The sixth-generation Honda CR-V was unveiled in the United States overnight, with details confirmed for the midsize SUV’s American release – but Australian specifics remain sparse.
The new CR-V will launch in the United States during the northern hemisphere summer – likely in August – with a four-strong range and two available powertrains: one hybrid, and one turbo-petrol.
While the CR-V is made in the United States and Canada for North American consumption, Chasing Cars believes the midsize SUV will look substantially identical when it comes to Australia – likely later in 2022 or in early 2023, with sourcing likely to shift from Thailand to Japan.
The Honda CR-V is completely new from the ground up
What’s new for the Honda CR-V?
A new exterior design has been introduced for the sixth-generation Honda CR-V, along with either a 7.0-inch or 9.0-inch multifunction touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, an updated 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine, and a re-tuned all-wheel drive system.
Also new for this generation is hill descent control, a snow driving mode and ‘Honda Sensing’ safety systems including a wide-view camera, traffic jam assist and low-speed braking control.
The Honda CR-V will be available in hybrid and turbo-petrol guise
Honda has put ‘next-gen’ airbags into the new CR-V, including updated units for the front, knee and rear passenger side-impact zones.
The Honda CR-V, in terms of overall size, is 68mm longer, 40mm longer wheelbase and 10mm wider than before, while torsional stiffness has increased by 15 percent compared to the fifth-generation car.
Turbo petrol and hybrid engines, available AWD
Two different powertrains are available for the US-spec Honda CR-V – with both likely to be on the cards for Australia. Like the new Civic hatchback, the CR-V will be available with a choice of non-hybrid turbo petrol power, or a petrol-electric hybrid engine to compete directly with the segment-leading Toyota RAV4.
The interior has been reworked for 2023
For America, the 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine makes 140kW of power and 242Nm of torque – similar outputs to the outgoing fifth-generation CR-V in Australia. Honda says the engine has been re-tuned for “additional refinement and improved emissions performance”.
This engine is said to have been improved through the use of a high efficiency and high response turbocharger, along with a four into two exhaust port cylinder head to maintain peak power over a broader range of revs.
The 1.5-litre is paired to a CVT automatic transmission that has also been improved by Honda to “reduce noise and vibration”.
The last fifth-generation Honda CR-V is the Black Edition
In the United States, the lower two CR-V variants have the turbo petrol engine while the two higher-specification cars are fitted with a non-turbo, 2.0-litre petrol-electric hybrid system with twin motors on the front axle. Combined outputs for the hybrid are 152kW of power and 334Nm of torque.
Safety upgrades for the new CR-V
New to the CR-V and first introduced in the new Honda Civic are updated driver and passenger airbags that reduce the chances of brain trauma from angled front collisions.
Black edition will make way for the new sixth-gen in Australia, hopefully!
Interestingly, the driver’s airbag has a donut-like shape to cradle the head in the event of an accident.
Also standard across the CR-V range will be the Honda Sensing suite of safety equipment including a wide-angle camera and radar system, blind spot information, traffic jam assist, traffic sign recognition and low-speed braking control. Adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping assist is also standard.