Honda CR-V e:HEV

Regular hybrid version of Honda's largest SUV promises gains in efficiency and practicality On sale October Price from £45,895

- Dan Jones

EVOLUTION CAN OFTEN be more effective than revolution, and with five generations of CR-V already under its belt, it would seem Honda has taken this to heart with this sixth iteration, which is more efficient, bigger inside and better equipped than its predecessor. What's more, you can now have it as either a regular e:HEV hybrid (our focus here) or an e:PHEV plug-in hybrid.

Both versions use a 181bhp 2.0-litre petrol engine; the only difference is that the e:HEV gets four-wheel drive (whereas the e:PHEV is two-wheel drive) and a much smaller battery.

As with the e:PHEV that we tested last month, the e:HEV offers livelier performance than its pedestrian 0-62mph time of 9.4sec (which is slower than what rivals such as the Toyota RAV4 can manage) might suggest. The electric motor's instant shove helps to get the CR-V off the line with alacrity, and it responds willingly if you ask for a burst of acceleration for overtaking or joining a motorway.