New for 2020: Honda has finally added a hybrid option to its popular crossover, with the CR-V Hybrid arriving alongside a model-wide refresh. It should arrive in dealer lots spring 2020. In an unexpected move, the hybrid will not be available in the Canadian market.
The Honda CR-V is one of the most popular compact crossovers on the market, offering people a reliable and well-rounded (though not very exciting) family vehicle. Now in its fifth generation, the CR-V is one of the crossovers that started the crossover craze we’re seeing today and was the first utility vehicle Honda ever offered. The Honda CR-V first came out in 1995 and entered the North American market in 1997. It is built on the same platform as the popular Civic. While the CR-V used to have a boxy look and a tailgate-mounted spare tire, today’s version has a much more streamlined appearance.
When the fifth-generation Honda CR-V debuted, it quickly set the benchmark for the compact crossover segment with its excellent practicality, comfortable and roomy interior, value, efficiency, and ease of use. Our AutoGuide.com editors also awarded the CR-V as the 2017 Utility Vehicle of the Year. Our editors were impressed by how well-rounded the CR-V was and liked that it offered everything that someone shopping in the segment could want. Even now that it’s a couple of years old, it still manages to hold its own against some very good competitors, and we expect Honda to up the ante once again when the model is refreshed.
The Honda CR-Vs is so popular in North America that the Japanese automaker has four different manufacturing facilities to serve the market’s demands: Alliston, Ontario, in Canada; East Liberty, Ohio; Greensburg, Indiana; and in El Salto, Jalisco, in Mexico.