Honda is expanding its CR-V model line with the 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid, which is scheduled to begin arriving in dealerships this week.
Like the rest of the 2020 CR-V line-up, the 2020 CR-V Hybrid benefits from new headlight designs, new alloy wheel designs for EX and EX-L trims, and new 19-inch wheels on Touring trims.
The 2020 CR-V Hybrid also is the brand’s most powerful and fuel-efficient iteration of the CR-V thus far, with a 40 mpg EPA city fuel economy rating, better off-the-line acceleration and the refinement of Honda’s latest generation of two-motor hybrid with improved all-electric operating range.
(Honda powers up with improved Civic Type R.)
Like its rival, particularly Toyota, Honda is expanding the use of hybrid technology in popular models.
The new CR-V Hybrid comes standard with AWD with Intelligent Control System and a Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price starting at $27,750.
The Honda Sensing suite of safety and driver assistive technologies, automatic climate control, and automatic high beams also comes standard with the CR-V Hybrid. It includes features such as collision mitigation braking with forward collision warning and pedestrian sensing capability, road departure mitigation with lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control with low-speed follow and lane keeping assist.
Additional driver-assistive technologies on the new ute include the available blind spot information, rear cross traffic monitor and auto high beam headlights. The list of standard features also includes LED headlights and push-button start, Honda noted.
In addition, the 2020 CR-V Hybrid is distinguished from the rest of the CR-V line-up by unique front and rear styling cues that include: Hybrid badging on the grille, front fenders, and tailgate; hybrid-exclusive 5-lamp LED fog lights; and a unique rear bumper design.
(CES-bound Honda augmented driving concept reinvents the steering wheel.)
On the inside, the CR-V Hybrid offers a spacious and tech-savvy cabin just like the non-hybrid, including its full-flat folding and 60/40-split second-row seat.
The CR-V hybrid is differentiated from its non-hybrid counterpart by three buttons to the right of the push-button gear selector that let the driver select between Sport, EV and ECON modes to help maximize power or fuel efficiency. CR-V Hybrid’s digital gauge cluster also offers functions distinct from the non-hybrid, such as a power-flow meter.
The two-motor hybrid system under the hood of the 2020 CR-V Hybrid is similar to the one used in the Honda Accord Hybrid with additional advancements to the hybrid battery’s operating range, enabling more time in EV mode than previous Honda hybrids.
Operating without the need for a conventional automatic transmission, the two-motor hybrid-electric powertrain combines a high-efficiency 2.0-liter DOHC i-VTEC Atkinson-cycle engine with an electric propulsion motor that produces 232 lb.-ft. of torque, for a total system output of 212 horsepower.
The two-motor hybrid system uses a propulsion motor and a generator/starter motor built with a patented Honda design that doesn’t use magnets with heavy rare-earth metals, reducing magnet cost and weight. The system manages the power delivery between each component and seamlessly shifts CR-V Hybrid through three distinct drive modes – EV Drive, Hybrid Drive and Engine Drive – automatically selecting the best mode for the conditions with no input from the driver.
(Honda selling electric vehicles only in Europe by 2022.)
Like the AWD system used in the non-hybrid, the 2020 CR-V Hybrid’s Real Time AWD with Intelligent Control System uses special software to determine traction conditions and when torque is best sent to the rear wheels in low traction conditions, when AWD is most useful. When the system isn’t needed, an electronically controlled clutch deactivates power delivery to the rear wheels to improve fuel efficiency.
