The 2017 CR-V Gets a New Look, a New Engine AND a Real Volume Knob

2017 Honda CR-V (Credit: © Honda )

The Honda CR-V was well overdue for a complete redo. Sure, its latest redesign wasn’t too long ago, but it was simply lagging behind the competition. On Thursday, that all came to an end, as Honda lifted the veil from the stunning, new-look 2017 CR-V.

The current-generation CR-V is, by no means, ugly. It simply lacks the pizazz that so many others in its class have. With this new look, the CR-V retains many of its longtime styling cues – the wide headlights, chrome grille, and vertical taillights – but they are all far more stylized than before. The body is also more rakish than ever before, giving the small crossover the sporty look it’s long lacked.

In terms of size, the new-generation CR-V is slightly larger in most measurables. The body is 180.6 inches long, 66.1 inches tall (66.5 w/ AWD), and 73 inches wide, making it 1.2 inches longer, 1.4 inches taller, and 1.4 inches wider than the last-gen model. Despite being larger, the 2017 CR-V is actually lighter than the current model, weighing in at 3,307 pounds (51 pounds lighter) with front-wheel drive and 3,421 pounds (58 pounds lighter) with AWD.

2017 Honda CR-V (Credit: © Honda )

Inside, the CR-V gets a more refined-looking cabin. Gone is the dual-screen infotainment system (hallelujah!), and in comes a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system with a REAL volume knob (no more mashing the virtual button on the screen). The dashboard and instrument panel are more upright, giving it a wider feel, while the gear shift knob and its surrounding area are chunkier and more premium-looking.

Passengers will also enjoy more room, as the rear seats gain 2.1 inches of legroom to a comfy 40.4 inches. Unfortunately, shoulder room and hip room are both down for folks in the rear seats, but cargo room gets a huge increase of 2 cubic feet to 39.2 cubes with the seats up – max cargo capacity isn’t available yet.

Not only did Honda answer my wish for a physical volume knob and the elimination of the second screen, but it also answered my request for a peppier engine. Of course, the base LX model will continue on with the same 2.4-liter i-VTEC blah, blah, blah as before, but the EX and higher trims get a tasty new 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder with 190 horsepower and likely at least 175 pound-feet of torque. Not only will this engine inject a little more pep, but it’ll also give the CR-V an unofficial lead in compact crossover fuel economy.

2017 Honda CR-V (Credit: © Honda )

Safety will also get enhanced, as Honda Safety Sense will become standard fare on all EX and higher trims.

Pricing and the exact release date for the 2017 CR-V aren’t available yet. We’ll bring you these as they become available.