We were mighty impressed with the new sixth generation 2023 Honda CR-V after testing an EX-L a few weeks ago. But this review used the word “incremental” because while the vehicle’s interior and driving environment had undoubtedly improved, no new ground was evidently broken. The performance and fuel efficiency of the powertrain – a supercharged 1.5-liter inline four engine and a continuously variable automatic transmission – hadn’t changed.
That characterization absolutely doesn’t apply to the new hybridized CR-V, which features a vastly revised hybrid powertrain and a whole new attitude that starts with it not being positioned as a hybrid model in its own right. If you want your 2023 CR-V to be a hybrid—and you do—look for the Sport or Sport Touring badging. As well as superior fuel economy, these two models offer the sportiest and smoothest ride, with the Sport Touring being the best equipped of the range. The sports duo can also be identified on dealer lots by its black accents, including the grille and grille bar, roof rails, alloy wheels and mirror housings.
The qualitative difference is obvious even after closing the door and driving a few hundred meters. The Hybrid instills a sense of structural rigidity and utter tranquility that you don’t expect as if it were a much more expensive machine. Like all 2023 CR-Vs, the hybrid models benefit from a more rigid bodywork, made with the addition of structural adhesive alongside the usual spot welds. The front and rear subframes are beefier, and there’s more soundproofing in the hood, firewall, and behind the instrument panel. But the hybrid goes even further, with a stronger connection between the B-pillar and the floor, thicker front quarter windows (noise-insulated on the Sport Touring) and an insulated windshield.
Additionally, the Sport Touring’s suspension soaked up rough roads almost as if they had been freshly repaved, with no wobble or rumble transmitted into the cabin. The steering did the trick of delivering good mid-feel and deft response while not feeling too light or too tight, and the hybrid’s sportier suspension tune and thicker sway bars delivered confidence-inspiring response and C/D The measured value of 0.85 g sticks to fairly pedestrian all-season rubber. But the prevailing impression is one of substance, a feeling that the CR-V Hybrid beats its weight even on some twisty back roads with damaged pavement.
HEIGHT: A well-tuned chassis feels solid, less weepy and vibrating than turbo CVT trims, fuel economy pays for itself within typical ownership time.
The effect of all this is enhanced by the absence of a continuously variable automatic transmission. The hybrid is instead powered (mostly) by a 181-hp AC synchronous electric motor. This isn’t a pure electric vehicle, however, as its battery, a tiny 1.1kWh lithium-ion unit, is designed for storage, not removal. (Ironically, the battery eats into the storage, raising the cargo floor flush with the sill and trimming the cargo capacity from 39 to 36 cubic feet.) When we hit the loud pedal during our acceleration runs or climbed an incline, the 145-horsepower 2.0 Die The primary role of the 1-litre Atkinson engine was that of a stationary real-time generator in partnership with a second 161hp electric machine, which is thoroughly ignored in the spec panel below because it’s just a generator – and also the starter motor.
Accelerating hard from a dead stop, you’ll hear multiple engine rpm jumps that sound like gear shifts, but the action lacks any hiccups of acceleration or a sense of shift shock. That’s because the engine in this scenario is just a series hybrid generator and the rev fluctuations are there just for show, a deliberate programmatic dance that delivers the power needed while avoiding the CVT-like roar we all loathe . Meanwhile, the electric motor pulls through steadily, hence the total lack of head movement with each Simu upshift.
Although our test car was a 3914-pound four-wheel-drive model, its 7.9-second run from 60 mph was quicker than that of a 302-pound lighter front-wheel-drive EX-L, which we set at 8.3 seconds had. The hybrid also overtook the EX-L on the quarter, 16.3 seconds to 16.4, but the fact that its trap speed of 85 mph was beaten by the turbo’s 88 mph shows that the hybrid setup not made with prolonged high-speed acceleration in mind. After all, the 145 hp engine can only shovel so much coal in the direction of the 181 hp electric motor.
But the engine isn’t just a generator, and major changes made this year have given it more time to shine. For the first time, they also allow the hybrid to tow – only 1000 pounds, but it’s something. This is because the combustion engine, electric motor and generator are no longer on the same axis. They’ve been moved off-axis from each other, allowing the engine to be engaged into the mix to drive the wheels directly in two ratios, not just one as was the case last year. Add a third ratio for the electric motor drive and you have a three-speed automatic unlike anything you’ve seen before.
Michael Simari|car and driver
The main scenario in which the engine is turned on is steady state cruising, when the efficiency of the Atkinson cycle engine as a direct drive unit is better than if it were relegated to generator duties. Low gear lock-up can occur between 12 and 50 mph, while high gear can engage between 50 and 68 mph. When driving on the freeway, the engine is likely to do the work on its own, with only slight increases or decreases in rpm relative to speed. But if the incline tips over or you need extra momentum, the electric motor can and will join in. This year’s maximum combined power output is 204 hp, an improvement over the last model’s 201 hp. (212 hp was reported at launch, but switching to an ISO horsepower from an SAE methodology drops it to 201.)
LOWS: Slightly shrunken cargo space with no under floor storage, too bad there is no plug-in hybrid version, 91 octane recommended (but thankfully not required).
At the pump, the extra power, newfound towability and a bit of weight gain from year to year have taken the slightest bit of shine off the fuel economy numbers. Our four-wheel-drive test sample is rated at 37 mpg combined (40 city and 34 highway), and it earned 31 mpg on our 75-mile highway fuel economy test. Last year’s model was good for 38mpg combined (40 city and 35 highway), and our long-term 2021 sample scored 29 and 31mpg in two attempts at the same test.
There’s never been a front-wheel drive CR-V hybrid, but now it’s in the CR-V Sport. It has a convincing combined figure of 40 mpg (43 city and 36 highway). This is possible because, unlike some Toyota hybrids we can name, the rear-wheel drive system uses a rear driveshaft from the gearbox instead of a rear-mounted electric motor. Making a front-wheel drive version is as easy as leaving the rear-wheel drive mechanics on the shelf. Likewise, changing the torque split from 60/40 to 50/50, like on this new model, is a simple mechanical issue for Team Honda.
In pure dollar terms, the new hybrids make a lot of sense. The Sport resembles a hybrid version of the EX, and we expect the $1340 price difference will pay itself back in less than three years, depending on annual mileage and local fuel costs. But that’s missing a few points: you also get crisper handling, more power, improved drivability and better noise, vibration and harshness, not to mention a couple of USB-C ports in the rear and a leather steering wheel and shifters. In the case of the Sport Touring versus the EX-L, the price difference is $3340, but here we also have to mention the Touring’s 19-inch wheels, 12-speaker Bose stereo, heated steering wheel, rain-sensing wipers and the Handsfree take into account power tailgate and other goodies. At the most expensive extreme, you won’t break the $40,000 mark unless you opt for a premium color. The base and tested price of our test sample is $39,845.
All of this makes the Sport and Sport Touring CR-V hybrids quite compelling, and that’s on top of the upgraded interior, appealing cockpit, accessible infotainment, and other “incremental” improvements that the 2023 Honda CR-V im generally wasted. From a hybrid perspective, everything feels more substantial. Incretantial, anyone? How about subcremental? You decide. Both work for us.
specifications
specifications
2023 Honda CR-V Hybrid Sport Touring
Vehicle Type: Front Engine, Front Engine, 4WD, 5 Passenger, 4 Door Wagon
PRICE
Base/as tested: $39,845/$39,845
Options: none
POWERTRAIN
DOHC 16-valve 2.0 liter Atkinson cycle inline-4, 145 hp, 138 lb-ft + AC motor, 181 hp, 247 lb-ft (combined power: 204 hp, 247 lb-ft; 1.1 kWh lithium-ion battery pack)
Transmission: direct drive
CHASSIS
Suspension, F/R: Struts/Multilink
Brakes, F / R: 12.3″ ventilated disc / 12.2″ disc
Tires: Continental CrossContact LX Sport
235/55R-19 101H M+S
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 106.3 inches
Length: 184.8 inches
Width: 73.5 inches
Height: 66.5 inches
Passenger volume: 104 ft3
Cargo volume: 36 ft3
Empty weight: 3914 lbs
C/D TEST RESULTS
60mph: 7.9s
1/4 mile: 16.3 sec at 85 mph
100mph: 24.7s
The above results leave out a 0.4 second 1 foot rollout.
Rolling Start, 5-60 mph: 8.0 sec
Top gear, 30-50 mph: 3.6 sec
Top gear, 50-70 mph: 5.2 sec
Top speed (reg.): 111 mph
Braking, 70-0 mph: 171 ft
Road holding, 300 ft skidpad: 0.85 g
C/D FUEL ECONOMY
Observed: 30 mpg
75-mile highway driving: 31 mpg
75-mile freeway range: 430 miles
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
Combined/City/Highway: 37/40/34 mpg
C/D TEST EXPLAINED
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