2023 Honda CR-V News

When it comes to reliable transport, Honda and Toyota are among the top contenders in the automotive industry - over the years, the Japanese conglomerates have consistently topped reliability charts and outperformed American brands like Ford and Chevrolet.

Aside from making some of the most popular models, Honda is also the world’s largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines, this, combined with years of expertise has led to Honda garnering quite a foothold in the global automotive space.

Among the popular models from the Japanese brand is the compact Honda CR-V crossover. Starting its life in 1997, it didn’t take long for the CR-V to become a favorite among American households.

Thanks to its versatility and robust build, Honda was able to churn-out a lot of CR-Vs over its multi-decade run; with millions on the road and counting, it’s easy to conclude how successful the CR-V is in this hotly contested segment.

For the 2023 model year, Honda has introduced the newly-updated CR-V with tons of feature upgrades and styling tweaks; also, engine options got improved over the outgoing model, as well as the all-wheel-drive system and CVT transmission.

UPDATED OCTOBER 2022: The 2023 Honda CR-V is a key player in the compact SUV segment, we revisit the successful model and go back over its key strengths and features.

2023 Honda CR-V Gets Two Inline-four Engines

The powertrains on offer are basically the same units found in the outgoing model - firstly, there is a 1.5L turbo-four producing 190 horsepower and 179 lb-ft of torque - buyers can choose to have either front-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive, but the only available gearbox option is a CVT transmission.

This powertrain is available as standard on the EX and EX-L trim levels, but move up to the Sport and Sport Touring, and you get a 2.0L four-cylinder with two electric motors, putting out a combined 204 horsepower and 247 lb-ft of torque.

Front-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive can get optioned on the Sport trim, while the Sport Touring gets all-wheel-drive as standard.

We don’t expect the compact crossover to veer off from its well-established reputation as a fairly unassuming and modest people carrier - we are pretty certain that Honda has kept the civilian roots of the Honda CR-V very much intact.

However, Honda says the new CR-V drives sportier overall thanks to a stronger, revised chassis boasting 15 percent increased torsional stiffness and stiffer sub-frames front and rear.

It remains to be seen if these improvements are enough to give the new CR-V a noticeably sportier edge, though.

2023 Honda CR-V Comes With Contemporary Interiors

Via: Honda

Honda has done their bit to keep the new generation CR-V upmarket and sophisticated; although we wouldn’t call it 'segment-best', there are still quite a lot of useful features offered in the 2023 Honda CR-V.

You get a 7-inch color instrument display with a physical speedometer to the right - Honda’s decision to go with a part-digital display in this day and age is disappointing.

However, the saving grace is wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto: you can access these smartphone connectivity features on a 9.0-inch HD color touchscreen.

The bigger screen gets offered only on the EX-L and Sport Touring trims - entry-level EX and Sport trims are available with a smaller 7.0-inch screen with wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but what you will appreciate is the tactility of the rotary knobs that operate the climate control and the 12-speaker Bose premium audio offered on the top-spec Sport Turing.

Via: Honda

Honda claims the 2023 CR-V has excellent rear passenger space, which we don’t think is false advertising.

There is ample amount of room on offer, and the extra space goes primarily toward rear passenger comfort: all this is good news, considering the CR-V gets marketed as a compact SUV.

As for practicality, the CR-V has a cavernous trunk, offering 36 cubic feet of cargo space in the Hybrid models, while gas-powered CR-Vs get an additional three cubic feet with the adjustable load floor - you’ll also find usable cubby spaces on the door cards and below the center console.

Are These Upgrades Enough To Make The 2023 Honda CR-V The Best Compact SUV?

Via: Honda

The CR-V is already a successful nameplate in the US.

With the additional feature and styling upgrades, its appeal has only gone up; plus, you also get Honda’s reliability as standard.

What reviewers have mentioned is how well-put-together the whole car feels: plastic quality is great, and things apparently have engineering with longevity in mind.

As for pricing, we expect the 2023 Honda CR-V to start from $29,000 for the EX trim, while the top-spec Sport Turing should cost around $39,000.

Sure, the new CR-V is more expensive than its predecessor; but times are a-changin', and you get a lot of kit for the money.

It’s an all-new platform, and things are more sophisticated and in line with modern standards, so perhaps overall, the 2023 Honda CR-V is made of a winner.

Since this article got published, we saw via Honda's press page that production of all-new 2023 Honda CR-V began in North America in the latter part of 2022.

The CR-V's main rivals are the Mazda CX-5, Hyundai Tucson and of course, the Toyota RAV4 - the latter features a 2.5-liter, naturally-aspirated 4-cylinder with an 8-speed automatic transmission and up to 204 hp, but it lacks the hybrid option of the CR-V as of October 2022.

Source: Honda