Leading From The Front

The CR-V has been the best-selling SUV in the U.S. since its introduction two decades ago. With a record like that, changing its appearance, much less a majority of the parts, is risky, so complete overhauls like this are rare.

- Chris Walton

With a new platform, sheet metal, interior, and almost everything else, the CR-V is a bold but necessary step. Honda has been rightly criticized for playing it safe with its so-called redesigns. But the new CR-V proves the company still has the spark that first drew our admiration.

THE LINEUP

The 2017 CR-V grows in every exterior and most interior dimensions. The wheelbase is 1.6 inches longer, overall length has increased 1.2 inches, width and height have grown by 1.4 inches, and ground clearance is up by 1.5 inches. Despite this growth spurt, Honda shed 50 to 150 pounds from the last-gen CR-V, depending on trim, and its weight bias is shifted slightly rearward. Inside, a slimmer A-pillar improves visibility, headroom increases by a fraction of an inch, front legroom remains generous, and rear legroom stretches by 2.1 inches.

Honda paid particular attention to the cargo area. Its volume grows by 2 cubic feet with all seats occupied and by nearly 5 cubic feet when the rear seats are stowed (75.8 cubic feet total). That makes it a class leader. A new full-flat floor comes in at just over 5 feet of length. The rear cargo floor also has a two-tiered position, and a hands-free “kick” power up/down liftgate is available, as well.

The 2017 CR-V has aluminum wheels and four-wheel disc brakes, and it’s available in front- or all-wheel drive (for $1,300 extra). The SE is gone, and only the LX trim carries forward the aged 184-hp, 180-lb-ft 2.4-liter I-4. The price spread is almost $10,000, from $24,945 for an LX FWD to $34,595 for a Touring AWD. As is Honda’s way, there are no options per se but five distinct trims with escalating feature content.