As far as the drive goes, at first glance, it appears to be simply following along similar lines to the rest of the vehicle. Without a doubt, it’s an improvement on the outgoing version. The 2.4L 4-cylinder engine gains five more horses, bringing it up to 185 hp, and the available torque has increased as well. The fuel economy ratings have also improved (9.0/6.4 L/100km with FWD, 9.2/6.6 L/100km with AWD).
It handles sharper, it corners better, and in just about every way, from the brakes to the new Motion-Adaptive electric power steering, it simply feels new & improved. Yet in all honesty, this is perhaps nothing more than I would have expected from Honda. After all, when a company has a winning formula on its hands, it would be pretty foolish to risk everything by dramatically changing a well-loved recipe. Far better to play it safe and slowly trickle in a little extra of what customers already love, and Honda has done precisely that.
However, the company has added a little hot sauce to the mixture, it’s just not immediately obvious as it lies underneath and involves the vehicle’s drive system. On the previous version, the CR-V’s Real Time 4WD (a mechanically-activated “dual-pump” system) required a small amount of wheel slippage before the system activated. This has now been eliminated as the new CR-V features Real Time AWD with Intelligent Control.
Also new for 2012, the CR-V now features a hill start assist system, which helps prevent the vehicle from rolling backwards when the driver switches from the brake pedal to the accelerator pedal while the vehicle is stationary on a hill. Hill start assist activates automatically when the vehicle senses an incline while fully stopped and works in both forward and reverse gears.
In summary, the new 2012 Honda CR-V is not going to revolutionize the compact SUV world. It’s simply a fresh take on what is already a favorite dish for many Canadians. The company didn’t go wild and spoil the recipe. They simply added to it, and to me that’s smart thinking.
It handles sharper, it corners better, and in just about every way, from the brakes to the new Motion-Adaptive electric power steering, it simply feels new & improved. Yet in all honesty, this is perhaps nothing more than I would have expected from Honda. After all, when a company has a winning formula on its hands, it would be pretty foolish to risk everything by dramatically changing a well-loved recipe. Far better to play it safe and slowly trickle in a little extra of what customers already love, and Honda has done precisely that.
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| The 2.4L 4-cylinder engine gains five more horses, bringing it up to 185 hp, and the available torque has increased as well. (Photo: Honda) |
However, the company has added a little hot sauce to the mixture, it’s just not immediately obvious as it lies underneath and involves the vehicle’s drive system. On the previous version, the CR-V’s Real Time 4WD (a mechanically-activated “dual-pump” system) required a small amount of wheel slippage before the system activated. This has now been eliminated as the new CR-V features Real Time AWD with Intelligent Control.
Also new for 2012, the CR-V now features a hill start assist system, which helps prevent the vehicle from rolling backwards when the driver switches from the brake pedal to the accelerator pedal while the vehicle is stationary on a hill. Hill start assist activates automatically when the vehicle senses an incline while fully stopped and works in both forward and reverse gears.
In summary, the new 2012 Honda CR-V is not going to revolutionize the compact SUV world. It’s simply a fresh take on what is already a favorite dish for many Canadians. The company didn’t go wild and spoil the recipe. They simply added to it, and to me that’s smart thinking.
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