2017 Honda CR-V Is Quieter, More Fun to Drive, Says Consumer Reports

There are a lot of contenders for top crossover, but only two of them can claim they've been around for more than 20 years, the CR-V and the RAV4. Perhaps it's not a coincidence that they are the most popular.

And while the previous generation of the Honda CR-V had an underwhelming cabin, this one is plush, "swanky even, according to Consumer Reports.

Honda's primary goal was to make the CUV model more upmarket, so it rides better, and the cabin is quieter. An active noise canceling system is partly to blame for that, but also good old-fashioned NVH engineering. Not only that but they' apparently also made the CR-V enjoyable to drive, using tricks borrowed from the Civic.

Most CR-Vs will be sold with the 1.5-liter VTEC Turbo engine from the Civic. But power has been boosted to an almost unbelievable 190 horsepower and 179 pound-feet of torque. You can still get it with a 2.4-liter base engine making 184 horsepower. It's up to you to choose, but know that the turbo mill delivers its grunt without needing so many revs.

The wood trim on the dash and the leather seats look fantastic. So does the console, but the infotainment system suffers from the same problems it does in the Civic. So it's not a perfect car, but there are so many fans that it won't matter.

Consumer Reports also praises the CR-V for its active safety systems. Forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking are both standard from the second trim level upwards. It's pretty much guaranteed that it will thus get the Top Safety Pick+ rating from the IIHS.