The 2023 Honda CR-V has finally been unveiled and as the leaks have shown before, the Japanese automaker’s highly popular compact crossover SUV doesn’t look too different compared to the model it replaces. Now on its sixth generation, Honda is aiming to make the CR-V’s available hybrid powertrain have a higher proportion of sales compared to past generations.
From the outside, the all-new 2023 Honda CR-V comes with evolutionary styling. Rather than completely rewriting the CR-V’s design playbook, Honda took the safe route and carefully enhanced each of the previous model’s details. The result is a CR-V that looks simple but also manages to have more presence than before. There’s a more upright and larger grille, while the standard LED headlights flanking it has a slimmer profile.
The side profile also looks more upright, while the pulled-back A-pillars do two things. Firstly, this gives the CR-V a more athletic silhouette due to the resulting longer hood, while the second added perk is better forward visibility. Combined with the generous glass area and boxier shape, there’s no doubt that it’ll be easier to look out of the new CR-V.
Finally, the rear end of the CR-V looks just as dynamic as the front due to the new LED taillight clusters that give it a distinct light signature. Oh, and it must be mentioned that the all-new CR-V comes in two distinct exterior design themes. At least for America, the standard look is what’s on the EX and EX-L, while Sport and Sport Touring come with sportier bumpers, 19-inch black alloy wheels, and a mesh grille, just to name a few.
The interior of the 2023 Honda CR-V is significantly more premium than the outgoing model, but if it looks way too familiar to you, that’s because it’s nearly identical to the Civic‘s. There’s a generous amount of soft-touch plastics along with a metal honeycomb pattern that hides the aircon vents. A 7-inch partly-digital gauge cluster comes as standard, though weirdly enough, it doesn’t get the larger fully-digital gauges of the Civic. And then as for infotainment, this comes with either a 7-inch screen or a larger 9-inch screen. Both come with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, though the latter’s mode of connection is wireless. Other interior amenities include a Bose sound system and wireless charging on higher variants.
Two powertrain choices are available for the 2023 Honda CR-V, at least in North America. The base engine is a familiar 1.5-liter four-cylinder turbo gasoline engine that produces 190 hp and 243 Nm of torque, while the flagship of the range is a hybrid powertrain that consists of a 2.0-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine mated to a pair of electric motors. Its toral system output is 204 hp and 335 Nm of torque. Both powertrains come with a CVT, driving all four wheels as standard.
The 2023 Honda CR-V also comes with the Honda Sensing suite of advanced driver-assistance tech that includes automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning and lane centering, blind spot warning, rear cross traffic alert, among other features.
Honda’s newest compact crossover SUV will first go on sale in North America this summer already. A Philippine launch will most likely happen in Q2 or Q3 2023.
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