses easily accommodate gloved hands.

Conclusions

The all-new 2012 Honda CR-V is the fourth generation of Honda's popular and widely acclaimed first venture into the SUV market. The original, according to Honda lore, was conceived to fulfill a need the company perceived for a Comfortable Runabout Vehicle. A four-door, five-passenger, entry-level sport utility vehicle, the CR-V is comfortable and is quite useful for running about. For more on this model, visit the official Honda CR-V website!

Some information for this review was obtained from NewCarTestDrive.com