More power, but not more style: Honda CR-V 2.4

Bury the throttle into the floor of the 2005 CR-V and two things happen: it surges forward with the urgency of the late, great Civic SiR; and the bar-type, digital fuel-economy meter dips alarmingly to the left, reading roughly 2 kilometers per liter. You need to do this sort of thing to tell the old from the new; park it beside a 2004 CR-V and you’d be hard-pressed to tell the difference. Visually, the bumpers, the lamps, and the wheels are different. Not that much different from the old, though, because in typical Honda fashion, CR-V styling has been bland since the first generation rolled out in the mid 90’s.

So, this 2005 update is, well, a different kind of bland. Like a kind of sushi you’ve never tried before, the look is familiar, neat, and completely deceptive about what it is capable of. In its case, the "wasabi" comes in the form of a bigger engine for the 4x4 version: a 2.4-liter, 4-cylinder, 16-valve with i-VTEC to belt out 160 horses and 22.2 kg-m of torque. Despite the extra 0.4 liters of displacement, the engine runs with consummate smoothness from idle all the way to the 6,000-plus rpm redline. Coming alive at 3,000 rpm, it emits a healthy snarl that begs to be run hard, so long as you don’t peek at the fuel-economy gauge.

Unlike most other light SUV manufacturers, Honda continues to give you the option of a 5-speed manual or a 5-speed automatic. If you’re one of the few that still refuse to let a computer do the shifting for you, the manual is as smooth and precise as Honda could make it, blessed with a Civic-light clutch and short throws. However, the higher torque translates to jerkier power delivery off the line. Put the hammer down from 1st gear, upshift at 5,000, and the axle will squirm in protest as you mash the stick into 2nd. In milder operation, there’s a "rubber band" sensation as you press and depress the gas in traffic. Get the 5-speed automatic to smooth things out; the torque converter will do a better job of smoothening out torque transfer than your "clutch" foot will ever manage.

Inside, some improvements are immediately apparent: the Optitron gauges are more eye-catching, the A/C knobs are larger, and the radio is much improved. Park your butt into the driver’s seat and it’s easy to take for granted how the designers made every switch, lever, control and button so logically laid out that you’d be hard pressed to think of a better layout for the dash. It may not be a very sporty-looking cockpit — in fact it looks depressingly dull for something costing more than a million bucks — but it’s in the details that the CR-V delivers.

From the seats that easily tumble forward so the box-like cabin can swallow most everything, to the smoother engagement of the RealTime all-wheel drive, everything about the CR-V says "competence". And of course it’s as safe as any other SUV, with dual airbags, all-disk brakes, and ABS. As light off-roaders go, the CR-V will ably tackle rough terrain, but it’s no Land Rover. Its mission has always been to deliver all-weather performance in a tall wagon body, best enjoyed for long trips where car-like driving dynamics, idiot-proof operation, and cubic feet of cargo space are tops on the buyer’s list. Now facing the middle years of its production cycle, the CR-V faces tough competition from rivals that either pack more pizzazz or better financing deals.

Still, it’s got all the essentials of fuss-free, SUV-lite ownership that has always characterized the CR-V. The few cosmetic improvements and engineering upgrades with the motor and all-wheel drive ensure that, for the buyer who places a premium on quality and performance, it’s still one of the best at what it’s made to deliver.

The Good:

• more power from a bigger, but still smooth motor

• improved RealTime engagement

• much better radio…at last

• still one of the most versatile cabins in its class

The Bad:

• still as bland as before

• hard-to-modulate power delivery with the manual transmission

The Verdict:

An amazingly competent SUV with a healthy dose of extra power, but still in need of some character.