2012 CR-V Proves That Honda And Good Looks Don't Need To Be Strangers

The 2012 CR-V receives all-new sheetmetal, and the result is a more refined look that should give Honda fans some hope for the future. The interior has also been greatly improved, with a more contemporary layout, quick-stow rear seats and gobs of storage, though the top of the instrument panel and door caps are still rendered in hard plastic.

Power comes from Honda's faithful 2.4-liver i-VTEC four-cylinder, with 185 horsepower and 163 pound-feet of torque – thats five more horsepower and two additional lb-ft compared to the outgoing CR-V. The transmission continues to be Honda's tried and true five-speed automatic, which is a bit of a disappointment given the competition's flurry of next-generation gearboxes offering more ratios. Still, Honda promises very competitive fuel economy numbers of 7,58 L/100km on the highway and 10,22 L/100km in the city for the front-wheel drive model. The all-wheel drive variant should deliver an estimated 10,69 L/100km in the city and 7,84 L/100km on the highway.

Honda also pledges to offer more bang for the buck for customers with a range of new standard features. The 2012 CR-V will include standard Bluetooth HandsFreeLink, a multi-angle rearview camera and a full-color information display. The CR-V will also receive SMS text messaging capability, which reads incoming text messages over the audio system.

Honda is also very confident that the CR-V will perform extremely well in safety testing, as the automaker proclaimed during its press conference that this new model will achieve IIHS Top Safety Pick status and net a Five-Star rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.