The 2015 Honda CR-V features a host of mechanical upgrades.FAST FACTSModel: 2015 Honda CR-VExterior color: Modern SteelInterior color: GrayEngine: 2.4-liter, four cylinderHorsepower: 185Transmission: Continuously variableFuel economy: 34 mpg highway, 27 mpg cityDealer: Economy HondaPrice (as tested): $28,900
Little things about Honda vehicles make me smile.
The perfect tension on the seat-belts, the silky ergonomics of the climate-control dials, the way the rear head-rests fold away for improved vision. Everywhere you look in a Honda, there is evidence of design engineers relentlessly striving for perfection.
Nowhere is this evolutionary fervor more important than in the Honda CR-V, America's best-selling compact SUV. With the Toyota RAV-4 and the Ford Escape providing fierce competition, Honda designers have to be on their toes to protect the CR-V's dominant market share.
The 2015 reboot is crucial to Honda, which sold an astonishing 300,000 CR-Vs last year -- right up there with Civic and Accord. Not content to do mere touch-ups, Honda gives the 2015 CR-V a new direct-injection engine and a new continuously variable transmission. In addition to the improved mechanicals, which lift fuel economy about 12 percent, there are also some a meaningful design upgrades, including a reworked fascia, new bright-work on the rear hatch and a more attractive dash.
Our test vehicle this week, a CR-V in EX-L trim, is provided by Economy Honda. It carries a sticker price of $28,900 and includes such standard features as leather seating surfaces, moon-roof and our favorite safety feature, a LaneWatch camera that makes passing on the freeway a breeze. Base CR-Vs start at $23,320.
Fuel economy, always a CR-V selling point, is up to 34 miles per gallon highway and 27 mpg city. Put them together and you've got a reasonable shot at 30 mpg in typical combined driving. Front-wheel-drive is standard, but on-demand all-wheel-drive is a $1,200 option.
STYLING AND COMFORT
The CR-V has always been designed more for utility than for style. The boxy dimensions of a small SUV make exterior styling tricky. Round off the corners and drop the roof-line too much and you'll eat into cargo space and reduce visibility. The CR-V strikes a reasonable balance between form and function with a distinctive bulldog face and an iconic vertical taillight treatment. Squint your eyes and the CR-V looks a little like the BMW X3.
Inside, Honda has upgraded the CR-V's dash with new, soft-touch materials and a nice 7-inch display screen. Honda is first to the market with an HDMI connection to allow you to stream video to the telematics screen; which should be a nice feature for moms and dads who want to watch Netflix while waiting for a kid's soccer practice to end.
My favorite improvement is a standard center armrest -- a tiny thing, perhaps, but a real creature comfort. The EX-L CR-V also comes with dual-zone climate controls and new air ducts facing the back seat. All CR-Vs seat up to five passengers; there is no third-row seating option. With the back seats folded forward, the rear cargo area is immense.
The sound system in the EX-L -- one rung down from the top "Touring" trim -- is a seven-speaker arrangement including a sub-woofer. All EX models come with Honda's HondaLink app which can help you access news, social media, Internet radio and audio books.
DRIVING IMPRESSIONS
Behind the wheel is where the improvements in the 2015 CR-V are most notable. The new, lighter direct-injection engine makes 185 horsepower -- the same as last year -- but torque is improved noticeably. The 2.4-liter, four-cylinder engine is the same sweet power-plant that's featured in the Accord sedan.
The new continuously variable transmission cures a frequent knock on the CR-V: that its former five-speed automatic transmission was showing its age. The CVT has a "sport" mode that dials in a bit more throttle response for a more spirited driving experience. The CR-V's superbly tuned suspension features MacPherson Struts in the front and a multi-link set-up in the rear.
On our test drive -- a loop that included stop-and-go traffic on Brainerd Road and a quick sprint down I-75 -- the CR-V seemed energized by its new power-plant. Although the CVT transmission exchanges belts for gears, the CR-V gives the impression of a powerful downshift during fast acceleration.
While the 2015 CR-V hasn't been crash tested yet, Honda says its engineers have strengthened its frame and expect it to gain top scores when the testing begins. The CR-V features Honda's Advance Compatibility Engineering (ACE) body structure that distributes crash energy to mitigate frontal collisions.
BOTTOM LINE
When the CR-V topped 300,000 in sales for the first time in 2013, Honda could have marked time with the popular model. But that's not how you stay on top in an automotive segment.
The CR-Vs 2015, mid-cycle upgrades show that Honda is willing to spend time and money making sure the CR-V stays atop the compact-SUV segment. Meanwhile, consumers are the winners. And there's little doubt they will continue flocking to Honda stores to buy America's favorite "cute-ute."
NEXT WEEK IN TEST DRIVE: There's been a 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat sighting at Mountain View Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram in Ringgold, Ga. The 707-horsepower beast is on display at the dealership at 7154 Nashville St. See this space for a full report next Saturday.
Contact Mark Kennedy at mkennedy@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6645. Follow him on Twitter @TFPCOLUMNIST. Subscribe to his Facebook updates at www.facebook.com/mkennedycolumnist.