The Honda brand has been built on reliability, value and style, thus when we were offered an opportunity to test drive the 2017 Honda CRV Touring, we came eager and with nothing but the highest of expectations. Does it deliver? You bet! Not only does it serve its purpose as a as a sports utility vehicle, but also a sleek and versatile everyday ride.
My first impression of the CRV Touring after having driven more compact offerings of late from the manufacturer, was that it seemed a bit daunting size wise initially. It is extremely spacious, everything supersized from its large perforated leather seats to its jumbo hatchback trunk. Everything about it including its movements felt that little bit bigger. While this seemed a bit of an obstacle at the start, quickly I overcame this and navigating its extra size seemed like second nature to me.
The CRV Touring is pure power with its 1.5 litre, 15 valve, direct injection, DOHC, turbocharged 4-cylinder engine with 190 horsepower and 179-lb.ft. of torque. Acceleration feels effortless and response was remarkably quick on the brakes.
Fuel economy always is important for us and the CRV Touring has exactly this, tallying-in at 8.7/7.2/8.0 L/100 km (city/highway/combined). A week’s worth of driving from the east to the west ends of the city, multiple times on the 401, came out to just over $40.00 only. I was shocked as one would expect with its power and size it should have been a ‘gas guzzler‘ but it wasn’t. There also was an ECON mode option to save even more on fuel. That money could be allocated on drive-thrus at Starbucks with Billy… just because!
One of the CRV Touring‘s defining features is its panaromic moonroof which was a pure delight to drive under this Canada Day/Queen’s Plate Festival weekend (more here). Our car was red even! How patriotic! 🍁 We don’t think we’ve ever seen one larger and our friends too were in awe! There always is the option to retract and cover that majestic moonroof with the ease of a button, but why would you ever want to?
While we have had some issues at times connecting our Android phone via Bluetooth with other cars from Honda, our connections with the CRV Touring were flawless, allowing us to enjoy music right off our phone. We also could field text messages from its sleek 7-inch touchscreen display panel. There are two USB charging ports, hence there is never a worry about not staying connected and believe me we are OCD about this! Sound was glorious on its 331-watt premium sound system with 9 speakers, including subwoofer.
One minor irritant was the driver’s seat position resetting every time I left the car, defaulting back to its original position, but a simple Google search helped me fix that quick! This small inconvenience easily was offset by the awesomeness that was its proximity key entry. That is, being right in front of the door with the key in my pocket or bag was enough to unlock the door. I didn’t need to fumble to get into/start the car for once in my life! Believe me, I am the worst at fumbling for my keys and this is refreshing in an era of a key and a password for EVERYTHING.
Safety always is a priority and while we’ve commented on how powerful this vehicle is, it really is intuitive especially when it comes to detecting blind spots and lane departure – all without being overwhelming about it. You also are protected with front (iSRS) and side (SmartVent) airbags, front collision warning and tire pressure monitoring. We’ve experienced flat tires before (twice in a year once!) and appreciate the value of having the latter feature.
What an amazing adventure with the #HondaCRV this past week! Swipe left to see it in all its glory!
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