COMFORT
The driving position is a high one, even on the lowest setting, but it’s comfortable and perfectly good for long journeys. We did a three-hour drive in it with no comfort issues at all. There’s plenty of room for all five occupants and the rear seats move independently of each other.
The interior of the car is quite plasticky with no soft touch areas, but the plastics feel durable and practical, in keeping with the family aim of the CR-V. Nothing feels flimsy, it’s all well screwed together.
The sound system is also a decent one, with iPod connectivity and an auxiliary input socket and all the controls are laid out in a logical manner.
PRACTICALITY
Practicality is the CR-V’s strong point. The car has been well thought out and designed with the lives of parents and families in mind. As an example, the sunglasses holder located in the roof also doubles as a wide-angle mirror to keep an eye on rear seat occupants – a great feature for those with young children prone to squabbling.
There are storage areas galore. There are two large storage bins in the centre console and a couple of cup holders as well, two glove boxes, door pockets and two cubby holes at the base of the dash. It’s hard to better the CR-V for storage options.
The boot is capacious and the rear seats fold flat for extra luggage hauling. A useful feature is a removable shelf in the boot that allows two storeys of storage.
FEATURES
Standard equipment on the entry-level RVi model includes keyless entry, remote control door mirrors and a radio/CD player with six speakes and USB and auxiliary input sockets for external music players.
The mid-range RVSi model gets 17-inch alloys, high intensity headlights and a sunroof, as well as front fogs and cruise control. Audio controls are mounted on the steering wheel and the mirror auto dims. There’s no automatic windscreen wipers or headlights, which is a shame. A sunroof is also included. A top-spec RVSi also includes leather seats.
SAFETY
Most of the CR-V’s safety features are standard on both models – dual airbags for front seat passengers, active headrests, ABS and Vehicle Stability Assist (Honda’s name for electronic stability control) are all included, while front side airbags are an option.
The RVSi version lets buyers choose the option of adaptive front lighting (which swivels as the steering wheel turns for better visibility at night) and side curtain airbags, if they choose the optional front side airbags.
COSTS
The CR-V is on the pricey side when compared to the likes of the Mistubishi Pajero, Hyundai Santa Fe or even the more premium Volkswagen Tiguan. The RVi model costs from 90,000AED while the RVSi is 103,000AED or 113,000AED for the top-spec model.
Servicing costs are fairly reasonable, with the major 40,000km and 80,000km service costing 1,017AED.
Fuel economy data was unavailable at the time of testing.
PERFORMANCE
