Meet The New Honda CR-V With Seven Seats And A Diesel Mill!

The fifth-generation CR-V finally gets the missing ingredients – third-row seating with a diesel engine option – in its recipe to get its packaging right this time around. And it is heading to India! 

Big brawny SUVs are always a hit in our market, primarily because these high riders can sit seven people, looks butch and, at the same time, their diesel engine makes them relatively economical. The Honda CR-V lacked all these traits, until now! 

Why Didn’t It Spark The Fire In India?  

Ever since its introduction in the Indian market as a global second-generation model in the early 2000s, the Honda CR-V has always been a petrol-only offering (currently, the fourth-gen is on sale). Though being a popular and well-known name in the Indian market, the CR-V never got the required numbers for the automaker. But we are getting a feeling that it is about to change with the upcoming fifth-generation model.

Fifth-gen Honda CR-V Global Debut 

Speaking of the fifth-generation CR-V, it made its world premiere in October 2016 in America and it is already on sale in the USA and other North American countries. Now, Thailand will become the next country in the world to get the all-new CR-V post its North American debut. Honda has revealed the Asian-spec CR-V online in that country and it will go on sale there next month. It made its public debut at the ongoing 2017 Bangkok International Motor Show. 

Indian Market Introduction 

Honda has confirmed that its facility in Thailand will start exporting CKD (completely knocked down) and CBU (completely built unit) sets of the new CR-V within a year (Indian CKD kits are sourced from here as well), indicating that Honda might launch it in India before next March (maybe a 2018 Auto Expo introduction). Honda didn’t introduce the facelifted version of the fourth-gen SUV in India, which was introduced globally in 2015, and that perhaps will be bypassed for this model. The prices of the new CR-V starts at around Rs 26 lakh for the petrol and Rs 29 lakh for the diesel (converted) in Thailand, and its Indian prices are expected to remain identical. 

Seven-seats With A Diesel Engine Option 

Unlike the American version and all of its past generations, the new CR-V finally receives third-row of seating (seven-seater) and Thailand became the first market for the same. It also offers a diesel engine borrowed from the outgoing UK model. It is a 1.6-litre diesel motor with twin-stage turbocharger capable of producing 160PS of max power at 4,000rpm and 350Nm of peak torque at 2,000rpm. It is mated to a nine-speed automatic transmission, with buttons for gear-shifting! 

Honda claims a certified fuel efficiency of 18.9kmpl in the Thai market and that is likely to remain similar in the Indian market as well. Besides the 1.6-litre diesel, the CR-V carried over the 2.4-litre naturally aspirated petrol from the previous model, which is mated to a CVT automatic. Expect similar powertrain options in the Indian market as well. However, unlike the American-spec model, the Asian version didn’t get the 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine, which is also present in the new Civic.   

Like the current trend in its price range, the CR-V gets power tailgate with an adjustable height setting. And like the Honda Jazz, the CR-V offers long and utility modes for carrying luggage. 

Its design and cabin theme remain identical to the American-spec SUV, including the features as well. You can read about these attributes here: Meet The Fifth-Generation Honda CR-V    

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