After a long teaser period, Honda has finally revealed the all-new 2023 Honda CR-V in North American specification. Reportedly due in Australia in 2023 – local release timing is yet to be confirmed – the new CR-V has grown and is based on a new platform that also underpins the Civic small car, while it’s also apparently due to add hybrid power in Australia for the first time.
“As America’s outright best-selling SUV of the past 25 years the Honda CR-V has played a critical role in our past, but what’s significant about the all-new CR-V is the important role it will play in our future – with the CR-V hybrid to represent about 50 percent of sales,” said Mike Kistemaker, assistant vice president of Honda sales at American Honda.
“More stylish, more rugged, more tech and more fun-to-drive, this 6th generation CR-V will be best in class in a large segment where that really matters.”
Now sitting on the same platform as the new generation Civic, the North American-specification 2023 Honda CR-V has grown in all directions. At 4,694mm long, 1,865mm wide, 1,692mm tall and with a 2,700mm long wheelbase, the new CR-V is 59mm longer, 10mm wider, 3mm taller and with a 40mm longer wheelbase than the current model. While boot dimensions are yet to be confirmed, it’ll likely be larger than the current car’s 522L space.
Underneath the bonnet of the 2023 Honda CR-V is the same 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine used in the current model. In North American spec, it makes 141kW of power and 242Nm of torque – similar numbers to the current Australian model – but Honda says that work has been done on the engine’s refinement, as well as its power delivery with peak torque hitting 300rpm lower at 1,700rpm.
For Australia, however, the big news – based on Toyota RAV4 hybrid sales – is that we’re finally due to get a CR-V hybrid. In North America, it uses the same 2.0-litre hybrid set up as the Accord sedan, and makes 152kW of power and 335Nm of torque. It’s mated to an e-CVT transmission with both front- and all-wheel drive available. The current CR-V hybrid has a combined fuel consumption rating of 38mpg in the US, which equates to 6.0L/100km – we expect that number to fall in Australia, maybe to below 5L/100km.
The exterior of the 2023 Honda CR-V is clearly an evolution of the current model, with tall tailights, a broad front and a more masculine grille. The interior is a bigger departure on the current model with a new layout that borrows much from the Civic – its horizontal honeycomb pattern, for example. Like the Civic and new HR-V, a 9.0-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto will be available in North America, as well as a Bose sound system.
In North America, the full suite of Honda Sensing active safety tech will also be available, including auto emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, lane keep assist with lane trace assist, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, adaptive cruise control with traffic jam assist, traffic sign assist and up to 10 airbags are all available – Australian features are yet to be confirmed.
While this is the North American specification car reveal, the 2023 Honda CR-V will reportedly go on sale in Australia sometime in 2023, with local pricing and specifications to be announced before then. Stay tuned to DiscoverAuto for the latest automotive news and reviews.
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