2017 Honda CR-V 4WD V-Tec Turbo

I had the pleasure of driving this phenomenal vehicle for a 24 hour period, which allowed me to test it in an array of real life situations - like taking the kids to Nana's house, which is always a testing scenario; bags, stroller, bikes, scooter, the kitchen sink.. This car fit the bill perfectly!

The roomy 5 seater had enough space for all the aforementioned 'stuff' and leftovers! The kids were obsessed with the features. Maps was their favourite, although they could see where we were going, the maps added an element which stopped them fighting amongst themselves, and instead, trying to tell me where we were going and how to get there.

The comfort levels of the interior were superb! The leather seats, mixed with an impressive climate control system and a sunroof for that extra air in the 50km/h zone were a treat and, as the driver, I simply felt like I was driving a vehicle designed to get you from A to B in extreme comfort - I can imagine a trip from Wellington to Auckland feeling like a little Sunday drive, rather than an epic day long marathon!

The styling of the exterior was nice, I have never really been a 'fan' of SUV's in the looks department and, to be honest, I still am not, but as far as modern design goes mixed with necessities (see below) this vehicle ticked all the boxes - A nice lady in Foxton did wave at me as if she knew me, but I feel like she was just impressed with the look of the CR-V.

Inside, Apple Car Play is an accessory EVERY modern vehicle should have. Plug in, your connected, your abilities to look at phone whilst driving are taken away meaning that, although you can still use Spotify/Apple Music, your attention is on the road, same with texts, the car (via Siri) will read these aloud and allow easy reply. Great feature to add to the comfort of the interior mentioned previously.

The wheels were the only part of the looks of the car I didn't like. They feel very 80's to me and, whilst I am all for progression and outside of the box, these are NOT what I would consider to be well thought out - If I were to purchase, I would be wrangling a deal to get these replaced immediately! But, from a drivers point of view, as opposed to an aesthetically pleasing point of view, they did not affect my overall pleasure driving the car.

The boot, as already mentioned, offered enough room to move house. I am glad I drove the 5 seat version, as opposed to the 7, as it would be interesting to see how much room is on offer and it is likely there would be far less for those big trips with all the kids in tow. Having said that, we did have plenty left over - so if you had the 7 seater but didn't require them all the time, this wouldn't be an issue. Full sized spare wheel was also good to see - nothing worse than a space saver!

The dash was pretty and one of my favourite things about the car, as weird as that seems. Very highly functional, but, easier to use than most smart phones, allowing you to put what you want in the centre. I chose the Spotify 'playing now' most of the time in the vehicle and had maps on the centre console screen.

Along with the functionality and 'toys' there were some features that the CRV and, in fact, majority of the new range of Honda do provide - Lane Keep Assist (also known by Honda as Road Departure Mitigation), Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Change Warning, to mention a few; all of which were put to the test at different stages - no better sight than seeing the look on your partners face when you remove your hands from the steering wheel to show of lane keep assist.

Heated seats is a feature that, obviously, was not necessary yesterday, but I feel this should be part of any modern day vehicle. In winter, leather is cold and unlikely to heat up in a smart fashion, so the ability to flick a switch whilst you leave the car running prior to leaving for work is absolutely necessary and, as I imagine in the CR-V, a no brainer!

Lastly, the drive: very important factor... The engine provides minimal effort in reaching 50/100km/h and with the CVT gearbox, it feels like you are in a go-kart (is the best way to describe it) as you pull away without any feeling of gear change. Comfortably cruising along at 100, pulling between 2000-2500 RPM, there is little-to-no engine noise, and like most modern vehicles, minimal exterior noise so having a conversation with those around you can be at 'inside voice' levels. My only concern is with the gearbox itself, but maybe it is just me who has an issue with CVT, personally I like to feel gear change and the idea of not having the ability to drop a gear when needed is slightly off putting - this is a minor concern as I read the modern CVT gearboxes are A LOT better than prior models available in the late 90's early 2000's.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the 24 hours I was given with this car. Although I wouldn't buy one for me personally, I would 100% recommend these as a contender if you were in pursuit of an SUV for your next vehicle and I seriously think that, contrary to historical demographics, Honda as a brand is getting younger. No longer is the range designed for and specifically appealing to the 40+ crowd, I look forward to my next chance to drive one of the range!

Overall rating: 8/10

#SUV #Honda #2017