Honda CR-V review

Overview

The facelifted fourth-generation CR-V combines familiar family-SUV accommodation with a downsized diesel and nine-speed automatic. This review selects a 2016 UK 1.6 i-DTEC 160 SE 4WD on 17-inch wheels, not the lower-powered 2WD diesel, older 2.2, petrol automatic or later hybrid. RoadMatch considers it primarily for relaxed family travel with regular longer journeys. Its useful cabin is a stronger reason to buy than the number of transmission ratios or an expectation of sporty handling. The exact trim, wheel equipment and maintenance record matter. A seller describing every CR-V as the same reliable practical car overlooks important engine, gearbox, emissions and infotainment differences across generations.

Exterior and interior

The facelift revises the front appearance without changing the CR-V's fundamentally upright family shape. Inside, controls and materials are functional rather than particularly fashionable, and the newer Honda Connect screen remains period technology. Carwow supports the comfortable-seat and visibility proposition, while Auto Express's period test does not treat the cabin as enough to overcome every driving weakness. Try the SE's actual seat and steering adjustment, check door access and inspect trim for family-use damage. Heated seats, a panoramic roof and other EX features should not automatically migrate into this selected SE. Identify additions from the build record and test them individually; a tidy interior is useful evidence of care, but not a substitute for mechanical inspection.

Practicality

Honda's press material specifies 589 litres with the seats in place and distinguishes folded capacity according to spare-wheel equipment. The five-seat number is the relevant starting point, rather than a seats-folded headline that cannot coexist with rear passengers. Try the boot's width around the wheel arches and its loading lip with your pushchair or luggage. Rear access and space are broadly useful, but individual child seats should be installed during the viewing rather than judged from a photograph. Demonstrate the folding releases and check secure relatching. This generation does not offer a third row, so seven-seat requirements cannot be solved by the CR-V's size. Inspect beneath the floor for damp and missing spare or repair equipment.

Driving experience

Auto Express's facelift automatic assessment describes comfort but also slow response and limited enthusiasm in bends. Autocar's broader generation assessment is likewise cautious about body control, whereas Carwow places more weight on everyday ease. RoadMatch's conclusion is to buy this CR-V for relaxed practical travel, not sharp handling. Test it on uneven roads and at a busy junction, where gearbox hesitation is more relevant than a showroom acceleration demonstration. Listen for vibration and tyre noise on a faster section, and assess rear-passenger comfort if family journeys are the purpose. A nine-speed transmission is not automatically a more responsive one. The actual maintenance condition and wheel choice affect how well the car delivers its intended role.

Performance

The selected engine is the 160 PS twin-stage-turbo diesel, approximately 158 bhp, paired with four-wheel drive and the nine-speed automatic. The period UK press-kit table gives 10.0 seconds to 62 mph; Auto Express's top-trim test quotes 10.4, so RoadMatch identifies the source and does not conceal that period discrepancy. The selected 17-inch SE should not inherit the manual's faster time or the 120 PS diesel's figures. Useful performance here depends on predictable gearbox response as much as engine output. Try ordinary acceleration with a realistic load, noting any warning, hesitation or abnormal vibration. If immediate overtaking response is essential, decide from a proper demonstration rather than assuming the stronger diesel resolves every responsiveness concern.

Fuel economy

The UK press kit separates wheel-dependent economy: the 160 PS automatic on 17-inch wheels has a 55.4 mpg NEDC combined figure, while 18-inch versions differ. It is a laboratory result, not a real-world guarantee. RoadMatch assumes 45 mpg for annual planning, recognising traffic, load and cold trips. Regular warm longer journeys make a clearer case for this diesel than local stop-start errands. Do not import a later CR-V hybrid's economy or tax treatment. Ask for fuel records if consumption is central to the purchase, and check the actual registration details. An economical headline does not remove the need to maintain emissions equipment or fund the AWD automatic's servicing.

Reliability

A Honda badge does not establish that this ten-year-old diesel automatic has received appropriate maintenance. Review service invoices, gearbox and AWD fluid history, cooling and emissions-system condition with a knowledgeable specialist. Ask about warning lights, regeneration-related work and previous repair diagnoses rather than accepting a cleared dashboard as reassurance. Check cold and warm operation because a short pre-warmed demonstration can hide behaviour important to ownership. RoadMatch's moderate-confidence score is an original judgement of complexity, age and inspection exposure, not a measured failure rate. Prefer a documented example to one sold chiefly on a reputation for durability. Keep a separate reserve for a significant transmission or emissions fault outside the routine annual allowance.

Safety

The relevant Euro NCAP evidence is the 2013 fourth-generation CR-V assessment, which tested a right-hand-drive 2.2 diesel SE before this engine update. RoadMatch states that scope rather than pretending the exact 1.6 automatic was the tested derivative. No protected ratings, percentages or artwork are reproduced. Honda's later Sensing and intelligent cruise features were option-dependent, so do not advertise them universally on this SE. Verify the actual assistance equipment and calibration history after windscreen or body repair. Child-seat installation and warning-light operation need practical checks. Use the GOV.UK registration recall lookup and Honda's VIN campaign information to establish completed work; a historical family test does not establish current condition.

Technology and features

Honda Connect is a period system rather than a modern factory phone-projection promise. Demonstrate calls, audio and navigation where fitted using your own handset; optional navigation and aftermarket additions need separate confirmation. Online services may depend on older software or network arrangements, so an original brochure feature may not retain its original usefulness. Parking aids and reversing camera should be checked on the individual SE rather than inferred from an EX review photograph. Modern adaptive cruise is not universal equipment, and a seller should identify any Sensing package from the build record. RoadMatch would prioritise reliable basic operation and clear visibility over a touchscreen's appearance or an unsupported claim that it works with every current app.

Running costs

RoadMatch's 3 October 2026 editorial purchase range is £7,500–£11,500, with £2,050–£2,750 annually at 8,000 miles. These are planning estimates, not live valuations or insurance quotes. The model assumes 45 mpg and diesel at £1.50 per litre, adding servicing, tyres and a routine maintenance reserve. Insurance, finance, depreciation and major gearbox, drivetrain or emissions repairs are excluded. Get a personal quotation and check registered tax and local emissions-zone requirements. Price any overdue fluid, tyre or brake work before purchase. A good fuel figure cannot make deferred maintenance disappear, so the better-value car is often the one with coherent records rather than the lowest advertised price.

Advantages and disadvantages