{"id":25020,"date":"2020-03-26T15:51:37","date_gmt":"2020-03-26T19:51:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=25020"},"modified":"2020-03-26T15:51:37","modified_gmt":"2020-03-26T19:51:37","slug":"payne-honda-cr-v-hybrid-makes-geek-great","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2020\/03\/payne-honda-cr-v-hybrid-makes-geek-great","title":{"rendered":"Payne: Honda CR-V Hybrid makes geek great"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/03\/23\/PDTN\/13f5cef4-a5f1-41e1-abf6-67cdd2780f99-crv_hybrid-fr3-4.JPG?width=520&amp;height=390&amp;fit=bounds&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"New for 2020, the Honda CR-V Hybrid is the best performing CR-V with 212 horsepower and excellent torque.\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div><p>New for 2020, the Honda CR-V Hybrid is the best performing CR-V with 212 horsepower and excellent torque.\u00a0<span class=\"credit\">(Photo: Henry Payne, The Detroit News)<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"speakable-p-1 p-text\">Honda hybrids used to be soooo nerdy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"speakable-p-2 p-text\">The Japanese automaker\u2019s first hybrid debuted 20 years ago. Costing $28,932 in today\u2019s dollars ($18,800 in 2000), the wee\u00a0front-wheel drive, three-door hatchback looked like a college science project.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Shaped like a doorstop, it was optimized for 647-mile range \u2014 assuming a semi-truck didn\u2019t run over it first as its 72 horses struggled to get up to interstate speeds. It came standard with a manual transmission. Its bicycle-thin rear tires were covered by fender slats to increase aerodynamics. It sold like granola in a candy shop. Not well.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">How far hybrids have come.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">For the same price, Honda\u2019s all-new\u00a0$28,870 CR-V SUV comes standard with all-wheel drive, adaptive cruise control, automatic high beams, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and 212 horsepower. That\u2019s 12 more ponies than the standard\u00a01.5-liter turbo CR-V.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Heck, it\u2019s more horsepower than the Honda\u00a0Civic Si pocket rocket. The\u00a0five-door hatchback merges up the interstate on-ramp like a tiger while maintaining maximum 560-mile range and best-in-class interior space.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Unlike the Insight, Honda may have a winner on its hands.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Customers had been more than happy with the CR-V\u2019s two gas-powered options, gobbling up over 384,000 CR-Vs last year. But, this being the Age of the Nanny State, there is a regulatory advantage to Honda offering a hybrid option for its best-selling vehicle. So Honda ditched the second, 2.4-liter gas engine for the hybrid.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">It helps make government electrification goals, not to mention Honda\u2019s own internal goals. The idea of the Japanese automaker electrifying two-thirds of its product by 2030 seems absurd,\u00a0until you realize its best-selling model will have batteries under the rear seat.<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-SlWNGRg23zY\" class=\"story-asset image-asset\">\n<aside class=\"wide single-photo\"><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/03\/23\/PDTN\/7771c583-06bb-444d-b5a2-eae81cbd242a-crv_hybrid-int.JPG?width=540&amp;height=&amp;fit=bounds&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"The interior of the 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid is an easy place to get around with good storage, digital displays and smartphone connectivity.\" width=\"540\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/03\/23\/PDTN\/7771c583-06bb-444d-b5a2-eae81cbd242a-crv_hybrid-int.JPG\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/03\/23\/PDTN\/7771c583-06bb-444d-b5a2-eae81cbd242a-crv_hybrid-int.JPG\" \/>The interior of the 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid is an easy place to get around with good storage, digital displays and smartphone connectivity.\u00a0<span class=\"credit\">(Photo: Henry Payne, The Detroit News)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/aside>\n<div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Unlike hybrids of the past, this greenie isn\u2019t just for the faithful. Like similar offerings from Ford (Escape) and Toyota (RAV4), this nerd is superior to its gas-powered peer in almost every way.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">As regular readers of this space know, I am a particular fan of the 2020 Escape ute, which Ford introduces in Sport trim at just $28,000. The Ford\u2019s battery-assisted geekiness is buried under layers of hot black mascara makeup and cool tech displays. High mpgs\u00a0never looked so good.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">So, too, the CR-V Hybrid. The homely Honda can\u2019t match class sexpots like the Escape and Mazda CX-5, but a remade lower facia and snazzy wheels are welcome upgrades. And the 2020 model gets attractive wardrobe colors like Radiant Red Metallic and a battleship gray called Sonic Gray Metallic.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">The CR-V Hybrid\u2019s real beauty is in the price.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Escape and RAV4 sticker prices balloon to over $30,000 with all-wheel drive,\u00a0but that must-have feature for Michigan winters comes standard \u2014 along with everything else \u2014 on the Honda for under $29,000. That\u2019s about $1,500 below its class competitors, and just $1,200 more than a comparable\u00a0gas-fired CR-V.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Standard also is the CR-V hybrid\u2019s 38 mpg fuel economy, 30% better than the 1.5-liter turbo-4 model. That means fewer stops at the gas pump\u00a0\u2014 but it also means you\u2019ll pay for that $1,200 premium in under five\u00a0years.<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-SlWNGRgb3Og\" class=\"story-asset image-asset\">\n<aside class=\"wide single-photo\"><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/03\/23\/PDTN\/ca1c6635-97a2-4e45-8ca3-18a96ab2f147-crv_hybrid-battery.JPG?width=540&amp;height=&amp;fit=bounds&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"The 1.4 kWh battery for the 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid is stored under the rear cargo area \u2014 taking up space where a spare tire would normally be.\" width=\"540\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/03\/23\/PDTN\/ca1c6635-97a2-4e45-8ca3-18a96ab2f147-crv_hybrid-battery.JPG\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/03\/23\/PDTN\/ca1c6635-97a2-4e45-8ca3-18a96ab2f147-crv_hybrid-battery.JPG\" \/>The 1.4 kWh battery for the 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid is stored under the rear cargo area \u2014 taking up space where a spare tire would normally be.\u00a0<span class=\"credit\">(Photo: Henry Payne, The Detroit News)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/aside>\n<div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Given the hybrid\u2019s 50%\u00a0better fuel economy in urban areas \u2014 I averaged 40 mpg carving Tucson, Arizona\u2019s urban roads \u2014 you might make it up quicker than that.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">This is one cocky nerd.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Not only does it go farther on a gallon of gas than its gas-only brother, but it\u00a0has more fun getting there. Honda had the audacity to set up a sand course for the hybrid that showed off its low-end torque.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">With its direct-drive to the wheels (no transmission), the Honda provides instant torque without the groan of a continuously variable transmission that accompanies\u00a0its Ford and RAV4 competitors. The Honda boasts 212 horsepower at the top end, though\u00a0it\u2019s shoutier getting there thanks to its 2.0-liter engine versus Ford\u2019s bigger 2.5.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Honda has deep racing roots, and that DNA is felt even in the CR-V.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">As I\u2019ve noted, Ford has sewn a Sport badge on the Escape to suggest its lively personality. Don\u2019t expect a Civic-like\u00a0Type R model for the CR-V anytime soon (man, would that be a hoot) but I still enjoyed pushing the compact ute around town. Honda obsesses over the details and the hybrid\u2019s bod is taut with a suspension to match.<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-SlWNGRgIXsc\" class=\"story-asset image-asset\">\n<aside class=\"wide single-photo\"><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/03\/23\/PDTN\/753aca70-5fbd-4f0f-80fe-a7bf9c6d55d6-crv_hybrid-toyota-competitor.JPG?width=540&amp;height=&amp;fit=bounds&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"The 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid, left, joins other class hybrids like the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid (right, in black) and Ford Escape Hybrid.\" width=\"540\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/03\/23\/PDTN\/753aca70-5fbd-4f0f-80fe-a7bf9c6d55d6-crv_hybrid-toyota-competitor.JPG\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/03\/23\/PDTN\/753aca70-5fbd-4f0f-80fe-a7bf9c6d55d6-crv_hybrid-toyota-competitor.JPG\" \/>The 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid, left, joins other class hybrids like the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid (right, in black) and Ford Escape Hybrid.\u00a0<span class=\"credit\">(Photo: Henry Payne, The Detroit News)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/aside>\n<div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Like a nerd with thick glasses and thicker teeth braces, hybrids used to mean geeky outside and inside. But the CR-V Hybrid is thoroughly mainstream.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Open the door and you get Honda\u2019s typical interior wonderfulness. In fact, pause and admire the CR-V\u2019s rear doors: They are thoughtfully hinged to open almost 90 degrees to the B-pillar for easier ingress and egress.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">The SUV\u2019s console is nearly as clever with a roomy center console,\u00a0thanks in part to its raised shifter island. There\u2019s storage for cups and phone, and USB ports are forward-located so you can easily plug in your phone for turn-by-turn screen navigation. Exclusive to the hybrid is Acura\u2019s nifty &#8220;trigger ignition\u201d located high within easy reach.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">That raised console was my only interior regret, as it sometimes bounced my knee. You\u2019ll forgive them because Honda fussiness over passenger comfort is especially notable inside the console.<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-SlWNGRh7EPM\" class=\"story-asset image-asset\">\n<aside class=\"wide single-photo\"><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/03\/23\/PDTN\/ccb0bce3-a065-441f-85c4-697e004c7630-crv_hybrid-engine.JPG?width=540&amp;height=&amp;fit=bounds&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"Under the hood of the 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid is a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine mated to an AC motor. \" width=\"540\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/03\/23\/PDTN\/ccb0bce3-a065-441f-85c4-697e004c7630-crv_hybrid-engine.JPG\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/03\/23\/PDTN\/ccb0bce3-a065-441f-85c4-697e004c7630-crv_hybrid-engine.JPG\" \/>Under the hood of the 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid is a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine mated to an AC motor.\u00a0\u00a0<span class=\"credit\">(Photo: Henry Payne, The Detroit News)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/aside>\n<div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p-text\">CR-V\u2019s three-row Pilot cousin has the best-in-class console with a pullback shade that allows purses to be stowed\u00a0on top of the console spine \u2014 or entirely inside it. The CR-V, too, allows multiple configurations depending on what you&#8217;re hauling.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Speaking of best-in-class, the hybrid obsesses over grades like a good nerd should. Best-in-class torque, best-in-class passenger space, best rear-seat legroom, lowest cargo floor for loading.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Poke around under the cargo floor and you\u2019ll see the only sign of hybrid sacrifice. To accommodate its lithium-ion battery, the CR-V\u2019s standard spare tire has been replaced by a tire repair kit. Got a flat? The kit will fill the tire with air while also coating the interior with a puncture sealer. Hopefully, ahem, that sealer will last as far as the nearest service station.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Other oddities include steering-wheel paddles so that you can play with regenerative braking. And at low speeds the hybrid will emit an eerie, alien spacecraft sound to alert other earthlings that a quiet electric car is headed their way \u2014 as required by federal law.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">It\u2019s weird. But, hey, sometimes hybrids have to let out their inner nerd.<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-SlWNGRhDZTY\" class=\"story-asset image-asset\">\n<aside class=\"wide single-photo\"><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/03\/23\/PDTN\/69c89c16-cae5-49f1-aeca-7ca6ca40f20e-crv_hybrid-gray.JPG?width=540&amp;height=&amp;fit=bounds&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"The 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid is available in Sonic Gray Metallic. \" width=\"540\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/03\/23\/PDTN\/69c89c16-cae5-49f1-aeca-7ca6ca40f20e-crv_hybrid-gray.JPG\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/03\/23\/PDTN\/69c89c16-cae5-49f1-aeca-7ca6ca40f20e-crv_hybrid-gray.JPG\" \/>The 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid is available in Sonic Gray Metallic.\u00a0\u00a0<span class=\"credit\">(Photo: Henry Payne, The Detroit News)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/aside>\n<div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3 class=\"presto-h3\">2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid<\/h3>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Vehicle type: Front-engine, hybrid all-wheel drive, 5-passenger SUV<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Price: $28,870, including $1,120 destination charge ($37,070 Touring as tested)<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Powerplant: 2.0-liter 4-cylinder mated to AC motor with 1.4-kWh lithium-ion battery<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Power: 212 total system horsepower, 232 pound-feet of torque<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Transmission: Single-speed direct drive<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Performance: 0-60 mph, 7.6 seconds (Car and Driver); towing: NA<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Weight: 3,763 lbs. as tested<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Fuel economy: EPA\u00a040 city\/35 highway\/38 combined<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"presto-h3\"><strong>Report card<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Highs: 38 mpg for a family SUV; standard features galore<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Lows: Homely face; no spare tire<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Overall: 4\u00a0stars<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>New for 2020, the Honda CR-V Hybrid is the best performing CR-V with 212 horsepower and excellent torque.\u00a0(Photo: Henry Payne, The Detroit News) Honda hybrids used to be soooo nerdy. The Japanese automaker\u2019s first hybrid debuted 20 years ago. Costing $28,932 in today\u2019s dollars ($18,800 in 2000), the wee\u00a0front-wheel drive, three-door hatchback looked like a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,87],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25020"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25020"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25020\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25021,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25020\/revisions\/25021"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25020"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25020"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25020"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}