A larger, wider, and roomier Honda CR-V with a more rugged appearance - 2023 Honda CR-V Review
0Overview
The 2023 Honda CR-V arrives with a whole new look inside and out, the better to do battle in the brutally competitive compact-SUV segment. With grander proportions and more passenger space, the newly designed CR-V has already impressed us, earning another 10Best Trucks and SUVs award for 2023. Its interior has an attractive design inspired by the Civic compact car and is complemented by modern tech, including an infotainment system with an available 9.0-inch touchscreen that has wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Of course, every CR-V also has a host of standard driver assists that include adaptive cruise, blind-spot monitoring, and lane-keeping assist. A 190-hp turbo four is the standard engine; a 204-hp hybrid powertrain is optional. Both can be paired with front- or all-wheel drive, and no matter which engine you choose, the CR-V delivers a comfortable ride and confident—if not exactly exciting—road manners.
What's New for 2023?
The 2023 CR-V kicks off the compact SUV's sixth generation. With it comes a slew of improvements: It's larger overall, sports fresh exterior styling, and has a roomier interior with a more refined design and fancier features. Honda says that it retuned the standard turbo-four engine to be both more responsive and efficient, and the continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) and all-wheel-drive system are said to be improved versus the outgoing model's.
Honda has reworked the CR-V lineup for 2023, distilling it into five trim levels. The LX, EX, and EX-L are gas-only models. The Sport Hybrid and Sport Touring Hybrid come exclusively with the hybrid powertrain, and those are the two we'd recommend most. The front-wheel-drive CR-V Hybrid Sport is tempting. It comes at a reasonable $33,695 starting price and carries an EPA-estimated 43 mpg in the city, beating the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid's city rating, and it comes with stylish black exterior accents, black 18-inch wheels, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel. The Sport Touring Hybrid is more expensive but comes standard with all-wheel drive and a host of luxury features that really elevate the experience.
Engine, Transmission, and Performance
Behind the CR-V's upright grille is a standard 190-hp turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder. It pairs with a CVT and either front- or all-wheel drive. This setup is standard on the LX, EX, and EX-L models. The Sport and Sport Touring only come with the hybrid powertrain, which pairs a 2.0-liter four-cylinder with two electric motors for a combined total of 204 horses. While the Sport can be had with front- or all-wheel drive, the latter is standard on the Sport Touring. At our test track, the Sport Touring Hybrid hit 60 mph in a respectable 7.9 seconds. Every CR-V has hill-descent control that helps modulate the compact SUV's speed on steep or slippery declines when traveling at low speeds. Most models are fitted with a set of 18-inch wheels, with the Sport donning black ones. The Sport Touring gets exclusive 19-inchers that are also painted black. The hybrid models are rated to tow 1000 pounds for the first time. While it lacks the handling thrills we love in the Mazda CX-50 and the Volkswagen Tiguan, the new CR-V provides a smooth ride and enough moxie to avoid being boring.
Fuel Economy and Real-World MPG
The CR-V's powertrain options pit a 190-hp 1.5-liter gas engine against a 204-hp hybrid unit consisting of a 2.0-liter and two electric motors. The front-wheel-drive CR-V with the turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder gets EPA estimates of 28 mpg city and 34 mpg highway, while the most fuel-efficient CR-V is the front-wheel-drive Sport Hybrid which achieves 43 mpg city and 36 mpg highway. We haven't tested the nonhybrid CR-V yet, but when we took the all-wheel-drive Sport Touring Hybrid on our real-world 75-mph highway fuel-economy route, it registered 31 mpg. For more information about the CR-V's fuel economy, visit the EPA's website.
Interior, Comfort, and Cargo
The CR-V's handsome interior design is highlighted by a honeycomb-textured insert spanning most of the dash, discreetly hiding the air vents. The steering wheel frames a partially digital gauge cluster with an analog speedometer and a 7.0-inch display that allows the driver to swap between different informational menus. Honda says the front seats are designed to decrease driver fatigue on long trips and that the new CR-V's driving position has been improved. Between the front-seat passengers is a large center console bin, and behind them are reclining back seats with an extra 0.6-inch of rear legroom compared with the outgoing CR-V. There are 36 cubic feet of cargo space behind the second row and 39 cubes on gas-only models with the adjustable load floor in its lowest position.
Infotainment and Connectivity
The CR-V's infotainment system operates through a 7.0-inch touchscreen on the LX, EX, and Sport trim levels. The setup features physical volume and tuning knobs as well as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.