The Honda CR-V is one of the industry's original crossovers—an SUV-like two-box body mounted on a car platform. Since its U.S. introduction for the 1997 model year, it has consistently built sales momentum to become one of the most popular models in the Honda lineup. To add perspective, Honda claims the CR-V has been the best-selling SUV of any size for the past 25 years.
As the 2023 CR-V goes to market, it enters its sixth generation. Honda based the 5-passenger SUV on its "enhanced global architecture" that also supports the hot-selling Honda Civic and the newly redone Honda HR-V small SUV.
Available in front-wheel-drive (FWD) and all-wheel-drive (AWD) configurations, either a turbocharged 4-cylinder engine (the subject of this review) or a hybrid drivetrain powers the 2023 CR-V. The availability of a hybrid setup is getting more common in the segment, with models that include the Hyundai Tucson, Kia Sportage, and Toyota RAV4 offering the alternative powertrain. On the other hand, a relative few offer turbocharged engines in their base trim levels, as Honda does with the CR-V.
Compared to the previous-generation CR-V, the 2023 model is longer and wider. Honda asserts the new body is 15-percent torsionally stiffer, giving a firm footing for its heavily revised suspension. In a vehicle like the CR-V, a comfortable ride when empty and under full load is more critical than edgy handling prowess, and the CR-V definitely tilts that way.
Lineups of popular models tend to grow year after year, often to the confusion of both dealers and the buying public. For the 2023 model year, Honda has taken pruning shears to the new CR-V offering, making it easy to grasp. The CR-V is available in just four trim levels: EX, Sport, EX-L, and Sport Touring. Buyers can choose between FWD and AWD EX, Sport, and EX-L trims. The Sport Touring is only available with AWD. A turbocharged 1.5-liter 4-cylinder engine backed up with a continuously variable transmission (CVT) powers the EX and EX-L. A hybrid powertrain motivates the Sport and Sport Touring trims.
The base front-drive 2023 Honda CR-V EX has a manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) of $31,110. All-wheel drive adds $1,500. The spiffier front-drive EX-L has an MSRP of $33,760, and the AWD version retails for $35,260. That's it for the conventionally powered trims. The Honda CR-V Sport—the cheaper of the two hybrid trims—has an MSRP of $32,450. With AWD, the Sport's price increases by $1,500. The top-of-the-line CR-V Sport Touring with standard AWD and the hybrid powertrain has a suggested retail price of $38,600. All 2023 CR-Vs have an additional $1,245 destination charge.
The test vehicle for this review was a 2023 Honda CR-V EX-L with AWD. Decked in optional Radiant Red metallic paint and equipped with carpeted floor mats, it had an MSRP of $37,100, including the $1,245 destination fee. I drove it as part of the North American Car, Truck, and Utility of the Year testing conducted in and around Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Photo: Jack R. Nerad
All-new exterior styling gives the 2023 Honda CR-V a more substantial look than its predecessor. The front end and the grille gain more emphasis, and the hood extends nearly to the same plane as the front bumper. Large wheels and tires add to the vehicle's more imposing presence.
Comfort and utility are key attributes that are especially important in crossover utilities like the Honda CR-V. Of course, the larger a vehicle is, the more it can typically carry, and the CR-V has grown a bit in the transition from the fifth generation to the sixth. The 2023 CR-V is 2.7 inches longer than the 2022 model. Honda lengthened the wheelbase 1.6 inches—to 106.3 inches overall—and widened the track front and rear.
The result is a vehicle with 103.5 cubic feet of passenger space. The cargo area behind the folding second row of seats is 39.3 cubic feet—virtually identical to the space offered in the 2022 CR-V. With the second row of seats folded, interior space grows to 76.5 cubic feet. That's up 1.7 cubic feet versus the 2022 model. For a vehicle of its length, the 2023 Honda CR-V will haul a lot of stuff.
The interior of the 2023 CR-V pulls themes from the much-praised interior of the recently introduced Honda Civic. More upscale than ever, the 2023 CR-V has a wide, horizontally oriented dash with simple surfaces and an absence of seams. Metal honeycomb mesh stretches across the interior nearly from door to door. The mesh conceals the adjustable vents for a clean, upscale look. The round instruments lie in a driver-oriented nacelle and are easily visible through the steering wheel. Drivers benefit from the new steering wheel angle that is more sedan-like.
Drivers will also appreciate the touchscreen infotainment displays that jut upward from the center of the dash. Below the mesh divider are climate controls with easily used round knobs. The traditional lever-type gear selector shares space with other controls and a wireless device charging pad on the console. Two USB ports are readily at hand in this area as well. Cupholders sit behind the shifter, enabling them to accept extra tall drinks without interfering with the controls or gearshift.
The 2023 CR-V's cabin is more comfortable and spacious than the previous-gen version. Honda fitted it with what it calls body-stabilizing front seats that are both comfy and supportive. The CR-V EX features gray or black cloth upholstery with an 8-way power driver's seat. The CR-V EX-L has leather seats, and the passenger seat adjusts 4-ways. Between the front seats is the largest console storage bin in the class, with 9 liters of storage space—enough to conceal a small dog. Rear-seat legroom is up by more than half an inch, and the split-folding rear seats now feature eight recline angles. Overall, the 2023 Honda CR-V's interior is both handsome and functional.
Photo: Jack R. Nerad
For 2023, the CR-V offers an impressive number of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) that Honda enhanced compared with the 2022 model. Blind-spot warning, a driver monitoring system, traffic-jam assist, and traffic-sign recognition are now standard. Honda says it tweaked the operations of the adaptive cruise control system with low-speed follow and lane-keeping assistance. Standard rear seat belt reminder and a rear-seat reminder system are new to the CR-V for the 2023 model year. Both are comforting in a vehicle that could often transport children and/or animals in the rear seat. The Honda CR-V's suite of ADAS, including Honda Sensing, also has forward-collision warning, rear cross-traffic warning, automatic emergency braking, and lane-departure warning.
The renewed Honda Sensing suite incorporates a new wide-angle camera and millimeter-wave radar. The new camera features a 90-degree field of view, and the radar offers a 120-degree field. Honda says the wide angles improve collision-prevention performance by giving the system a better ability to recognize the attributes of objects it might "see." It goes beyond recognizing pedestrians and bicyclists to white lines, road boundaries like curbs, vehicles, motorcycles, and road signs. The wide angle also is key to expanded control range at intersections.
On the infotainment front, the systems in the 2023 CR-V mark a significant step forward versus 2022, but there are still some foibles with which to deal. A new 7-inch touchscreen audio system is standard on turbo-engine EX and hybrid Sport trims. It features a simplified menu structure, and Honda is righting some past wrongs by including physical knobs for volume and tuning. Another plus: It is compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
The more lavishly equipped CR-V EX-L has a 9-inch touchscreen with a physical volume knob but no tuning knob. (Much the pity.) More positively, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto plus wireless device charging are also standard. The EX-L comes with an 8-speaker Bose 320-watt audio system. The 9-inch touchscreen display also houses an integrated Honda Satellite-Linked Navigation System with voice recognition and digital real-time traffic information.
The 7-inch digital/analog instrument panel features a digital tachometer on the turbo-powered EX and EX-L trims accompanied by an analog "real" speedometer. The multi-information display features user-selectable functions like Honda Sensing settings and general vehicle information.
Photo: Jack R. Nerad
As the vehicles in the compact SUV segment have gotten bigger, they have also gotten more powerful. For example, the 2010 Honda CR-V is 5.5 inches shorter than the current model and powered by a 180-horsepower engine that produces just 161 pound-feet of torque at a rather peaky 4,40 rpm. In comparison, the 2023 Honda CR-V has a 190-hp turbocharged 1.5-liter -cylinder engine that produces 179 pound-feet of torque. Equally important, it can maintain that peak torque level from 1,700 rpm up to 5,000 rpm. That means in everyday driving that whenever you put your foot deeper into the gas pedal, you will get near-immediate acceleration. Honda has used this same basic engine for the past several years in a number of applications. For the 2023 CR-V, the automaker enhanced it by adding a new turbocharger that offers quicker throttle response. Because of this, the 2023 CR-V is an excellent around-town vehicle. On the highway, it can cruise easily at part-throttle, and it will still have the stuff to make a pass if necessary.
Honda teams the turbo 1.5-liter engine with a CVT, also reworked for the 2023 model year. Enthusiast car reviewers who generally disdain CVTs seem to appreciate the new step-shift programming that enables the transmission to simulate gear-changing during full-throttle acceleration. Most CR-V owners will appreciate that the CVT helps the CR-V deliver excellent fuel economy. The CR-V EX and EX-L with FWD are EPA-rated at 28 mpg city/34 mpg highway/30 mpg combined. EX and EX-L trims with AWD endure a slight penalty of about one mile per gallon.
Across the 2023 CR-V lineup, Honda treats buyers who specify AWD to a sophisticated system the automaker calls Real Time AWD with Intelligent Control System. Its reason for living is to improve traction in slippery conditions like snow and mud. It is available on both conventional turbocharged CR-Vs and the hybrid Sport and standard on the hybrid Sport Touring. One alteration for 2023 enables it to channel as much as 50 percent of engine torque to the rear wheels when that's desirable. In real-world use, it endows the 2023 CR-V with a bit more rear-drive feel for a bit more engaging driving.
With the new 2023 model, the CR-V offers hill-descent control for the first time in its long history. Standard across the AWD models in the line, the system allows drivers to select a downhill speed anywhere between 2 and 12 mph. The system will then maintain that speed on slippery downhills. Three standard selectable drive modes—Normal, Econ, and Snow—supplement the system on EX and EX-L trims.
This package delivers a comfortable, pleasant-to-drive vehicle that hits the sweet spots its customers want it to hit. It's not slow, but it's not excessively fast. It corners and brakes reliably, but it doesn't deliver sharp-edged handling. If that's what you seek, the segment has better choices. But for the broad range of compact SUV buyers, the CR-V's demeanor is spot-on.
The new 2023 Honda CR-V delivers incremental improvements in just about every area. It looks more substantial. It has a better interior, improved infotainment, and enhanced active and passive safety. Buyers already regarded the prior generation as one of the best in the segment. Honda is quite intent on keeping it that way.
Jack R. Nerad has reviewed cars, trucks, vans, and sport utilities for over three decades. He managed the editorial efforts of Motor Trend magazine and Kelley Blue Book and currently is the host of the SportsMap Radio Network program America on the Road, which is available on Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio, Spotify, Stitcher, and other outlets.
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