2023 Honda CR-V Hybrid Review: Where Blandness and Fuel Efficiency Unite

Editor’s Note: we tested the CR-V Sport Touring Hybrid trim (called the Touring Hybrid in Canada)

The Honda CR-V is made in Canadian and American factories and has been a huge seller north and south of the border for the past quarter-century. With great new offerings from, in particular, Hyundai and Kia to contend with, the six-year-old CR-V was due an overhaul. It’s a brand-new vehicle for 2023. Eventually, Honda expects the hybrid powertrain tested here to account for up to 50% of all CR-V sales.

2023 Honda CR-V Hybrid Price and Trims

The Hybrid is new to Canada but disappointingly, there’s only one model, our high-end Touring Hybrid test vehicle. Here’s the full CR-V lineup:

All non-hybrids get the conventional 190-hp, 1.5-litre turbo motor. Its accompanying CVT transmission has been retuned for better response, according to Honda.

2023 CR-V Touring Interior & Exterior Changes

The CR-V’s styling takes on a squarer, “rugged” look in this new generation. It’s smart and appropriately understated, if not particularly memorable, in our view. The Touring Hybrid trim test vehicle – equivalent to Sport Touring Hybrid in the US – is the only grade to get arch-filling 19-inch wheels. The car was finished in Canyon River Blue Metallic paint for an extra C$300 (free in the US, but other special colours are US$455).

All 2023 CRV-Vs come at a minimum with a 7-inch central infotainment screen, USB-A and -C ports, dual-zone climate control, keyless entry and remote starter, LED headlights, and an expanded and retuned suite of Honda Sensing driver-assistance technologies. A rear seat reminder and rear seatbelt reminder are also new and standard on all CR-Vs.

The only optional equipment choices are a range of dealer-fitted accessories. For interior features, you simply pick the appropriate grade.

In the case of our Touring Hybrid, that means plenty of premium appointments. There’s a 12-speaker Bose premium audio system, navigation, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, wi-fi hotspot capability and perforated leather seats.

Key to the classy interior are the dashboard mesh, vents and toggles like those in the Civic and Acura Integra. The outgoing CR-V’s practical cabin hasn’t been sacrificed in the name of style however. It’s slightly larger than before (the car is 69mm/2.7in longer overall) with useful touches like the roomy central storage bin.

There’s generous rear legroom and the angle of the rear seatback is adjustable to accommodate passengers of different sizes, or child seats.

We especially like the infotainment screen – measuring 9in here instead of the entry-level 7in – whose revised interface is as easy to use as any you’ll find. The navigation’s voice-recognition function didn’t always deliver the desired result, however.

Honda has reduced the size of the hybrid battery pack, but its inclusion still sacrifices underfloor storage in the trunk, costing the CR-V Hybrid about 10% of the regular car’s cargo space. That places it just behind rivals like the RAV4 and Sportage Hybrids on overall space, but the load area is sensibly shaped and easy to access.

2023 Honda CR-V engine and hybrid system

The 2023 CR-V launches the fourth generation of Honda’s proven two-motor hybrid system. Total system power drops slightly to 204 hp but it is available over a wider speed range and with 247 lb-ft, there’s more torque than before.

The drive motor now sits side-by-side with the motor-generator, instead of coaxially, with two lock-up clutches and direct-drive gear sets – one geared to reduce the speed of the gas engine in highway use, the other for more efficient city driving.

The suspension provides a composed ride with more body control across longer undulations than you’ll find from some rivals, but not as much compliance over sharper bumps as we’d have liked.

The result is a noticeably more relaxed drive at highway speeds, with reduced noise and vibration from the gas engine under load. In addition, a larger drive motor delivers a higher sustained top speed. The separate, low-speed clutch and gear set also enables the CR-V Hybrid to tow up to 1,000 lb for the first time.

The car’s updated, Atkinson-cycle, 2-litre engine now makes more power and torque and produces nitrogen oxide (NOx) and total hydrocarbon (THC) emissions are down more than 20%.

Here in the CR-V, the hybrid powertrain’s official combined fuel consumption of 6.4L/100km (37mpg) is a major reduction on the non-hybrid’s 8.4L/100km (28mpg). We recorded 8L/100km around town in cold conditions, so we think the official figure is achievable.

2023 Honda CR-V Hybrid Driving impressions

By delivering the power through the electric drive motor most of the time, the hybrid system ensures smooth, almost EV-style acceleration for this hybrid-powered compact SUV, which is more responsive than the combustion-only version. Even at speed, the Honda is quiet with the engine off.

On the test car’s 19in rims and Michelin X-Ice Snow SUV winter tires, the suspension provides a composed ride with more body control across longer undulations than you’ll find from some rivals, but not as much compliance over sharper bumps as we’d have liked. We weren’t able to push the handling limits during our test, but it inspires confidence in everyday use.

Takeaway: is the CR-V Touring Hybrid worth it?

Responding to a question about the lack of lower-grade hybrid options, a Honda Canada spokesman told us, “As we progress through our path to further electrification, we will be expanding our hybrid and electric offerings in Canada to more core models and a wider variety of trims.” We’d like to see that sooner rather than later, on both sides of the border, to help the accomplished CR-V Hybrid reach a wider audience amid stiff competition from the likes of Ford, Hyundai, Kia, and Toyota.