Flexibility is why new car buyers today often consider crossovers instead of midsize sedans, and our long-term 2015 Honda CR-V really delivers here. That shouldn’t be surprising, considering the HR-V and Pilot are function-and-flexibility stars in their respective segments. The CR-V is no different, with built-in features that help make this well-rounded Honda so popular.
The wide-opening rear doors facilitate entry and exit to the rear seat, which has a floor that’s nearly flat. That increases the perception of space, as do the reclining rear seat backs. It’s a good feature, but I wish the lever to control it were located not at the top of the seatback but lower on the edge of the seat, as on the Subaru Forester.
Associate online editor Austin Lott found installing a LATCH child seat to be a simple process. “I had it in and secured in less than 30 seconds,” he said. “The latch points are easy to access and not overly obstructed. They are nicely camouflaged when not in use, though, and are covered by flaps of seat material. It blends in nicely.” The CR-V has a rating of Marginal from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in LATCH ease of use, matching the Toyota RAV4, Nissan Rogue, Ford Escape, and Subaru Forester but under the Chevrolet Equinox, which earned an Acceptable rating. (The scores range from Poor and Marginal to Acceptable and Good.) Your experience may vary.
The CR-V can’t be beat in how simply the seats fold down. To make the most of the crossover’s 70.9 cubic feet of cargo space, pull one strap at the base of the seats on the left or right side, or pull one of two release handles from the cargo area. In just a few seconds, the seat bottoms fold forward the back of the front seats, making room for the seat backs to come down. There’s no need to mess with the rear-seat headrests, either, as those automatically fold into place.
Cargo space behind the rear seats is respectable, too. The CR-V’s 37.2 cubic feet compare favorably to the 2017 Ford Escape (34.0), 2016 Nissan Rogue (32.0), 2016 Subaru Forester (31.5-34.4), and 2016 Chevrolet Equinox (31.5). The 2016 Toyota RAV4 out-cargos the CR-V with rear seats in place, swallowing 38.4 cubic feet of stuff.
One dealer-installed accessory we’d highly recommend is the $51 cargo net, which is fastened at four corners of the cargo area so it stays flat and out of the way most of the time, unlike vertically placed cargo nets mounted at the edge of the cargo area. When you don’t need the cargo net, just stack cargo on top. When you’d prefer your stuff to stay in place, lift up the netting.
Throw in the soft front seat backs, and you’ve got a spacious and practical crossover that’s just over a foot shorter than Honda’s good midsize sedan, the Accord. There are pros and cons of eschewing a midsize sedan for a crossover, but the CR-V definitely makes a good case for itself in terms of functionality.
More on our long-term 2015 Honda CR-V Touring AWD here:
- Arrival
- Update 1: How Much MPG Does ECON Mode Really Add?
- Update 2: How the CR-V Has Changed My Driving Habits
- Update 3: CR-V or HR-V?
- Update 4: From Econ to Sport Mode: Does it Make a Difference at the Track?
- Update 5: The CR-V Goes Camping
- Update 6: Not A Constantly Racing Vehicle
- Update 7: Why the CR-V’s Lack of a Volume Knob is Mostly Not an Issue
The post 2015 Honda CR-V Touring AWD Update 8: Cargo King? appeared first on Motor Trend.
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