Best-Selling Honda Gets Upgrades
Refreshed for 2020. This is how Honda describes what was done to the 2020 CR-V, its best-selling vehicle and the second best-selling crossover in America behind the Toyota RAV4. In an attempt claw back to being the #1 selling crossover, Honda knew it didn’t want to mess with a good thing, but needed to up its game.
While the CR-V with the gasoline engine we are reviewing here received updates, the big news from Honda is the all-new 2020 CR-V Hybrid AWD. Clean Fleet Report previewed the CR-V Hybrid and were impressed with its ride, build quality and fuel economy. But what about the non-hybrid CR-V, did its 2020 refreshing raise the bar for this popular crossover?
One Engine – One Transmission – AWD Optional
Honda makes it simple as the CR-V with front wheel drive is powered by a 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine mated to a continuously variable transmission (CVT). For fun, Honda calls its engine technology “Earth Dreams.” Performance numbers are 190 horsepower and 179 pound-feet of torque.
For the all-wheel drive version, which Clean Fleet Report had for a week, the transmission is part of the Honda Real Time AWD with Intelligent Control. Real Time senses when your vehicle is losing traction and automatically activates the rear differential to drive the rear wheels. When AWD isn’t needed, the system switches back to front-wheel drive. This computer-operated system automatically and seamlessly makes the power transfers without notice to the driver.
Running on 87 octane and with the aid of active grille shutters, the EPA rates the CR-V 1.5L at 27 mpg city/32 highway/29 combined. In 276 miles driving throughout Southern California, we averaged 29.1 mpg. On a 110-mile all-freeway run with the adaptive cruise control set at 65 mph, we averaged 33 mpg. Fuel economy numbers reported by Clean Fleet Report are non-scientific and represent the reviewer’s driving experience. Your numbers may differ. In this case though, both the EPA and Clean Fleet Report agree what you can expect from your CR-V.
Hitting the Open Road
The CR-V with the 1.5L turbo performed well, with zero-to-60 times around 7.3 seconds. With two driver selectable drive modes of Normal and Eco, it takes just one highway on-ramp to figure out which one to be in for maximum acceleration. Wind and road (tire) noise was low, but at times the engine was mildly noisy during stress, such as aggressive acceleration or climbing a grade, but quiet and smooth when highway cruising or in-town driving.
The CR-V benefits by having Active Noise Cancellation (ACN), which is designed to reduce low frequency noise in the interior. The system operates whenever the car is running, regardless of whether the audio system is on or off. There are two microphones in the cabin area that capture low-end drivetrain frequencies. These frequencies are sent to the ACN where a precisely timed reverse phase audio signal is sent to an amplifier, which powers the door speakers and the subwoofer positioned on the rear parcel shelf. All this is going on without interrupting any of the music coming from the audio system. The result is a crossover with a quiet cabin.
The CR-V handled calmly on the highway but driving would not be considered engaging, as in there being any wow factor. The Continental ProContact 235/55 all-season tires, on 19-inch alloy wheels, provided good traction with little tire slippage when cornering hard, but the mild body lean was dealt with by making mid-corner corrections, and even lifting a bit. With that said, the CR-V is not designed or marketed as being ‘sporty,’ so overall it has a compliant ride, if at times a bit soft for our liking. Stopping was solid with anti-lock brakes and ventilated front and solid rear discs.
Familiar Exterior/Spacious Interior
Now in its fifth generation, the 2020 Honda CR-V falls in the middle of Honda’s four crossover SUVs: the smallest is the HR-V, followed by the CR-V, Passport and Pilot. Those with a keen eye will notice the CR-V’s front end has been massaged for 2020 with a new black-out grille and front air dam, with LED headlights standard on the highest trim levels. Overall, the CR-V has a safe design that has been around for a while, so expect an all-new design in coming years. Honda’s designers created a body that is smooth and without unneeded cladding, but also included some sharp edges for personality.
Our CR-V was painted in Radiant Red with body color bumpers, door handles, shark fin antenna and power exterior mirrors, offset by black front and rear fascias. Chrome was used sparingly, including around the windows and the roof rack rails. In Touring trim there is a chrome strip that winds its way over and around the front fascia. This trim piece pulls your eyes downward, making the CR-V look chunkier that it really is. A simple, horizontal chrome piece would have sufficed. Otherwise, the LED head lights, daytime running lights and fog lights that came with the Touring model looked sharp.
Climbing inside, Clean Fleet Report’s CR-V Touring had a welcoming and spacious two-toned, light gray and black, interior. The seats, shift knob and steering wheel are trimmed in leather with the black dash offset by acceptable faux wood inserts. “Acceptable” because some interior “wood” we see is not acceptable. The driver and passenger seats are heated, and the driver gets 12-way (including four-way lumbar) adjustment with two memory settings while the passenger gets four-way power adjustments. With better-than-most thigh bolsters, toss in the tilt and telescoping steering column, and the driver has plenty of options to find a comfortable driving position. The tilt-and-slide power moonroof opens the cabin to the great outdoors.
The rear seats are made for grown humans, holding two comfortably, but three for short jaunts. The low sill step-over was appreciated. The rear seat itself, divided by the fold-down armrest with cup holders, had ample leg, shoulder and head room.The CR-V is near the top, among its competitors, with rear passenger leg room, and in the middle of the pack for headroom. Regardless where it falls, rear seat occupants will be in for a pleasant experience.
For storage, the rear seat folds 60/40 to provide a large and accommodating cargo space that has a retractable cover. The cargo floor has a handy and useful two-step design, where it can be positioned to be level, and then dropped-down, adding about two inches for hauling taller items. Overall, the interior build and material quality are at a high level with soft surfaces on the dash and door panels and a low-profile dash aiding good forward vision.
The cockpit design is driver friendly, with digital gauges and an infotainment system that comes with a base LCD color 5.0-inch screen. The upper trim levels, such as our Touring model, have a 7.0-inch high-resolution color touchscreen that housed the navigation and premium audio system with a subwoofer. This good sounding system powered-out 330 watts through nine speakers for the HD radio, SiriusXM, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and Pandora. I wish the system had more presets for SiriusXM (like some other systems we have tested with more than 30). Once the channels are set, they can be scrolled-through by the control on the steering wheel, with the driver’s eyes never leaving the road, which is convenient and aids driver safety. The audio system also lacked a channel selection knob, which would have accompanied the volume knob to make the system more user-friendly.
Safety and Convenience
Beginning in 2020, all CR-V models come standard with active and passive safety features such as front and side air bags with rollover sensors and Honda Sensing, the company’s advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). Safety technologies include forward collision and road departure mitigation, lane keep assist, blind spot monitoring and adaptive cruise control. We thought the lane keep assist was too aggressive at times.
Additional safety and convenience features include remote keyless entry, security system, push button start/stop, rain-sensing wipers, a tire pressure monitoring system, power tailgate, automatic climate control, sliding center console, remote engine start, an automatic dimming rearview mirror equipped with Homelink, wireless phone charger, Bluetooth with voice recognition and an electric parking brake.
The 2020 Honda CR-V is a Top Safety Pick from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), while the US Government’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has awarded it their highest rank of a Five Star rating.
Pricing and Warranties
The 2020 Honda CR-V comes in four trim levels–LX, EX, EX-L and Touring–and either FWD or AWD. Base pricing ranges from $26,145 to $35,845. All pricing includes the $1,120 destination charge.
All 2020 CR-V models come with these warranties.
- Powertrain – Five years/60,000 miles
- Basic – Three years/36,000 miles
- Anti-perforation – Five years/Unlimited miles
- Roadside Assistance – Three years/36,000 miles
Observations: 2020 Honda CR-V 1.5L AWD Touring
It is not uncommon for people to ask why I never say anything bad about a car, crossover, SUV or truck. I do, but they need to actually read what I write. Sorry, back to the intent of their question, which is valid. Clean Fleet Report reviews about 100 vehicles a year, reporting on our first-hand experience of driving in a wide range of conditions.
We realize that in the very competitive automotive world, manufacturers are never designing a vehicle to be second-best, or to be just so-so. As an example, take the compact crossover category. Whichever company has the latest refresh or all-new model, you can be assured they have leapt over some of their competitors in design, safety, performance and fuel economy. This reminds us what makes competition so wonderful: the desire to always be the best.
The 2020 Honda CR-V is the second best-selling crossover, coming in just behind the Toyota RAV4. But also in this category, to list a few, are the Ford Escape, Subaru Forester, Nissan Rogue, Mazda CX-5, Hyundai Tucson, Jeep Compass, Volkswagen Tiguan, Kia Sportage and on and on and on. There is no way Honda’s engineers and designers would release a CR-V that couldn’t make a strong case for being in your driveway. But does the CR-V earn that distinction?
The 2020 CR-V offers comfort for five while handling their gear, has an AWD option for sloppy road conditions, has a full suite of advanced safety systems, and has all the creature comforts that make a quality five-passenger crossover so desirable. This North American-built vehicle (engine and transmission from America, final assembly in Canada) carries with it the well-earned reputation of Honda quality.
Personal note: I own a 1997 Honda Civic EX, with 178,500 miles, which I bought new. The engine hums like a sewing machine, and even with all those miles, still gets 30+ mpg and doesn’t burn or leak a drop of oil. I am sure you know someone with a similar story.
Treat yourself to a lengthy test drive at your Honda dealership, and see for yourself how the CR-V AWD fits into your lifestyle.
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Whatever you end up buying, Happy Driving!
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Disclosure:
Clean Fleet Report is loaned free test vehicles from automakers to evaluate, typically for a week at a time. Our road tests are based on this one-week drive of a new vehicle. Because of this we don’t address issues such as long-term reliability or total cost of ownership. In addition, we are often invited to manufacturer events highlighting new vehicles or technology. As part of these events we may be offered free transportation, lodging or meals. We do our best to present our unvarnished evaluations of vehicles and news irrespective of these inducements.
Our focus is on vehicles that offer the best fuel economy in their class, which leads us to emphasize electric cars, plug-in hybrids, hybrids and diesels. We also feature those efficient gas-powered vehicles that are among the top mpg vehicles in their class. In addition, we aim to offer reviews and news on advanced technology and the alternative fuel vehicle market. We welcome any feedback from vehicle owners and are dedicated to providing a forum for alternative viewpoints. Please let us know your views at publisher@cleanfleetreport.com.
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