The fourth generation Honda CR-V is the Super CR-V, Akio Tonomura, Honda’s chief engineer for the project, said at the new model’s media preview in Carlsbad.
He said Honda has a “responsibility to be environmentally responsible” and that the CR-V is “appropriate transportation for this day and age and for the owner to be proud of that.”
Since the little SUV’s launch in 1997, Honda has sold nearly 5 million of them, all with four-cylinder engines and an efficient, on-demand four-wheel drive system.
The 2012 CR-V is an evolutionary but significant advancement from last year’s model. It is an inch shorter and the overall height is an inch lower, but it is the same width, with more interior room, a lower cargo-loading height and improved fuel economy.
Rather than invest heavily in advanced technologies, such as direct-injection engines or a seven- or eight-speed transmission, Honda stuck to refining the human interface – comfort, convenience, function and style.
Last year’s model still embraced some trucky SUV attributes, including ride quality and road and wind noise. The 2012 CR-V is sedanlike with minivan ingenuity for storage places, such as dual-level door-panel storage and flip-and-fold seats for capacity. It is a quieter ride with an integrated and flowing interior design. The shiny Honda plastic has been replaced with a matte plastic and more soft-touch materials and softer armrests.
One of the team’s proud accomplishments is a re-engineered, one-lever folding system for the back seats. From the cargo area or at the side doors, all it takes is one pull on a lever and the seat bottom flips forward, the headrest folds and the seatback flops down to form a flat cargo floor. One or both of the 60/40 split seats can be one-hand lowered, with no binding or interference from the seat belts. And it’s just as simple to push the seats back into place.
