The Duality of the Honda CR-V: it’s two cars in one

Whether it’s Dr. Jekyll, Sybil, Clark Kent, or Mick Foley, anytime anybody undergoes a shift into their alter ego can be extremely jarring. The transition from tame to wild, the vapid expressions that transform into an expressive, sometimes even menacing grin, and in the case of Superman, what was once underwear is now sitting on top of your pants with a matching belt.

Now for the longest time, I’ve always thought of the Honda CR-V as this stately city transporter. Never really a vehicle I would consider off-roading with. Yes, once upon a time it was made to camp with, and it is in fact still a fully-equipped SUV. But can’t we all agree that the car has been largely domesticated over the years?

Be serious: Who do you actually know that takes their current gen CR-V into the bushes these days?

Well, Honda themselves, apparently.

Because one balmy weekday morning, deep in the heart of the vast expanse that is Cavite, Honda Cars Philippines invited the AutoPH team along with several other prominent publications to take part in an action-filled event called the Honda Experience. 

The program which utilized every little bit of Brittany Palazzo, the grasslands just behind the Zapote river, as well as portions of Villar Avenue was meant to showcase Honda’s latest offerings to the Philippine market, namely the updated versions of the aforementioned CR-V as well as its newest coupe darling, the Prelude.

While everyone and their mother turned their heads towards the gorgeous 2+2 sports car parked up front (Except for Associate Editor Sam who developed a stiff neck from attempting to sit in the back of it), the real star of the show was the CR-V that had not one but two specially prepared tracks to showcase its capabilities.

The road course, specifically designed to highlight the car’s performance and safety features, utilized the VX e:HEV E-CVT. While it is the mid-range variant, it shares the same 2.0-liter Atkinson cycle four-cylinder engine as its more expensive brother, the RS. 

You don’t really expect it to set the world on fire but Honda did give us a feel for its 184 horsepower as we tried accelerating from a standing stop in the closed course. 

On the other end, they also demonstrated its regenerative braking. At about 400 meters into accelerating, a quick tap on the paddle shifter and just a touch on the brake and the car gracefully slowed down to a reasonable speed. They were particularly proud of this as most basic regenerative braking systems tend to make you feel like a skydiver pulling on your parachute cord. That clearly wasn’t the case here.

We also ventured out into the open road to put the car’s ADAS, particularly the Honda SENSING that comes standard on all of the CR-V variants. Honda demonstrated its lane-keep assist as we plied the winding roads of Villar City, and further down the road, we were greeted with a pace car that we were instructed to trail behind as we engaged the vehicle’s Adaptive Cruise Control with Low-Speed Follow as the car in front modulated its speed while our test car kept up admirably.

Honestly, while this was all well and good, everything I had mentioned up to this point had been pretty standard fare. Afterall, nothing screams “safe bet” more than a CR-V. What truly blew me away was the off-road course. I genuinely thought it would take the Honda out of its element (no pun intended).

We hopped into the RS e:HEV AWD and the first thing that concerned me was if we were gonna end up massacring its front end. The course which was laid out by Honda was filled with dips, small mud pits, two portions with some steep inclines. Not to mention it had rained the night before. “Are you sure this isn’t going to break this thing?” I muttered.

Oh me of little faith! 

The car’s Hill Start Assist (HSA) and Hill Descent Control (HDC) kicked in at the inclines while its 335 Nm of torque made short work of the mushy terrain. I also had a little bit of help from the car’s Multiview Reverse Camera with 360 view to make sure I wasn’t about to drive into anything in front of me.

When the path eventually flattened out I felt tempted to do like a Group B rally driver and punch the throttle, which the CR-V gladly obliged (I’m not sure about the other occupants though). Its MacPherson Strut-Multilink suspension provided an ample amount of cushioning, I enjoyed the course so much in fact that I went for seconds.

I actually came out of the experience with a newfound, somewhat better appreciation for the CR-V. But I say “somewhat” because I hadn’t yet addressed the large elephant in the room which is its price tag. 

Starting at Php 2,358,000 for the lowest 1.5 V Turbo HuNT CVT variant, it has to be said that in the days following my day with the car, people who happened to see my stories about it online tend to ask about whether or not it’s worth the asking price.

I seem to think it still is. Because I am now fully convinced that the CR-V is in fact two cars in one. One is a responsible, dignified drive and the other is a crazy tank that can take on the world just as it had many years ago.

^{Photos by Sam Surla}