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2015 Motor Trend SUV/ Crossover of the year goes to Honda CR-V

Think Oscar night win for an Indie Film producer or director. Honda has cost-effectively and over-standard optioned the U.S. Big 3 automakers, BMW, Lexus, Infiniti, Kia, Optima, Porsche and all comers in the fastest growing automotive segment in North America. 2015 Honda CR-V offers greatest standard feature value in class.

Built in Liberty Ohio, 4 generations and 2 million CR-Vs have been sold in North America.

Torque News-Honda was invited by American Honda Motors in September to participate in the 2015 CR-V roll-out. While skeptical at first,(CR-V was not my favorite Honda) we were blown away by the measurable improvements Honda has made to what was already North America’s best selling small SUV, 7 out of the past 10 year, I discovered the benefits of improved ride,“EarthDreams” engine and the best CVT transmission in the class.

For us, the drive was an eye opener and a game changer. Two weeks before we spent the weekend driving the Santa Cruz mountains in a 2014 CR-V and didn’t like it. I found the interior noise level to be high, ride harsh and lacking usable mid-range torque. It’s not that 2014 was a bad production year for CR-V.. Afterall, we had just stepped out a an Acura RLX; much like comparing apples to oranges.

2015 CR-V is the benchmark of the segment

What Honda has done here is take a small utility crossover, increased standard feature value, improved interior finishes, increased fuel efficiency and added torque to the midrange. Gone is the day of the high revving, gear searching, underpowered and cramped CR-V.

At 6’5” (I) found the much improved perforated leather covered driver’s seat to be infinitely adjustable and comfortable. All controls and gauges are placed within eye level and centered appropriately. Head and shoulder room is more than adequate and the rear 40/60 split rear bench is “ top of class for sitting comfort and legroom.

For the first time CR-V features rear centered heating and cooling. Well done Honda!

Ford Escape and Toyota Rav4 can’t touch Honda CR-V

We drove the competition while in Huntington Beach. None came close to the combined performance and creature-comfort attributes of 2015 Honda CR-V, none! While Ford Escape marks # 2 sales in the segment, its ride, power, electronics and overall finish quality pales in comparison to CR-V. There’s also a greenhouse (cage forward) tunnel-like visual inherent to the competition that you won’t find in CR-V. It’s not that the competition is bad, simply put, for the dollar spent, CR-V is that much better.

What we discovered

EarthDreams i-VTEC 4 cylinder: New, better fuel efficient and greater mid-range torque.
CVT:( continuous variable transmission) greater fuel economy and less automatic rev and gear search.

Improve ride: Honda has improved the suspension dampening on CR-V while reducing body roll in sweeping turns.

Discovering lower brake pedal pressure, better braking: Honda has reduced the required pedal compression pressure by 6 lbs while reducing brake heating and fade.

More value for the $: With a beginning MSRP of $23,900 + tax and applicable fees, Honda has incrementally increased the standard features on CR-V while holding the bottom line. Note: Honda has held the price increase on CR-V to below $250(Touring excluded) while adding $650 in standard features.

Higher quality interior finishes: Improved seating surfaces, soft plastic laminates and trims. Superior sound deadening, door and window seals.

Exterior improved grill styling,new rim design, cowling, mirrors and improved color pallet.

2015 CR-V Touring: Check it out, for those that want more, Touring offers all the bells and whistles, state of the art passive and active safety electronics, LaneWatch, crash avoidance, power liftgate and more.

You may read my driving experience with CR-V here.

Congratulates Honda for a job well done