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Crash Course: 2024 Honda CR-V SE Hybrid Overview

• The rugged styling of this model banishes its “cute ute” aura.
• The 2024 Honda CR-V SE Hybrid has a larger size that brings with it a roomier interior.
• Our team appreciates the much-improved design and interior quality of this model.

No longer merely a “cute ute” – in which an SUV body and its four-wheel drive system are placed in a car chassis to create a roomy cabin with a small footprint – the 2024 Honda CR-V SE Hybrid has the classic good looks and roomy interior you’d expect from a compact Honda.

2024 Honda CR-V SE Hybrid Look and Feel

Our team sat in seats, opened storage compartments, and evaluated dimensions of the 2024 Honda CR-V SE Hybrid to gain a first-person sense of how the vehicle presents visually, and how the components and materials work together to create an overall impression.

Exterior

Now in its sixth generation, the 2024 Honda CR-V lacks the juvenile overwrought front end that marred the 2022 model, with its soft shape and overdesigned snout. In its place is a straightforward, clean, square-jawed appearance that remains the defining feature of Honda styling. It’s sensibly mature yet appealing, with a simple, crisp classicism that’s refreshing.

Yet there’s an underlying strength to the CR-V’s demeanor, something that was previously lacking. The car looks far more rugged, with its longer hood, larger grille, and strong beltline. And no wonder. It’s now 2.7 inches longer, with a 1.6-inch longer wheelbase, and 0.4 inches of added width. This brings a greater presence and gives the CR-V a closer resemblance to the Honda Ridgeline pickup and the Honda Pilot TrailSport SUV.

Interior

Those larger exterior dimensions and the Honda CR-V SE Hybrid’s boxier shape provide more interior room. The instrument panel for the new model is highlighted by a honeycomb texture found on the instrument panel of the smaller HR-V. The 2024 Honda CR-V SE Hybrid feels far less claustrophobic for front seat passengers thanks to a smaller, lower center console height. It gets better in the back, where rear seat passengers receive an additional 0.6 inches of legroom.

And when it comes time to haul stuff, you’ll appreciate the CR-V’s massive 36.3-cubic foot cargo hold, which more than doubles to 76.5 cubic feet with the rear seats folded.

Spending extended periods of time behind the wheel reveals that the seats are comfortable and supportive. Interior quality is far better than before and the overall design is far more attractive.

Given the tendency of Honda cabins to be noisy at high speeds, Honda went to great efforts to make the interior quieter, adding active noise control, sound-absorbing materials, and thicker side glass. And these changes work wonders, achieving the desired result of reducing the clamor that typically fills Honda cabins.

2024 Honda CR-V SE Hybrid Performance

After a thorough assessment of the general feel and appearance of the 2024 Honda CR-V SE Hybrid, we got behind the wheel and put in some time on the road. Our team also utilized the tech offerings and other features to understand what it would be like to own the vehicle.

Powertrain

The 2024 Honda CR-V comes in LX, EX, and EX-L trim, all powered by a 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that generates 190 horsepower and 179 pound-feet of torque. It’s EPA-rated at 30 mpg in combined city/highway driving with front-wheel drive, 29 mpg with all-wheel drive.

The 2024 Honda CR-V is also offered in three hybrid-powered trims: Sport, the new Sport-L, and Sport Touring – which pairs a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with a traction motor to assist the engine and a generator motor to recharge the battery pack. With 204 horsepower and 247 pound-feet of torque, it returns 40 mpg with front-wheel drive and 37 mpg with all-wheel drive. But it’s not a plug-in hybrid, as Honda decided that the additional weight and expense the driveline brings wasn’t worth it.

It’s easy to see, though, why the hybrid drivetrain is the more popular of Honda’s two CR-V drivelines. It effortlessly delivers its fuel economy figures while offering the superior drivetrain. Undoubtedly, the hybrid driveline provides the necessary power and fuel efficiency, with 36 mpg readily attained at highway speed. Although the hybrid drivetrain is responsive, it lacks the instantaneous, seamless torque that’s characteristic of other electrified drivelines.

The CR-V is spry when the driveline is in Sport driving mode, though the gas engine makes an unpleasant noise when asked for speed uphill. There’s nothing here that an additional 50 horsepower couldn’t fix, but most drivers will find it adequate. Even though the transmission is a continuously variable unit, it feels like a conventional automatic, a notable achievement.

With a moderate amount of body lean in corners and well-controlled body movements, the CR-V is fairly nimble. The steering ratio is quick, but not too quick. It’s nicely weighted as well, although there’s no road feel.

Features and Technology

Driver assistance safety systems include traffic jam assist and traffic sign recognition, along with collision mitigation braking, forward collision warning, adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assist, road departure mitigation, lane departure warning, blind spot information, and a driver attention monitor.

A 7-inch infotainment touch screen, digital instrument cluster, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto are standard. Wireless charging is optional. A larger 9-inch infotainment touch screen can be found on pricier EX-L and Sport Touring models. 

With the inclusion of a volume knob, the infotainment system is much easier to use than before. Yet to find the appropriate radio station, you must constantly push the up or down tuning buttons because the software still lacks a direct tuning option or tuning knob. Honda’s designers refuse to make life easier for radio lovers. Meanwhile, rear-seat passengers have two USB-C ports, while the Sport Touring gets a standard 12-speaker Bose premium audio system.

2024 Honda CR-V SE Hybrid Specifications

In the table below, you’ll find the manufacturer specs for the 2024 Honda CR-V SE Hybrid:

2024 Honda CR-V SE Hybrid: The Wrap-Up

The 2024 Honda CR-V SE Hybrid’s added size makes it an even more perfect family vehicle, though anyone who requires more space in a compact footprint will appreciate it. If you can, go for one of the hybrid models; they’re far better than the guttural turbo models.

Although not as enjoyable to drive as Honda’s sportiest cars, it’s adept enough to be occasionally engaging without sacrificing usefulness. Add in handsome new styling and greater fuel efficiency and it’s easy to see why the Honda CR-V remains one of America’s most popular compact SUVs.

2024 Honda CR-V SE Hybrid: FAQ

Here are some frequently asked questions about the 2024 Honda CR-V SE Hybrid:

*Data accurate at time of publication.

Original article: 2024 Honda CR-V SE Hybrid Review