On the road (or off it), you can’t fault the CR-V’s performance.  It’s still no sedan, but it is easily the best in its class.  There’s a degree of understeer and body roll, but it’s manageable and safe.  The ride is equally hard to beat as this SUV rides all sorts of bumps quite well without being too wallowy.  If needed, the CR-V can engage its rear wheels for added traction.  Dubbed by Honda as “Real-Time All-Wheel Drive”, it manages to remain transparent in its operation.  There’s no switch or anything—this time Honda lets the computer do its thing.

And that pretty much summarizes this new CR-V—competent and capable, but distant and cold. It’s like a good PC or mobile phone: it does what it’s told to do, but you don’t feel any sort of attachment to it.  It’s a Dell when you could have gotten an i-Book or a Casio instead of a Rolex.  It works, and it works extremely well.  However, Honda’s cautiousness in this market segment may soon work against them.  With so many choices, the people are more than ready for just a mere evolution.  They are ready for a leap of faith.  But, don’t get it wrong, the CR-V is an excellent SUV.  However, its continued success hinges on something more than mere improvement.

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