The 2015 Honda CR-V recently went camping with copy editor Jesse Bishop, who returned impressed by the spacious two-row crossover’s adaptive cruise control/lane departure prevention assist combination but had a few reservations about the CUV overall. Keep reading for his perspective on the long-term CR-V.
Cargo volume was more than sufficient. It fit all we needed (and plenty we didn’t) for a four-day camping trip, and my dog still had the entire back seat to herself. Which was great … until we got into those mountain roads. I can’t really blame the CR-V—it was more that I decided to pretend I was Randy Pobst driving up the mountain. The dog got a bit sick (the first time she ever had a problem in a car), and my girlfriend got a bit concerned (not the first time I’ve made her grab for something to hold going around a corner). Thankfully, double blankets avoided a mess from the dog. Even though the dog didn’t love how the CR-V handled curvy mountain roads and a 6,000-foot elevation climb, I thought it did pretty well. It’s certainly no sports car in those corners, but it never felt like it was laboring.
I could say the same about a similar trip in my girlfriend’s 2008 CR-V, though. Almost everything about our current long-term CR-V seemed familiar, aside from the newer technology. It looks like the old one. Feels like it. Drives like it. What Ron Kiino wrote in a December 2008 update on a 2007 CR-V still seems to apply to our current CR-V: “I was a bit worried that a full load of people and gear would overburden the CR-V … but I was proven wrong. Even trudging up … an elevation gain of over 3,700 feet, the CR-V … had minimal trouble conquering the ascent.” It feels like it might struggle, but it never really does.
We also took it up some unpaved roads—just dirt and boulders. No surprise, the CR-V handled them well. It’s debatable how noteworthy this off-road venture was, though; when we got to the end, we saw a Jetta parked on the side of the road.
One thing I don’t like about the CR-V (and didn’t like on our long-term Honda Fit when I drove that) is how the screen switches to the LaneWatch system’s rearview camera mounted on the passenger side-view mirror when you turn on the right blinker. I get the idea. It shows a better view of your blind spot. But after years of driving without that, I found it a bit disconcerting to go to check my blind spot before switching lanes and there’s this other moving picture distracting me. Maybe you get used to it eventually (and the feature can be turned off), but I mostly found it an unnecessary distraction, an example of technology solving problems that aren’t really problems for most people in most cars.
(Editor’s Note from Zach Gale: To each his own—I’ve become accustomed to the feature and will miss it once my time is up with the CR-V.) A simple beep or vibration to alert the driver of something in the way might better complement the traditional glance at the mirror and over the shoulder.
I do, however, like that you can turn the LaneWatch camera on and leave it on. It was kind of cool (but not altogether helpful considering it looks backward and only on one side) to use that while driving the Jetta-friendly trails. Had the terrain been rougher and had there been a camera on both sides, I could see it being a slight help in judging wheel placement. Considering the CR-V is no Jeep, the few who do go off-road in it are probably novices, so if they ever get into something a bit more tricky, any extra visibility would be nice.
One last thing I liked/didn’t like: the seats. Heated seats are relatively new for me, and I find myself using them regardless of the temperature. That plus the adjustable lumbar support made my lower back happy. Not exactly a Rolls-Royce massaging feature, but it was nice nonetheless, among the better heated seats I’ve experienced. I’m not a big fan of the CR-V’s seats other than that, though (and likewise for those in my girlfriend’s 2008). I’ve always found it difficult to find a comfortable driving position in CR-Vs. Seems like once I find a position that works for my legs, I can’t quite reach the wheel like I want or visibility is less than ideal. The seat position baffles me every time I step inside a CR-V, and I have never quite been able to figure out why.
Zach here: Stay tuned to MotorTrend.com for more updates on our long-term 2015 Honda CR-V on everything from features I’d like to see on a future model to—the horror—what it’s like to daily drive a car without a volume knob.
- Arrival
- Update 1: How Much MPG Does ECON Mode Really Add?
- Update 2: How the CR-V Has Changed My Driving Habits
- Update 3: CR-V or HR-V?
- Update 4: From Econ to Sport Mode: Does it Make a Difference at the Track?
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Source: Motor Trend
