When the first CR-V launched back in the mid 1990s, soft-roaders were still a new concept.
Honda sold the four-wheel-drive wagon as the ideal family conveyance, complete with picnic table in the boot and another that folded down in the cabin on which to serve wilderness snacks.
Now SUVs have hit the mainstream. Only small cars sell in greater numbers and SUVs are seen as everyday family wagons, to the point that increasing numbers arrive in two-wheel-drive format. Like this CR-V S, and several competitors we've driven recently.
I'm not a believer. If I want a wagon, I want one that drives like a car; high-riding wagons deliver a commanding view over inner-city traffic, but that's not enough to offset the disadvantages of SUV handling and increased thirst, at least, not in my book. But this Honda suggested I reconsider.
Its front wheels are powered by a normally aspirated 2.0-litre petrol with 114kW and 190Nm that, on paper, looks insufficient to shift this spacious body, and I expected the car to guzzle go-juice to compensate. But after 500km or so of mixed terrain, including trans Waitakeres commutes at an often brisk pace, we averaged 8.2l/100km. That's not too far above the 7.7l/100km claim and well below the 10l/100km or more achieved in equivalent competitors we've recently tried, despite the fact we never tapped the eco button.
