Honda’s improved CR-V ‘soft roader’ continues to make most sense in diesel form, especially since the introduction of a higher-tech, more powerful i-DTEC engine of this latest facelifted version

Honda’s improved CR-V ‘soft roader’ continues to make most sense in diesel form, especially since the introduction of a higher-tech, more powerful i-DTEC engine of this latest facelifted version. Diesel buyers get an automatic option now too. Even fewer reasons then, for ignoring this model if you’re shopping in this sector.

Before you put pen to paper and commit to purchase a Honda CRV 2.2 i-DTEC for around £22,000, you’ve got to be ruthlessly honest with yourself. In fact, you’ve got to undertake an exercise in merciless self-flagellation the like of which virtually no other car imposes upon you. How so? Well, this Honda is a 4x4 that even its manufacturers tacitly admit is next to useless off road. They know it and you know it. Therefore, you are not in the pretence game. You’re buying this car to drive on the road and are accepting the compromises and perceptions therein.

Of course, you could kid yourself that this diesel model you’ve bought is better equipped should you ever feel the need to tackle a gently inclined gravel drive but let’s get real. The benefits of this 2.2-litre oil burner are really felt when a); flying past yet another fuel station with half a tank still showing and b); feeling a juicy surge of torque when you jink off the roundabout and down the motorway on-ramp.

The advantages of this car over its petrol sibling are largely in convenience and that additional engine muscle, boosted usefully with this i-DTEC engine over its CTDi predecessor. There’s now another 10Nm of pulling power, with the total up to 350Nm, and 150PS of power (up 10PS). It can now be pared with a freshly developed 5-speed automatic gearbox.

It handles well too. Unlike many 4x4s in this sector of the market, the CR-V doesn’t feel the least bit top heavy. So many of its rivals pitch and lurch along, generating what chassis engineers describe as ’head toss’ in their unfortunate occupants. The CR-V is different thanks to a taut suspension backed up by Honda’s revolutionary Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) system. This electronic stability control package is one of the most advanced around, offering another dimension to the more rudimentary stability control systems that nip at a brake to keep the car on the road when things get skiddy. VSA applies brake pressure to the wheel that slips and redirects driving force to the wheel with better traction. Using no fewer than seven sensors, VSA brakes the outside front and rear wheels during a tail slide and applies braking force to the inside front and rear wheels if the nose runs wide.

"A useful step forward if you like the idea of a CR-V and are set on a diesel version?."

A multi-plate clutch and twin hydraulic pumps ensure that power can be directed to the wheels that can best deploy it, the Real Time 4WD system only directing power to the rear wheels if the system senses a difference in rotational speed between the front and rear. Hydraulic fluid is pumped to the rear in proportion to the amount of slippage. Honda is once again open that this system is designed to aid road driving if it’s wet or snowy and not as an effective off-road driving tool. Fully independent suspension all round with a multilink rear set-up is the key to the CR-V’s tidy cornering abilities and the centre of gravity has been dropped by fully 35mm compared to its predecessor.

And those improved looks? Well, there’s a fresh front bumper and grille, a revised rear bumper, and colour coded bumpers on EX grades. There are smarter alloy wheels and upgraded fabrics and plastics inside, giving the CR-V interior a more premium finish. A slicker audio console design has also been introduced, while improved sound deadening around the engine and cabin makes the CR-V an even quieter and more relaxing car to drive.

The shape of the CR-V hints at the fact that this is no shrunken Hummer. The coupe-like roofline is reminiscent of the Lexus RX series, while the stance is low slung and hunched. The front end is very distinctive, with an unusual ‘smiling’ grille section that fits flush to the projector-style headlamps. A choice between 17 and 18-inch alloy wheels also underscores the Honda’s on-road mission. Other 4x4 cues have also been ditched, one by one. The tail-mounted spare wheel has been excised, replaced by one that sits under the load compartment floor. The tailgate also opens like a conventional hatchback – side openings being deemed a little passé.

The rear seats split 60:40 at the base and 40:20:40 at the back and slide back and forth to maximise either leg or luggage room. They even recline to really let rear passengers flake out on longer trips. When not required, the rear seats can be tumbled forwards and stowed upright to create a space big enough for a pair of mountain bikes. You won’t even need to remove the front wheels. Extra versatility is served up with the ‘Double Deck’ luggage storage system created by a shelf that sits just over a foot off the load floor. This hinged slab allows luggage below to remain easily accessible but out of view.

Prices for the i-DTEC CR-V models start at around £21,500 and rise to just over £26,000 – comparable in other words to obvious rivals like Toyota’s RAV4 and Land Rover’s Freelander2. Equipment levels are generous with features like an eight-way powered driver’s seat, leather upholstery, front and rear parking sensors and a rear-view camera offered according to trim level.

Company car buyers will be able to swing the argument in terms of carbon dioxide taxation but for the vast majority of CR-V drivers, trying to justify this diesel version in terms of pounds and pence over its petrol sibling just isn’t going to happen. Here’s why. Most will use their CR-V as a suburban scoot with the occasional trip to the coast thrown in and never rack up the sort of mileages that will claw back the price premium the diesel model is saddled with. Still, the fuel figures look good: you should easily be able to average 45mpg on a regular basis.

The Honda CR-V benefits from some of the highest residual values of any mid priced compact 4x4, with the 2.2 i-DTEC retaining a hefty 57% of its original value after three years. Compare that to 50% for the equivalent Nissan X-Trail, 52% for the Toyota RAV4, and 56% for the BMW X3 2.0d SE. The only car to pip the Honda in this regard is Land Rover’s Freelander which works out very similarly in terms of cost per mile to the Honda. If you want to go off road, choose the Land Rover, if not go for the Honda. Some choices are as easy as that.

The Honda CR-V i-DTEC offers a useful step forward if you like the idea of a CR-V and are set on a diesel version. The i-DTEC engine is smoother, more powerful, more frugal and greener. But it has some tough competition. Still, the CR-V’s trump card remains a distinctly car-like feel which, for a vast majority of customers, is the one thing they want allied to that commanding ride height and keen practicality. Although it aims at a limited brief, this car does the job with ruthless efficiency.