The Honda CR-V is one of the pioneering models of the compact-crossover segment, and has earned a very loyal following over six generations and almost two decades. With the arrival of he sixth-gen model in the Philippine market in 2023, local buyers had the option of getting a hybrid CR-V for the first time. It also signals Honda Cars Philippines’ renewed efforts to electrify its lineup.
At P2,590,000, however, the top-spec Honda CR-V RS e:HEV enters the territory of midsize SUVs in terms of pricing, even though it targets an entirely different segment of buyers. What exactly does that sum of money get you? Click play on the video above to watch our full review of the range-topping CR-V, and let us know in the comments if you think it’s worth the asking price.
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At P2,590,000, however, the top-spec Honda CR-V RS e:HEV enters the territory of midsize SUVs in terms of pricing, even though it targets an entirely different segment of buyers. What exactly does that sum of money get you? Click play on the video above to watch our full review of the range-topping CR-V, and let us know in the comments if you think it’s worth the asking price.
Dig cars?
Read more about cars and motoring here: http://www.topgear.com.ph
Like us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TopGearPH
Tweet us: http://www.twitter.com/TopGearPH
Follow us on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/TopGearPH
Join us on Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@topgearph
#topgearph #hondacrv
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MotorTranscript
00:00 If there's one model that Honda launched in 2023 that we could call the most significant,
00:06 it is not the Civic Type R. Yes, it's a cool high performance hot hatchback that we all
00:11 love driving, but it's not exactly a volume model.
00:16 No, the most significant model Honda launched in 2023 is this one, the 6th generation CR-V
00:23 and it's time to find out if we and doctors will approve.
00:28 [Music]
00:43 So the 6th gen CR-V is the biggest, it's the most fuel efficient as claimed, and perhaps
00:50 the most comfortable CR-V to date.
00:53 Out on the road, I have to say that nothing beats a car-based SUV when it comes to comfort
00:59 and refinement.
01:00 I mean, it is called the comfort runabout vehicle for a reason.
01:03 It's not just, you know, called it for the heck of it.
01:06 It truly is an excellent highway cruiser and at the same time, a great car to drive around
01:12 in the city.
01:13 It just absorbs the bumps really well.
01:16 When you're out on the highway, it's smooth and serene.
01:20 It's really difficult to go wrong with this car and this car, like, you just know it was
01:24 developed for just about every market possible.
01:28 North America, Europe, and ironically though, it's not sold in Japan.
01:32 It's actually replaced by the ZRV because apparently for the Japanese market, this is
01:39 already a little too big for them, at least in Honda Japan's wisdom.
01:44 What about performance?
01:45 Well, you got over 200 horsepower under the hood and under the floor, sort of.
01:53 So it's got over 200 horsepower, claims 0-100 time is about 8 seconds.
01:58 Does it have the pull of a diesel?
02:01 It doesn't have the initial surge.
02:02 It doesn't do that usual torque thing that it kind of whips you back in your seat.
02:06 It doesn't do that at all.
02:08 Instead, you get a very strong and subtle surge towards whatever the recommended speed
02:15 limit is.
02:16 So passing is absolutely no problem here.
02:19 Hybrids aren't the slow and tepid cars they used to be anymore.
02:25 This one feels like it has a large capacity and it feels like it has a 3.0-liter V6 from
02:31 back in the day.
02:33 It is smooth.
02:34 It is seamless.
02:35 There's no vibration when it transitions from the electric motor to the gas engine.
02:40 That just adds to the more relaxing experience when you're driving the CR-V.
02:45 What about handling?
02:46 Obviously, it's not a Civic Type R. It does say "RS" on the tailgate, but sporty?
02:56 Maybe not.
02:57 It is dynamic, though.
02:58 It is surprisingly dynamically capable.
02:59 You know, if you want to have a little bit of fun in the twisties with this car, you
03:04 can.
03:05 It's actually possible.
03:06 And that's sort of the cool thing about the CR-V.
03:09 It's the duality, you know?
03:11 Of course, this being a hybrid, you want to know the fuel economy.
03:15 Now, I never put this car in Eco Mode.
03:17 I just put it in Normal Mode all the time.
03:21 Just so, you know, it's a more real-world number now.
03:24 Because I have this feeling that if I put a car in Eco Mode, I feel like I'm cheating.
03:28 So no, it's Normal Mode for this car.
03:31 On the way here, actually, I went through some of the worst traffic heading into the
03:37 expressway.
03:38 So, for those of you from the East, you know that traffic really does get bad there.
03:44 And you know what?
03:45 It still displayed 13 km/L and that's after resetting everything.
03:48 So how is that possible?
03:50 Well, there have been a lot of hybrids over the years, but Honda's E-HEV is a little bit
03:55 different on the basis that it tries to rely on the battery power more often than not on
04:02 the ICE engine.
04:03 It's not like Nissan's e-Power though.
04:06 It's something like that.
04:07 This, like at higher speeds, at some speeds, it still does rely more on the internal combustion
04:12 engine.
04:13 And the battery capacity isn't as big as in Nissan's e-Power technology.
04:18 For whatever battery power it can re-harvest from the brakes or from when coasting, it
04:24 really just tries to shift back to EV mode.
04:27 So right now on the expressway doing highway speeds, I'm on EV mode.
04:32 To wrap up the entire driving experience, it's comfortable, fuel-efficient, actually
04:37 pretty nice to handle, an excellent long-distance cruiser, light to drive around the city.
04:42 I mean, there is not a lot you can't like about the CR-V.
04:50 If you've sat inside the current gen Honda Civic, you're going to have a sense of deja
04:54 vu when you step inside the all-new CR-V.
04:57 Because as far as we can tell, it looks almost the same.
05:02 Okay, maybe this bit looks a bit different, but if you're looking at the fascia, yeah,
05:07 it's almost like a copy-paste.
05:09 For some people, that's a good thing.
05:10 Some people, that's a bad thing.
05:12 The good thing is you know exactly where button, dial, and switch is when you're switching
05:16 from one Honda product to another.
05:19 The con to that is, well, there's really no distinction.
05:25 But beyond that, we're going to take a look at it piece by piece and we're going to see
05:28 if this interior is actually any good.
05:31 So we're going to start with the door panels.
05:34 This is different from the Civic.
05:36 It's got memory seats, which is a nice touch there.
05:38 It's a feature that was reserved once for luxury European brands like Mercedes and BMW.
05:44 Soft touch, of course, right down here and even the armrest as you would expect from
05:50 a premium product.
05:52 Top of the dash, soft touch as you expect also from a product such as this.
05:58 And the RS model also comes with tweeters here and the sound system is by Bose.
06:03 Now, I know minimalism gets thrown around like way too much these days, but you know,
06:10 this is effective minimalism to a point that it doesn't look bare.
06:14 And there are some styling elements and some old school elements such as these little honeycomb
06:18 patterns right on the dash.
06:20 You get this good old switchboard here.
06:23 Now, I'm thankful that Honda did not go for the whole put everything in the touchscreen
06:29 kind of thing.
06:30 And I admire not just Honda, but the entire Japanese automotive industry for not shoving
06:35 all controls and functions in the touchscreen.
06:38 They're very well aware that buttons and dials work and there's no need to change the recipe
06:43 there.
06:44 The RS comes with leather seats with red stitching patterns.
06:50 The rest of the variants get standard leather seats.
06:53 And you also get a pretty large dock here with a wireless charging pad.
06:59 USB-A for phone connectivity and there's also a USB-C socket here.
07:06 And then you also have the option of wireless smartphone connectivity.
07:10 Now, the steering wheel.
07:12 I swear you can put this in every Honda product and it wouldn't make any lick of difference.
07:17 Same layout, same controls, same buttons, which again is good for ergonomics.
07:23 And it's all going to feel very familiar to whoever owns like a full Honda garage.
07:27 Now, the stock switches, buttons, they sound nice when you press them.
07:34 Feels like a high quality product, but you know, that's what you want from a Honda.
07:38 You don't want a too cheap feeling Honda.
07:42 Other interesting things to note in the interior.
07:44 You get a full digital dashboard, which you also get in the other variants, and this free
07:49 floating touchscreen information system.
07:52 Now, this thing doesn't just house the entertainment functions.
07:56 It also has your driving information and whatnot and also keeps track of your power usage of
08:03 the battery.
08:04 So that sort of has your battery status going and how much range you have left.
08:08 I mean, yes, you can see them through the driver's multi-information display, but if
08:13 you want a nicer and bigger view, it's also be viewed here.
08:17 Now, even the entry-level CR-V is pretty well equipped.
08:20 I mean, you're surprised to find out that even that one had the power memory seats.
08:25 But an exclusive here in the CR-V RS, aside from the Bose sound system and the red stitching
08:31 on the dashboard, is that up there.
08:35 It's the panoramic sunroof, and it's the only variant to have it.
08:39 So if you want like extra sunlight in your CR-V, the hybrid is the only way to go.
08:46 All in all, dash looks good.
08:48 They have a little derivative for some.
08:50 Nice quality materials here.
08:52 Simple, effective ergonomics.
08:55 I mean, you really can't not hate on the interior of the CR-V, at least from the front.
09:03 Now for space at the back, and well, it's a Honda, so it's gonna be good.
09:07 And as you can see, I have acres of room, even with the seat pushed back.
09:12 Now, that's something Honda's always been good at, space efficiency.
09:16 So I'm not really surprised there.
09:18 It also helps that the CR-V has a flat floor.
09:21 There's not much in the way to sort of rob you of any legroom or footroom here.
09:26 So anyone seated here in the center is gonna be fine.
09:29 However, the panoramic sunroof does eat up a fair bit of headroom.
09:34 But the solution I found to that comes in two forms.
09:37 You can either slide this seat forward or back, as far back as possible so you don't
09:43 hit this area, or you can also recline it.
09:49 As for other things, well, there are AC vents here at the back, which is always good, and
09:54 a pair of USB-C ports just below it.
09:57 Of course, an armrest is standard, and you have a pair of cup holders to go along with
10:02 it.
10:03 Storage bins also everywhere.
10:05 You got gigantic bins here on the doors, and a fairly sizable map pocket right behind the
10:11 front seats.
10:12 So all is well and good, well, not quite.
10:15 Aside from the little headroom issue there, I also have to take note of interior materials.
10:21 Now, over at the front, everything is nice and soft touch and very premium to feel.
10:27 Unfortunately, it's not the case here at the back because the door panels are not soft
10:33 touch as you can hear and as you can see.
10:38 It's a clear sign of cost-cutting for me at least, and I really wish Honda would stop
10:43 doing this because the CR-V is not the only one with this thing.
10:47 The Civic also suffers from it, and quite frankly, it just makes the backseat passengers
10:52 feel, well, second-rate.
10:54 But, you know, just don't touch it, it looks good.
10:58 Now, to open the tailgate of the CR-V, there are two ways to do it.
11:02 One is through a good old button right underneath the Honda badge, or you could just swing your
11:06 foot underneath, and it'll do the work for you.
11:09 Now, truth be told, I thought this feature was useless when a lot of other luxury SUVs
11:14 were putting it in until I found myself in a situation where I'm carrying a lot of luggage
11:19 and I couldn't really press the button there.
11:22 So, really convenient feature regardless if it's in a CR-V or any of its rival crossovers.
11:27 Anyway, cargo area.
11:29 Now, because this is a five-seater model, it has a lot more cargo space.
11:34 Now, the seven-seater model does eat up about this much room, and it's set high and you
11:40 have this sort of board to sort of flatten it out.
11:43 Now, there's no spare tire here.
11:45 I've seen people complain about that, but what you do get is one of these.
11:52 Get a tire inflator, and honestly, I would like one of these and a spare tire at the
11:58 same time, but I'm probably just being too greedy.
12:00 Also, to close the tailgate, let's say you're carrying stuff and you can't really reach
12:06 this button up here, just swing your foot down there again, does the work for you.
12:12 Now, Honda CR-V redesigns have been typically conservative over the years, but Honda made
12:21 the extra effort of at least making it look sharper than the previous gen.
12:25 Now, the previous gen had a bit of a love-hate styling because while it did look more dynamic
12:32 than the rather plain-jane fourth gen, you weren't too sure about its underbite front
12:36 bumper.
12:38 This time around, it's all sharp edges and creases and whatnot to bring out a more sporty
12:43 and dynamic look.
12:44 Interestingly though, the red paint does remind us a bit of Mazda, and some people in the
12:49 comment section have noted that, "Hey, there's a shade of CX-5 here with that big drill and
12:54 that slim headlight look," but a lot of manufacturers are doing that these days, so it is a marked
13:00 improvement over the previous gen though, at least in my eyes.
13:03 Now, over at the back, of course, it wouldn't be a CR-V if it didn't have vertical taillights,
13:08 and I've lost count of the times I've mistaken a Volvo XC60 for one of these.
13:13 Now, saying it looks too much like a European luxury car isn't a bad thing at all.
13:18 In fact, it's a little bit of a compliment.
13:20 Now, for the rest of the body, well, the new look suits it.
13:24 The new front face and the new rear face complements pretty well with the fenders and the doors
13:29 and whatnot.
13:30 Now, Honda didn't go crazy with creases and slashes on the flanks because for some people,
13:36 that might age the car a little bit sooner, so let's say you have something that looks
13:41 very of the time, it'll look cool now, but 10-20 years down the line, it already looks
13:46 pretty aged.
13:47 Well, this one, because of its slightly more conservative styling, it'll probably age a
13:52 little bit better.
13:53 I know that some people want a little more flair and pizzazz in their family crossover,
13:58 but this one I reckon is gonna age pretty well.
14:00 There is one thing that I wish Honda did change though with the styling, although it's not
14:05 on the body, it's more for the wheels.
14:08 Now these wheels are actually just the ones found in the V and the VX but painted black.
14:14 Now, if you go to Honda Thailand, their CR-V RS is on 19-inch two-tone diamond cut alloy
14:22 wheels that quite frankly just look the part for this car.
14:26 And this one, yeah, it looks bitten to be honest.
14:32 I really wish Honda went for the 19-inch wheel here, but at the same time, I kind of understand
14:37 why they went for the smaller wheel because of our roads.
14:42 But still, there's that term called "teis ganda" and we're willing to trade a slightly
14:45 firmer ride for better-looking wheels.
14:51 So what do we think of the 6th generation Honda CR-V RS Hybrid?
14:54 Bit of a mouthful and that's not even its full name, but anyway, let's run it by its
14:59 pros and cons.
15:00 Now, we like the design, we love the handling, we love the comfort that this thing gives,
15:06 and especially the power train, the fuel efficiency it gives, and the power it punches.
15:12 Feels like a 3-liter V6 but doesn't drink like it.
15:15 Far from it.
15:16 And for those who miss the old diesel, I'm here to tell you that this is way more efficient.
15:22 Space inside is fantastic as well, and the features that it offers, we got Honda Sensing
15:28 and whatnot, this is fully loaded.
15:31 Now for the cons, well, we're not a fan of the wheel design to be honest.
15:36 We think it's too small.
15:38 But really the thing that sort of spoils it for us is the rear area materials.
15:45 If you're seated back there and we tell you the price, you're not going to think it costs
15:49 that much because it just doesn't suit the rest of the character of the car.
15:54 Now, if you're interested in this one, it retails for Php2,590,000.
16:00 What would we rate it?
16:02 We say it rates an easy 9 out of 10 because as a car, it's just brilliant.
16:08 [Music]