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2023 Honda CR-V: new illustration…

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This new illustration is obviously based on the recent spy shots we have seen of the redesigned 2023 Honda CR-V. Besides the front chrome strip, it seems pretty realistic. And quite lifeless.

It seems Honda has been on a path to simplify their designs. Fewer scoops and unnecessary details are a good thing. But, just like the 2022 Civic, this ends up looking pretty anonymous. A shape like this doesn’t say “Honda” or “CR-V” more than it says “VW”, “Geely” or “Great Wall”…

Maybe they should go back to the original design. You know, the one that had the most personality. 

I remember actually never really liking the original CR-V. I was never a fan of trucks and I saw this as a little wannabe truck, especially with its spare wheel outside.

But now, in a Bronco Sport world, I really think something like this would be the way to go for Honda. The next CR-V is a huge missed opportunity. It seems small SUVs with an off-road personality and design as getting more and more popular. 

 

Conversation 7 comments

  1. the old original Honda Crvs were pretty nice and affordable little compact wagons with some character. Nobody bought them back then expecting them to be off road champs. They were just easy to drive, thrifty on fuel, lots of room for people and cargo, very very reliable and you felt kinda smug driving one..like…you bought a good little Honda vehicle that does so much and kinda fun to scoot around in.
    – they were relatively slow ( guessing a 0-60 in 10-11-11.5 seconds) but probably about average with most compact vehicles of the era. Plenty of pep for city driving/occasional freeway , boxy design with lots of upright glass to see out of, comfy seats, simple interior…..i'd buy a used 1995 crv if the mileage was not too sky high or if the body and mechanicals were in good shape, but sometimes you gotta just let things be and move onto newer vehicles to avoid potential headaches.
    – A new honda crv awd in mid trim level is something like $32,000-35,000 pre tax, destination , blah blah.

  4. @Tony

    A 1997 CR-V sold for $20k at the time. That equates to $32k in 2021 dollars.
    Yet the 2021 CR-V starts at only $26k… We all like to get rosy about cheaper cars of yesteryear, but inflation is unavoidable and obfuscates the true price of things.

  5. If you cover up the front end, I see a Tiguan! But on Vince's point about something truckier, it'd be nice if Honda revived the Element on the same platform, or the smaller HR-V platform (since the Element was under 170" long). It's silly, but an Element is one of my "dream" used cars. They're just so well-loved that they're fairly pricy on the used market: around $18k for a model with 75k miles!

  6. i looked up the current Honda CRV prices here in Canada : Honda CR-V/MSRP
    2021 CR-V LX-2WD, with a retail value of $32,255.
    the Touring trim is over $44,000.
    – i found an online canadian review of the Honda crv-awd for a 1998 model and it was just under $28,000.
    – Inflation calculator says: $28,000 in 1998 is worth $45,180.32 today…..yikes!

  7. Back and forth. Back and forth. Honda can't decide if the Japanese or American design centers get control. This is the usual safe trash out if Japan. And crazy badly edited designs out of Torrance. Maybe if they just had one design center, they could afford better designers. This is terrible and old even for now.

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