A Game-Changer Comes to Town
This article may contain affiliate links
In the run-up to 2020, the ever-popular Honda CR-V primarily featured a 1.5-liter turbocharged gas engine. It was okay for the odd trip around town. But people who racked up big mileages suffered. Fuel consumption was pretty lackluster, especially in the city, making it somewhat of a poor choice for things like the daily commute or school run.
This year, Honda has got its act together and redesigned what’s under the hood, giving drivers a good hybrid option to bring down the price of all those short trips. The new hybrid CR-V is a game-changer for the range and helps Honda compete against similar offerings from the likes of Toyota and Ford.
Honda would like you to believe that the new CR-V Hybrid is the best option for your money. But is it? Do you really want to spend upwards of $30,000 or more on this vehicle?
An Efficient Hybrid Car
Honda was one of the first car companies to bring hybrid technology to western markets. Back in 1999, it released one of the world’s first modern hybrid options (the original Insight), giving drivers the chance to zip around city streets without churning out mountains of CO2. Therefore, the firm’s pedigree is pretty good and on display in the new 2020 CR-V Hybrid.
With this in mind, you get three driving options, designed to maximize the benefits of the hybrid setup.
The modes are as follows:
- EV Drive
- Econ Drive
- Sport Drive
If that sounds a little confusing, that’s because it is. Honda, though, has a cunning solution. Whenever you change powertrain mode, the vehicle’s dashboard display shows you where the power is coming from using handy diagrams, so the voodoo under the hood needn’t remain a mystery. In fact, it’s all pretty self-explanatory once you get past all the jargon.
When you’re in EV mode, the car derives power from the lithium-ion battery pack in its midsection. It sends it to the electric propulsion motor, which then drives the wheels, just like a regular electric vehicle. The battery, however, is hopelessly small, and so you’ll only get three miles of fully electric range. Go any further than that, and you’ll need to switch to Econ Drive
Econ Drive uses the gas engine to power the wheels via the electric generator. Any excess energy passes back to the lithium-ion battery pack for fully-electric operation later.
Sport Drive automatically kicks in when you accelerate rapidly or travel at high speed. In this mode, you’re not using the battery or electric motor at all and instead relying on the regular gas engine.
Honda, however, says that the computer will continually monitor the situation. If there’s a chance to use the battery to keep you cruising at a steady speed, say 65 mph, then it’ll kick in, making your journey that little bit greener.
Fuel Economy
Honda supplies the 2020 CR-V Hybrid with all-wheel-drive standard. The automaker claims it will do around 40 mpg in the city and 35 mpg on the highway, while the non-hybrid all-wheel-drive will do 27 and 32. In the real world, therefore, you’ll likely see about 38 mpg for the Hybrid compared to 29 for the non-hybrid.
The fuel economy score makes the hybrid CR-V more compelling than the regular ICE option. It costs about $1,500 more than the original version of the car, but you’ll spend much less on refueling. Over the life of the vehicle, therefore, you stand to save money.
Interior Space
The CR-V was always a big car inside. The new model doesn’t disappoint, thanks to its spacious exterior dimensions. You can get the interior decked out in standard black on the base LX model. Or you can add optional silver metallic trim to make it look a bit more attractive in other trims.
The interior is nothing particularly special, but for the price point, it is reasonable. Nothing feels like it is about to fall apart or require replacement in a year. It’s all pretty durable.
The interior is also well laid out, with all the buttons falling close to hand. And each of them has a nice tactile feel when you touch them, popping up robustly, once you let go. Little touches like this inspire confidence and convince you that this is a well-made machine, not something amateurs put together in a glorified shed somewhere outside Tokyo.
Just be warned, though, you won’t feel like you’re in a premium SUV with this vehicle. Mazda’s SUVs at the same price point feel much plusher and luxurious.
You should also note that you don’t get the usual gear lever you find in most automatic vehicles. Instead, Honda has replaced it with a series of buttons with all the conventional labels. “D” is for drive. “P” is for park – you get the picture. If you love new design concepts, you’ll like the direction in which Honda has taken the car. If you don’t, then this might not be the model for you.
Safety Considerations
The CR-V Hybrid has excellent safety ratings from NHTSA. But if needed, you can always visit a top rated car accident lawyer.
Honda would like you to believe that they’ve done everything that they can to keep you safe. The car comes with a collision mitigation braking system, which will automatically kick in if it thinks you’re going to crash into the car in front of you. It also offers a lane departure warning if it thinks you’re getting a little drowsy at the wheel. Then there’s a road departure mitigation system that uses some rather clever technology to stop you from swerving off into a ditch. And finally, you get a forward collision warning that tells you if an impact is imminent.
Summing up, the new 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid is an improvement over the original ICE version. With that said, the car still requires some improvements before it will become a genuine contender for the city SUV crown. Better interior styling and towing are two areas the Japanese carmaker will need to focus on.
Make sure to opt-in to the Clean Fleet Report newsletter (top right of page) to be notified of all new stories and vehicle reviews.
Other Stories You Might Enjoy—Hybrid & Plug-in Hybrid Crossovers
Flash Drive: 2020 Ford Escape Hybrid
Flash Drive: 2021 Toyota RAV4 Plug-in Hybrid
Road Test: 2019 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid
