2020 Honda CR-V: Model overview, pricing, tech and specs – Roadshow

The Honda CR-V is one of the automaker’s most important models. Thus, Honda isn’t resting for the 2020 model year, giving its compact crossover a rather thorough freshening up.

While buyers may not really notice the small changes to the exterior and interior, the crossover sports a new engine, and now the CR-V comes in hybrid flavor for those seeking extra efficiency. The added upgrades don’t add too much to the bottom line, either.

Click here to read our most recent Honda CR-V review.

Powertrain and specs

The 2020 CR-V comes with a 1.5-liter turbo-four engine that makes 190 horsepower and 179 pound-feet of torque. Not only is that slightly more power (6 hp), but the engine is more efficient than the old, naturally aspirated 2.4-liter base motor, as well. The CR-V should return an estimated 2 miles per gallon more in city, highway and combined driving scenarios over the previous model year. That brings the official EPA-estimated fuel economy ratings to 28 mpg city, 34 mpg highway and 30 mpg combined.

Launching at a later date is the 2020 CR-V Hybrid. Here, there’s a 2.0-liter inline-four Atkinson cycle engine that works with two electric motors and a battery pack. It’s the same system found in the Accord Hybrid, which is mighty impressive. Total power output is 212 hp. Honda expected the CR-V Hybrid to achieve 50% better fuel economy than the regular CR-V, but it fell a bit shy. The EPA-estimated fuel economy for the new hybrid is 40 mpg city, 35 mpg highway and 38 mpg combined.

Front-wheel drive is the standard for the CR-V, though all-wheel drive is optional for each trim. The CR-V Hybrid is an AWD-only affair.

Interior

When it’s time to pile everyone in, the CR-V provides room for five passengers — two up front and three in back. While lower trim levels stick with cloth upholstery, leather is optional and even standard on more expensive CR-V trims.

Behind the rear passengers you’ll find just shy of 40 cubic feet of cargo space, but folding the seat down will reveal 75.8 cubic feet instead. The CR-V Hybrid, meanwhile, still retains a flat-load floor and the same cargo area even with its hybrid system. All CR-Vs come standard with automatic climate control and USB connectivity. 

Technology

The big news for 2020 is that every single CR-V now features Honda Sensing. That’s the title for the automaker’s bundle of active safety equipment. It includes automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist and adaptive cruise control. However, infotainment tech is light on the base LX model — the EX trim is where a 7-inch touchscreen comes into play with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. There’s also rear-cross traffic monitoring, HD Radio and a smart keyless entry system. Touring models add goods such as wireless phone charging and a factory navigation system.

Pricing

Prices for the 2020 CR-V start at $26,170 after a $1,120 destination charge, but the volume seller will absolutely be the EX trim, which starts at $28,680. Optioning a fully loaded CR-V Touring before other additions reveals a $34,370 price. All-wheel drive is a $1,500 option on every trim, unless you opt for the Hybrid, which comes with all-wheel-drive.

A full pricing rundown is below and each figure includes the destination charge.

• CR-V LX FWD: $26,170
• CR-V LX AWD: $27,670
• CR-V Hybrid LX: $28,870
• CR-V EX FWD: $28,680
• CR-V EX AWD: $30,180
• CR-V Hybrid EX: $31,380
• CR-V EX-L FWD: $31,170
• CR-V EX-L AWD: $32,670
• CR-V Hybrid EX-L: $33,870  
• CR-V Touring FWD: $34,370
• CR-V Touring AWD: $35,870
• CR-V Hybrid Touring: $37,070  

Availability

The 2020 Honda CR-V is on sale now, while the 2020 CR-V Hybrid will go on sale in the coming months.

Originally published Nov. 16, 2019.
Update, Feb. 28, 2020: Adds fuel economy estimates and pricing for CR-V Hybrid. Prices for standard model reflect new destination charge figure.