Honda CR-V DTi-L

Recent convert to diesel power with its fine, well equipped and sporty Civic diesel, Honda has now entered the small SUV market with its second ever oil burner, the CR-V DTi-L.
The 2.2 litre CR-V diesel has a useful 110 kw and 350 nm of torque.
That's more than enough to haul five occupants and their luggage with ease. The engine has very little diesel rattle at idle, and anything above 60 kph is commendably quiet, up with the best from other makers.
The CRV has oodles of room inside, with such niceties as heated leather clad front seats.( The driver's pew has a two position memory and eight way electric adjustment.)

The overhead sunglasses holder doubles as a  convex mirror above the main one, so drivers can keep an eye on the kids in the back seat without turning their head, and a steering wheel adjustable for reach and rake.
The dashboard layout is large and easily read, and visibility is excellent thanks to large glass areas.

The rear seats fold down using a couple of handles in the cargo area. It's one of the easiest to operate in this class.Pull them and the seat back tips forward, at the same time flipping the head restraints downwards out of the way, while releasing the seat squab to an upright position.The seat back then forms a large, flat cargo surface. It's a very smooth one touch system and will be welcomed by those used to struggling to change seat configurations on other SUVs.
For passengers there is a multitude of door pockets and other cubbies for small items, two 12 volt power sockets are handily placed and the central console lid and armrests have reasonable padding.

At night there are pale blue puddle lights in the front doors to guide your way. The CRV has bi xenon headlights with an active cornering system that turns the lamps to light up more of the kerb, reversing camera with sensors front and rear, keyless entry and start and 18 inch alloys. Honda has thoughtfully provided a full sized spare wheel.
So how does it drive? The CRV is by its very nature a workmanlike vehicle and that's not a bad thing.
As mentioned earlier, acceleration is brisk off the line, and engine noise is well muted once under way. There is a slight whine from the diesel on take off, but it's only audible with the windows down. You should get around 800 kilometres from a 58 litre  tank in city driving and a few hundred more on the open road. Average fuel consumption, city/highway, is 6.7 litres per 100 kilometres.The five speed automatic gearbox shifts smoothly, and can be operated with the now common steering wheel paddles. There's also an ECO driving mode, than indicates when you are driving with fuel consumption in mind.
The seats are comfortable and the suspension is about average for the class. Small bumps are barely felt, but larger ones are not absorbed as well as I had expected.
However having said that,I often give my test cars the speed hump challenge, driving over the "traffic calming" devices a little faster than the advised 20kph..
I can report that hitting one at 60 in the CRV is almost unnoticeable, the suspension smoothly absorbed the interruption without tossing the occupants through the roof.
A good example of what to expect if you ever venture off road in your CR-V DTi-L.

The CR-V tackles corners well enough, with a touch of understeer. It's not a benchmark performer in this respect but will satisfy most owners. Steering feel is good, not too light or heavy. I have driven petrol CR-V variants with similar equipment and features, but for economy and torque you can't go past the diesel.
Honda sold 800 CR-Vs in Australia in February, about half of Toyota's  RAV4 and Mazda's CX5 figures, of 1600 and 1700 respectively.
The CR-V DTi-L priced around 45K, is a welcome addition to the Honda stable and it's well worth a decent test drive. (Try the speed hump test.) 
Peter Sellen