Our Opinion - 2025 Honda CR-V Review Compact SUVs, like the 2025 Honda CR-V, are very popular because they are easy to park, have great gas mileage, and have comfortable seats. Honda’s happy entry into the tough SUV market should be at the top of our list not only because it is useful but also because it handles well. The CR-V nonhybrid has a 190-hp turbocharged engine and either front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. We’ll talk about the 204-hp hybrid separately. While the Ford Bronco Sport is better off-road and the Mazda CX-50 is nicer, the CR-V is a better overall car thanks to its smooth ride, solid build, and smart placement of controls and screens for entertainment. For all of these reasons, we put the CR-V on our list of the Top 10 Trucks and SUVs for 2024 and gave it the Editors’ Choice award. It won’t be a surprise if this car gets a spot again. What's New? In this case, no news is good news because the Honda CR-V will not change for 2025. Pros and Cons Pros Standard and useful safety gear. The inside is big and well-planned. Improved Rules of the Road. Cons A mixture has more traits than one type. A normal touchscreen that isn’t great. Not as exciting. Engine, Transmission, and Performance A 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine with 190 horsepower is hidden under the CR-V’s tall grille. It works with either front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive and a CVT. All LX, EX, and EX-L models come with this layout. Every CR-V has hill-descent control, which helps the small SUV stay at a low speed when going downhill, whether wet or steep. Most of the models come with 18-inch wheels. Even though it doesn’t handle the Volkswagen Tiguan and Mazda CX-50 as well, the new CR-V is still fun to drive and has enough of its style to keep things interesting. Safety A lot of tools help the driver become standard on every Honda CR-V. Along with automatic emergency braking, the small SUV has lane-keeping assistance, a backseat warning, and a driver-attention monitor. Check out the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) webpages to learn more about the CR-V’s crash test scores. Some important safety factors are: Self-adjusting emergency brakes and forward crash warnings. Normal lane exit warning helps keep your lane. It comes with adaptive speed control. Internal and External Cargo Capacity The air vents are carefully hidden behind a honeycomb-patterned cover that covers most of the dashboard. This makes the CR-V’s interior look even more beautiful. The analog speedometer and a 7.0-inch display that lets the driver move through many informational options are mounted on the steering wheel. The cluster of gauges is partly digital. Honda says that the new CR-V has a better driving position and that the front seats are made to keep drivers from getting tired on long trips. There is a big bin in the middle of the console between the front seats, and the back seats can be folded down to give you 0.6 inches more headroom than in the previous CR-V. There are 39 cubic feet of room behind the second seat when the load floor is set to its lowest level. Fuel Economy and Actual MPG The nonhybrid CR-V’s nonhybrid engine gets good gas mileage. The EPA says that the 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder CR-V with front-wheel drive will get 28 mpg in the city and 34 mpg on the highway. Those numbers go down a little when all-wheel drive is added. In real life, an all-wheel-drive EX-L got 31 mpg on a highway road going 75 mph. Infotainment and Connectivity Both the LX and EX models of the CR-V have a 7.0-inch tablet that controls the entertainment system. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are built in, and there are also physical volume and tuning buttons. The 9.0-inch tablet in the EX-L works with both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The bigger screen doesn’t have a tuning knob, but it does have a volume knob, a built-in navigation system, two USB-C ports for people in the back seats, and wireless charging for smartphones. Range, Charging, and Battery Life The nonhybrid EX-L took 8.1 seconds to hit 60 mph on our test track, which was a little longer than the hybrid version and a little longer than the class average. The transmission makes the engine make a loud drone sound when it speeds up quickly. Towing and Payload Capacity The Honda CR-V can pull up to 1,500 pounds when fitted with optional towing gear. Price and How to Choose There are three gas-only CR-Vs: the LX, the EX, and the EX-L. The only ones with a hybrid drivetrain are the Sport, Sport-L, and Sport Touring types, which are also our top picks. The EX-L has more features than the other nonhybrid types so that we would choose it over them. It has a bigger tablet, leather seats, and a motorized tailgate.
