Happily, it gets better at speed; in fact, the CR-V proved to be a very effective way of undertaking long journeys, so as a cruiser it makes a little more sense. There was one disappointing feature here, though, too, in the adaptive cruise control.
This system has a feature which spots when cars are drifting into your lane; sounds sensible, but in reality it’s rather too sensitive. As a result, you find the car braking hard for no apparent reason, in the mistaken belief the car to your left is moving into your lane. Of course, drivers behind you start to wonder why you’re brake testing them, much to your embarrassment.
On one journey, this happened so often I disengaged the cruise control; no great hardship, but then what’s the point in paying for a top-spec model with adaptive cruise control if it doesn’t work very well?
Money on my mind
Talking of pounds and pence, our CR-V would have cost you £39,210 when it was new, the base price of £38,280 boosted by the £550 metallic paint and £380 silver interior panels. Six months later, that price has risen to a heady £39,980. Sounds steep, but let’s not forget this is a top-of-the-range model, with diesel-rivalling fuel economy, four-wheel drive and quite a powerful engine. What’s more, that price still slots in just below the £40,000 threshold for higher road tax, which some of its rivals don’t.
Mind you, the CR-V will still set you back slightly more than a similarly-specified Toyota RAV4 Hybrid – its closest rival, as we discovered when we twin-tested the two cars back-to-back. Indeed, off the back of that experience, we came out in favour of the Toyota overall, which is quieter, smoother, and better finished all round.
Choose a lower specification version, though, and the CR-V starts to make more sense. An SE, for example, still gets you automatic lights and wipers, LED lights, adaptive cruise control – when it works as it should – and dual-zone climate control. You can also specify it with front-wheel drive, instead of four-wheel drive, which will improve its fuel economy.