19th July, 2012
It was a beehive of activities at the Ocean View Restaurant, Lagos, as The Honda Place (THP) recently took the wrap off the 4th generation Honda CR-V utility car, making a spectacular showing 16 years after the CR-V was introduced. THP, says the re-launch of the crossover SUV couldn’t have been low-keyed.
Sales and Marketing Director, Mr. Deepak Daryanani, in his presentation said the sedan-like ride with stunning economical four-cylinder engine spectrum and a remarkable handling are rare features that distinguished the CR-V in its class. He said the CR-V has continued to enjoy customer loyalty and increasing sales year-on-year due to its uniqueness, ample passenger room, cargo capacity and competitive pricing. Little wonder, he added, more than a dozen different models from rival automakers have continued to make their way into the mid-sized SUV category.
“Redesigned for 2012, the new Honda CR-V still maintains its previous size, with minimal hardware changes, enough style and feature modification to keep Honda’s top selling crossover fully competitive. And like its predecessor, the remodelled CR-V is offered in familiar LX and EX-L trim levels. While the LX comes pretty well equipped, the EX-L gets additional convenience and luxury features, but without navigation systems for the local market,” Mr. Daryanani said.
A peep in the hood underscores CR-V’s standard 2.4-litre inline four cylinder engine with 185 horsepower and 163 pound-feet of torque’ mated to Honda’s fashionable five-speed transmission, just as all models come in the traditional front wheel drive, safe for the all-wheel drive that is optional. But what exactly makes the new CR-V tick? The list of features, according to the sales and marketing director, is amazing. First is the intelligently thought-out interior with high quality materials; comfortable ride, quieter engine (than before), better road handling and remarkable steering high points.
Other technical features on the new CR-V focus on the next generation mini-utilities, which come as standard, e.g. two info screens, a rear view camera, Bluetooth, and a function that reads incoming text messages from paired phones, provided the phone is a BlackBerry. Honda has also improved on the CR-V’s fuel management system, improving from 21/28mpg city/highway to 23/31mpg and the all-wheel-drive models go from 21/27mpg to 22/30mpg. Mr.
Daryanani said the main goal of the 2012 Honda CR-V is to be an excellent family vehicle as affirmed by test drivers.