Road Test: 2009 Honda CR-V EX-L

Compact and efficient
Anne Proffit, Canadian Auto Press Published: Tuesday, May 05, 2009
The Honda CR-V "cute ute" has certainly grown up. The CR-V has become a sophisticated compact crossover sport utility vehicle whose calling cards include safety, versatility, comfort, convenience and cargo space, not to mention secure and sprightly handling.

The exterior aesthetics of the CR-V are more muscularly rounded than in the past; it has true haunches with the promise of off-road capability. The CR-V's long vertical tail lamps exude urbane style and design cleanliness. This vehicle has matured and appears almost ready to go anywhere. Interior design is purposeful and businesslike; the CR-V is easy to live with and to use for multiple purposes.

With its great build quality and well-sourced materials, the 2009 Honda CR-V leads its class in just about every category. As with most Honda vehicles, there are delineations as to what you get when you decide on one iteration of the five-seater CR-V model or another; this review concentrates on the top dog of the CR-V lineup, the CR-V EX-L 4WD with built-in navigation system.

Dressed in a delightful Green Tea metallic with ivory seating inside, the 2009 Honda CR-V EX-L Navigation model I tested had all the bells and whistles you could possibly want. These include the voice-recognition navigation system with a rearview camera that assists in the already excellent rearward vision. There are leather-trimmed sets and a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob. Honda fits a terrific six-CD audio system that produces outstanding sound quality throughout the cabin, and features jacks for your MP3 player plus XM satellite radio with three months complimentary service.

There is dual-zone automatic climate control with air filtration, a driver's power seat with lumbar controls (the passenger's is manual), heated front seats with armrests, rear seats that slide fore and aft and have their own folding centre armrest should only four people be onboard. The CR-V fits folks of all sizes; a 6-foot-5 friend fit well in both front and back. The rear seats have a 60/40 fold that allows cargo space to increase from 1,011 to 2,064 litres (35.7 to 72.8 cu ft), with the rear seats folded by using a set of handy straps.

Power windows and door locks are standard on the 2009 CR-V EX-L 4WD, which comes equipped with Honda's Real Time 4-wheel-drive system. Nice touches abound: the driver's window is one-touch in both directions, as is the tilt/slide power sunroof. Parents will like the conversation mirror in the central sunglasses holder that allows them to keep a watchful eye on younger rear seat occupants.

The 2009 Honda CR-V EX-L 4WD Navigation is 4,518 mm long, 1,820 mm wide 1,680 mm tall and rides on a 2,620 mm wheelbase (that's 177.9 inches long, 71.6 inches wide and 66.1 inches tall on a 103.1-inch wheelbase). It has an 11.5-metre (37.8-foot) turning circle, ground clearance of 185 mm (7.3 inches) for easy ingress/egress and weighs an estimable 1,612 kilos (3,554 lbs). This newest CR-V version is safer than previous models, in part because Honda placed the spare tire under the hatch floor rather than attaching it to the rear door as it has done in the past. This is also more convenient, as the hatch lifts easily and gets out of the way when loading, while providing a protective cover in the rain, while the old hinged door was awkward and cumbersome, not to mention that it opened the wrong way (designed for Japanese roads where people drive on the other side) and therefore made loading large items difficult while parallel parked.

There are dual stage front airbags and side airbags for the CR-V's front seat occupants, while side curtain airbags at all corners protect five occupants, thanks to rollover sensors. Honda achieved five-star ratings for front and side crashes and four stars in rollover testing. For active safety, Honda fits vehicle stability assist (which can be turned off if desired), all-wheel antilock brakes, active front head restraints and a tire pressure monitoring system.

There is a 12-volt plug at the base of the centre stack (with cubbies to the side and below), one in the sliding central storage bin and a third under the cover of the rear hatch. The CD changer is located next to the front cupholders, rather than behind or under the navigation system. There is a closeable alcove above the glovebox for added storage.

The driver looks at a pair of simple, blue-rimmed instruments with easily legible numbers (white on black). The tachometer is on the left and the speedometer on the right, with digital fuel and temperature readouts between the two main instruments, together with a status monitor for the doors and the trip computer above that.

Fuel consumption ratings for the CRV are 10.7/7.8 L/100km (city/highway), and regular fuel is just fine. During my time with the CR-V EX-L 4WD I managed to achieve 8.6 L/100km from the 60 litre (15.3 gallon) tank in general use, both around town and over the road. The CR-V should be able to go 680 to 725 highway kilometres (425 to 450 highway miles) between fill-ups.

The powerplant behind such good mileage is Honda's 2.4-litre DOHC 16-valve I-VTEC 4-cylinder rated at 166-horsepower at 5,800 rpm and 161 lb-ft of torque at 4,200 rpm, using a drive-by-wire throttle system. Like most Honda engines, it loves to rev and does so quite confidently. It is a wee bit underpowered for such a heavy little SUV, but not a hindrance. Honda places the shifter for the five-speed automatic transmission (with grade logic) rally-style, so that it is an easy reach from the steering wheel.

MacPherson front strut and rear multi-link suspensions keep the seven-spoke 17-inch alloy wheels (with Bridgestone Dueler H/T P225/65R17 tires) firmly planted, and Honda's delightfully precise variable assist rack-and-pinion steering has no slop to it and is on-centre. The whole CR-V package is lithe, yet very business-like in everything it does over the road. With its short wheelbase, the CR-V doesn't have the most compliant ride but it does handle road ruts without irritability.

While the hatch has struts to hold it in place, the hood uses a post, but it isn't terribly heavy to lift. All fills are easily accessed underneath too; it's easy to notice, from that vantage point, that all seams are well finished and evenly matched. Just knowing the solid construction gives a firm feeling of security when driving this small SUV.

If there were a wish list for Honda's class-leading compact crossover, the CR-V EX-L 4WD Navigation could use a manual mode for its shifter, together with automatic headlamps. I would also like a tad more power to propel the heft. Those are minor issues, especially when one considers that the CR-V goes 100,000 miles between tune-ups and has a reputation for longevity. A friend's CR-V has seen use at farmers markets since 2000 and has more than 250,000 miles on the odometer!

Honda knows its clientele and takes good care of its regular customers. If one's needs tend toward light-duty off-road capabilities, but a large SUV is out of the question, the 2009 CR-V EX-L 4WD Navi is a great choice.

Source;
http://autos.canada.com/news/story.html?id=1562023