Its price might prove a hindrance, but Honda's new CR-V is shaping up as a serious rival for some premium marques, writes Michael McAleer, Motoring Editor
The popularity of SUVs among the suburban set could be said to be nothing more than a motoring extension of the rugby fans favoured apparel, the Barbour jacket.
The connotations of country life, the rambling estate and a rugged outdoor existence, belies the fact that the majority of Barbour wearers at last weekend's match spend their daily lives in air-conditioned offices and live in semi-detached houses in southside Dublin.
Their only crops are daffodils along the driveway and their only livestock is a well-fed Labrador and housebound cat. Yet the aspiration and image remains intact when they pull on the wax jacket.
The rest of the nation's sports fans need not mock. Every year we squeeze into football shirts three sizes too small in an attempt to look as athletic as our sporting idols. Meanwhile, thousands of chain-smoking overweight men wander the nation's streets every day clad in tracksuits and the latest runners despite being unable to run for a bus without risking cardiac arrest. You have to hand it to the marketing folk.
In motoring terms, it's the SUV that's carried the burden of unfulfilled potential. All the complicated engineering and technical brilliance has created a group of vehicles capable of transporting troops across deserts. Yet in everyday life it lies idle on runs between schools and shops.
The end result has been a media backlash against the waste and environmental impact of these behemoths. That's why some car companies are redefining their product positioning.
Take the CR-V. It may look like an SUV, it may act like an SUV, but this is not an SUV. At least that's the message from owners keen to distance themselves from the so-called gas guzzlers that have come under increasing media fire of late.
In fairness, Honda owners have a point. Despite its high-set stance, the CR-V has always been more about blending the traits of an estate car with a small off-roader. Ranking it among the great gas guzzlers that crowd US streets is like comparing the Irish rugby team with the Westmeath bridge club. Both are no doubt capable in their own rights, but you wouldn't want to send the wrong team to Croke Park.
Honda has never really gone in for the larger SUVs in Europe, but rather attempted to mix and match the positives from it into more regular fare, thereby creating a collection of hatchbacks with a high centre of gravity. Take the HR-V, for instance; a car with much in common with the 1980s Civic range, but set about one metre off the ground.
This new CR-V continues on that trend. That's effectively what the CR-V is: a crossover. It may have four-wheel-drive and it may have more ground clearance than the average estate, but it's never going to rate as much of a muscular off-roader when parked next to the likes of the Audi Q7 or the BMW X5.
Consequently, Honda has concentrated its efforts on honing the car's on-road ability rather than giving it any great potential as a mountain climber. Its revamped exterior styling also reflects the change of emphasis. Gone is the spare wheel on the rear door, which is now hinged on the top rather than to the side. The exterior lines have also been softened, giving it the look of a chubby hatchback while in a change from the rest of the new models in recent years, this latest version of the CR-V is actually smaller than its predecessor.
That's not to say the CR-V is in any way compromised for space. Somehow Honda has achieved a tardis-like phenomenon when it comes to spatial matters. On the outside it looks rather sedate. Tasteful lines give it an air of premium quality - something Honda has been keenly pursuing in recent years - while never approaching the in-your-face brashness of competitors from the SUV segment. The styling will not be to everyone's taste and to us it came across as rather frumpy, but it's certainly less boxy than its predecessor.
Inside, however, the reworking has really been remarkable. Despite the drop in dimensions the interior actually feels more spacious and even on the entry-level model we tested (without the panoramic roof) the cabin feels incredibly airy.
Front and rear legroom is mighty impressive and the CR-V can easily cope with four strapping adults, even five.
Another nice touch inside is the revamped controls and plastics. The previous sturdy dashboard and switchgear would have served a useful purpose if the CR-V had ever been used as an SUV, but the fact is that most spent their time in suburban driveways and on school runs.
This latest version seems to take that into account and the cabin is far more in keeping with a premium family hatchback, with a stylish central console and various features that would not look out of place in Honda's flagship Legend.
Of course the brand has opted to retain its four-wheel-drive system, but that's really no different than Audi offering such systems on its saloon cars. The benefits are extra grip on slippy roads, particularly if you are pulling a trailer, and the ability to get you off the grass verge on a visit to a country fair. It's not meant for traversing rivers or climbing mountain slopes. This vehicle's home turf is on tarmac and there it manages to reflect more closely its regular car roots.
Driving the CR-V is on a par with many estates and the Japanese engineers have mastered the art of making such a relatively high-set vehicle feel particularly stable in corners, more so than some of its car rivals.
The six-speed manual transmission in our test vehicle was smooth to change - with nice positioning of the gearstick high on the central console - while the 2-litre petrol engine is perky enough for a vehicle this size.
We have already tested the diesel version, and though it's likely to feature more strongly with buyers who actually need it to do some load-lugging, for most city buyers the CR-V will be a petrol engine purchase.
In that regard they end up with decent fuel consumption for its class, though the official figures are still on a par with a 3-litre diesel A6 estate. That means for all the denials of SUV membership, the fuel bills are still not something to shout about.
The CR-V is up against some serious rivals, such as the Toyota RAV 4 and the new Mitsubishi Outlander. Both have got markedly better in the past year, and the Outlander is a serious challenger to the Honda now. So too is the new Nissan Qashqai, which offers a small yet powerful 1.5-litre diesel engine that's more than ample for the urban terrain that is the natural home to these pretend SUVs.
While there may be some who claim it's closer to the premium entrants like BMW and Land Rover, there's a significant price difference between it and the German (to the benefit of the Honda) while the Land Rover really does have some credible off-road moves that would leave the CR-V stuck in the mud.
The Honda is a much better buy than the BMW and a decent rival to the current crop of mid-range family estates. The Japanese brand that was once derided for its ambitions to enter the premium market against the likes of Audi and BMW is edging ever closer to acceptance in this segment.
The CR-V adds to that belief and it's an enjoyable drive and the Honda badge guarantees reliability and good resale values. That said, the relatively high pricing means there is still better value to be had from some of its closer rivals.
Factfile
ENGINE: A 1997cc i-VTEC petrol engine putting out 150bhp at 6,200rpm and 192Nm of torque at 4,200rpm. Combined with a six-speed manual transmission.
SPECIFICATION: Standard spec on entry-level ES versions include: cruise control; side impact protection beams; dual front, side and curtain airbags; ABS with EBA and EBFD; disc brakes; Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA); Drive-By-Wire (DBW); trailer stability assist; leather multi-function steering wheel; dual zone climate control; parking sensors; front and rear electric windows; radio/CD with speed adjusting volume; halogen headlights.
EX versions add: panoramic glass roof; rain sensing windscreen wipers; electric adjustable driver seat; leather upholstery; bluetooth phone system; and sat-nav.
EX-T version adds: Collision mitigation braking system (CMBS); Adaptive cruise control (ACC)
L/100km (MPG):
URBAN: 10.4 (27.2)
EXTRA-URBAN: 6.7 (42.2)
COMBINED: 8.1 (34.9)
CO2 EMISSIONS: 192 g/km
ANNUAL ROAD TAX: €539
PRICE: €42,000 (€42,000 for 2-litre ES. Up to 56,265 for 2.2-litre i-CTDi diesel EX-T)