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With this in mind, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to find out what’s in store for the 2005 Honda CR-V. Again, not wanting to mess with its formula for success, it’s a careful evolution of the second-generation model. It doesn’t have any crisscrossing angry eyes or roof mounted fog lights. Of course, it should be remembered that design wasn’t the CR-V’s forte. It never won any daring design awards, and with this new one, it still won’t. However, what’s more important is that it works. The new-four eyed headlamp cluster may look a tad nerdy, but it gives this CR-V better nighttime visibility. And so does the round fog lamps that throw a wider beam, preventing accidental collision with highway crossing mutts. The new horizontally slatted grille may add some ‘bling-bling’ factor, but it takes careful eye to notice. The same is true for the new alloys, which don’t just change design, but add an inch in overall diameter (16-inch versus 15-inch). Inside, it’s pretty much the same banana: bland and dreary, but ergonomic and efficient. The gauges may be new (and they’re nice) and so are the Civic 2.0 front seats, but that’s about it. Space is still best in class despite what its rivals say, and the controls are perfectly sound. Speaking of sound, the new Alpine 6-disc in-dash is superb. It features CD-RW support and MP3—so 700mb roughly per disc multiplied by 6 and you have more hours of music than a jukebox! The list goes on and on, but the drift should be well taken at this point: you don’t buy the CR-V for its looks (whether inside or out). So, besides the awesome stereo, why on God’s good earth would you consider it against the likes of the Toyota RAV4 and Ford Escape / Mazda Tribute (which don’t really lag that far behind in space and features)? A clue lies under the hood. As with the first-generation CR-V, engineers have given this refreshed second-generation model more muscle courtesy of 2.4-liters of i-VTEC power. On paper, the additional 20 percent of displacement didn’t do much: 10 more horses and 28 Nm more torque. However, like its looks, the CR-V isn’t about ‘in-your-face’ performance, it’s about refinement. Like Leonardo Da Vinci vis-à-vis other renaissance painters, turn the key and the electric starter kicks this smooth engine to life. There’s no rough idling, no unevenness—no wonder it’s the same engine found underneath the hood of the Accord and even the Acura TSX. It’s that bloody good. What’s more, this engine is made available with a manual ‘box—something that can be said with the Accord. A typical Honda transmission, the gates are well defined and the shift strokes short and sweet. Unfortunately, whether it’s based on the Civic or not, the linkage is on the rubbery side though never frustrating. What’s irritating though is the jerky clutch pedal which can rob the CR-V some good acceleration figures. That said enough practice can make it a joy to operate in traffic. In addition, the short gearing makes this compact SUV a fuel sipper—just consuming 8.28 km/L despite the increased displacement. The only thing lacking on the CR-V to make it a perfect weekend adventurer is a larger fuel tank. In city driving, the range is a miserable 350 kilometers between fill ups. |
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