The CR-V is Honda’s best-selling nameplate in the United States. No fewer than 361,271 units were sold in 2021, putting it ahead of the Civic and Accord. Be that as it may, the Japanese automaker isn’t happy with these results because Toyota delivered 407,739 units of the RAV4.
Given these circumstances, Honda is playing it safe with the redesigned crossover. Introduced today for the 2023 model year, the CR-V will be launched into series production this coming summer. The hybrid is coming later in the year with a 2.0-liter engine developed to be as efficient as possible. The Atkinson-cycle mill is joined by a two-motor hybrid system with a two-stage lockup. Combined output is 204 horsepower, a 3-hp increase over the outgoing CR-V Hybrid. The hybrid system’s traction motor develops 247 pound-feet (335 Nm), up 15 pound-feet from before.
Exclusive to the Sport and Sport Touring trim levels, the fuel-sipping powertrain option is rocking 18- or 19-inch alloys, depending on the grade. 18s are used on the base trim levels, dubbed EX and EX-L, which come with a 1.5-liter turbo that develops 190 horsepower at 6,000 revolutions per minute. Torque is rated at 179 pound-feet from 1,700 through 5,000 rpm.
The 1.5er is exclusively connected to a continuously variable transmission with a 2.625 to 0.405 ratio range and a final drive of 5.640 compared to 4.438 for the hybrid. Exclusively offered with the proprietary Honda Rear Time AWD, all configurations are rocking MacPherson struts up front, a variable-ratio steering rack, and a retuned multilink rear suspension arrangement with a 15% higher spring rate for the upper spring mount.
“As America’s outright best-selling SUV of the past 25 years, the Honda CR-V has played a critical role in our past, but what’s significant about the all-new CR-V is the important role it will play in our future – with the CR-V hybrid to represent about 50 percent of sales,” said Mike Kistemaker, assistant vice president of Honda sales at American Honda. “More stylish, more rugged, more tech and more fun-to-drive, the sixth-generation Honda CR-V will be best in class in a large segment where that really matters.”
Loads more information can be found in the attached press release.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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