Gadgetory

if the Honda cr-v didn't invent the crossover segment it certainly solidified it so the company has a lot at stake when it does a major refresh the 2012 CRV is exactly that let's drive it and check the tech now the first thing you've noticed I'm sure about the new CRV is well that's a CRV it doesn't look so pedestrian so cheap to be honest it looks like a much richer car it's got a bigger presence on the road especially from the rear it is interestingly now also the entry-level SUV from Honda since the element is gone now this new CRV for 2012 starts about 23 grand but that's not the CRV we're in we're in the top trim level with the top technology this is an e XL with navigation and only the EXL trim level can have navigation bear that in mind you can't get an inexpensive CRV and have that head unit which might be okay because that nav system annoys me it's functional but it's fugly that should be their new trademark it's okay to use it's fine it tortures a bunch of the letters and the readouts it's one of the oldest systems on the market today and it's got nothing that recommends it more than me so take it as what it is standard audio in this car is 160 watts and 4 speakers but of course we're in the high trim car so it's 7 speakers and that includes a subwoofer and we've got 300 and something watts instead of a scan hundred and 60 now what's coming out of those speakers some new choices first of all check this out I've now got Pandora integration through an iPhone connection that's pretty cool and you can get to your station list you can operate the transport you can do all of that right there from the screen that's a first for Honda you do the thumbs-up and thumbs-down function that key Pandora feature but you can't create station so you got to do that back on your phone but they do show up nicely now this 2012 CRV also has built-in Bluetooth hands-free that's fine but also bluetooth streaming we've also got a USB pigtail down here where the iPhones plugged in you can also plug in a USB thumb drive so you've got almost all the modern options for audio with the exception of HD radio and no hard drive which is no problem to me now the Bluetooth hands-free technology's got a new trick in it as well now built-in base you've got text reception and reply on the screen check this out there's my text coming in and I hit the read button and it shows me it visually as well as reading it to me in her goofy voice yo dog saw you in a 300 now you're in a Honda's business back then I've got these canned responses I can send back as his current Honda fashioned and I like it they've got this multi display up here that goes to about four or five screens there's your media readout your efficiency readout that could be a piece of wallpaper put a photo there real dumb or you could go back to your basic clock and of course navigation can always take on this screen now and let that become sort of a rich helper screen one choice only on this guy for a gearbox a five-speed automatic they get a CVT in the Japanese market I understand but here strictly the five-speed no manual notice when I go into reverse what happens I get a rear camera with three views now I checked it out just walked around back there and it's just one camera so they're doing some cropping basically of the image or taking a different piece of the sensor it works okay the visual quality is not the best I've seen and notice you do have guidelines but they don't predict trajectory they just give you a basic sort of a distance read tried and true up here in the engine bay a Honda 2.4 litre inline-four sitting sidesaddle front-wheel drive is bass all wheel drives available 185 horse 163 foot-pounds of torque both of those are up just a little bit from the outgoing CRV gets this guy 216 about nine seconds weighs well over two tons by the way mpg is 23 31 and front-wheel drive get the back wheels to start helping out you lose one mpg per count then there's that econ button in the dash that intrigues me let's go drive the whole package okay let's go for a ride now I've got the econ button on I'm getting these big green bars on either side of the speedo there and that's going to show me that I'm driving in a green fashion almost too obviously and if I step on it that goes away really numbs out the throttle response when you're in econ it seems to be one of the first things it does and I suspect it's holding gears a little less lengthily the rides nice it doesn't have any of those harsh moments on kind of a crappy Road right now and I'm not getting those pointy inputs from the bad asphalt which is a good thing as this car has gotten nicer looking on the outside it needs to ride in a way that goes with that CRVs to me I've always sold well partly because they feel light they're not a big handful to drive and this continues that trend if you like the feeling of a lighter well most a one-finger driving experience the CRV is still your boy and we've got the all-wheel-drive model here and I can tell you this Honda has upgraded that all-wheel drive technology a little bit so it isn't rare that you get the rear wheels in the picture they are feathered in I understand a little more frequently in everyday driving than they used to be not that it's an off-roader but it will give you better traction in challenging driving conditions and that mir-1 MPG drop for all-wheel drive that's a pretty good sacrifice you