2011 Honda CR-V

The 2011 Honda CR-V is priced at $23,625 and goes all the way up to $33,650 for the fully loaded trim. The CR-V with its competitive pricing goes up against the likes of the Chevrolet Equinox, the Kia Sorento, and the Subaru Forester in the segment. Does the 2011 Honda CR-V have all the right pieces to compete strongly in the segment? Let’s check in the article below.

The Honda CR-V is offered in four major trim levels - LX, SE, EX, and EX-L. The EX-L with Navigation is mostly considered a trim, but it is more of a package that adds a navigation system and shares the remaining features with the EX-L trim. The CR-V starts at a price of $21,895 and can be had in both front-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive drivetrains. The complete distribution of features across the trims can be seen in the table below.

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The EX trim would be the one we would choose considering that it gets most of the features as standard from the base trims while also comprising some of the features of the top-end EX-L trim. We find the EX to be the most value for money, and with an AWD drivetrain setup, the EX trim feels just right for the price of $26,255.

The Honda CR-V comes with a 2.4-liter inline-4 which produces 180 hp and 161 ft-lb of torque. The engine is mated to a five-speed automatic gearbox which helps send the power to the front wheels. There is the option of all-wheel drive. The Honda CR-V can do the 0-60 mph sprint in 8.7 seconds and a standing quarter-mile in 16.6 seconds. It has a top speed of 125 mph. The all-wheel-drive version does the 0 to 60 sprint in 8.9 seconds and the standing quarter-mile in 16.8 seconds.

The Equinox is the most powerful car here with an output of 182 hp, and then comes the CR-V with 180 hp, the Kia Sorento making 175 hp, and then comes the Subaru Forester making 170 hp. The Equinox is also the fastest from 0-60 mph with a time of 8.5seconds. When comparing the top speed, the CR-V performs better than the Forester at 125 mph.

The Honda CR-V manages to return 21 mpg in the city, a mileage of 28 mpg on the highway, and a combined mileage of 24. The CR-V has a 15.3-gallon fuel tank, enabling a range of 321 miles in the city, 428 miles on the highway, and a combined range of 367 miles. The all-wheel-drive variant of the crossover offers 21/27/23 mpg in the city/highway/combined scenarios, respectively.

The highest combined range is returned by the Chevrolet Equinox of 488 miles, and then comes the Kia Sorento with a range of 396 miles, followed by the Subaru Forester with a range of 388 miles. The Honda CR-V stands last with a range of 367 miles despite having the second-best fuel efficiency to boast about in the competition.

The 2011 Honda CR-V can seat five occupants comfortably and is good-looking and functional all at once. The front row can be adjusted manually, while the rear seats have the feature of sliding and reclining. The seats get cloth upholstery in the base trim. The car comes with a cargo capacity of 35.7 cu-ft, which can be extended by folding down the rear seats in the 40/20/40 configuration.

From the above table, it is seen that the most legroom is offered by the Subaru Forester in the front row. The rest of the cars are very similar in space to each other. On the backside, the cars are differentiated by just inches. However, The most cargo capacity is offered by the Honda CR-V of 35.7 cu-ft, whereas the least is offered by Kia Sorento at 9.1 cubic feet. Major interior features include:

• Manually adjustable front seats
• Reclining rear seats
• Cloth upholstery
• Leather upholstery (EX-L) 
• Dual-zone automatic air conditioning (EX-L)
• 8-way power driver’s seat (EX-L)

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The Honda CR-V comes equipped with a CD/MP3 player mated to a 4 speaker audio system in base trim. The SE trim gives an upgrade to a 6-CD changer and 6-speaker audio system. The EX trim offers all the above features and gives us steering wheel audio controls, while the EX-L trim comes with a seven-speaker audio system along with satellite radio. There is a navigation package that can be added along with Bluetooth connectivity and voice controls. Major infotainment features include:

• CD/MP3 Player
• Available 6-CD changer 
• 6-speaker audio system
• Steering wheel controls
• Available 7-speaker audio system 
• Satellite radio

The exterior of the Honda CR-V is not very attractive, but for an SUV, it's not very shabby. The base trim comes with 17-inch steel wheels and chrome exterior highlights. The EX trim has a few more luxuries like the sunroof, whereas the EX-L trim adds automatic headlights and heated mirrors along with all the above features. There are optional extras for the Honda CR-V that come in the form of accessories that can be added on when purchasing the vehicle, some of these are wind deflectors, roof rails, and even roof carriers.

Out of the above SUVs, the Chevrolet Equinox is once again the longest in length and wheelbase. The remaining dimensions of all the above SUVs are similar to each other. The notable difference is in the weight, and there the Subaru Forester is 100 pounds heavier than the Honda CR-V. The Chevrolet Equinox and the Kia Sorento are nearly 400 pounds heavier than the Honda CR-V. Major exterior features include:

• 17-inch wheels 
• Chrome exterior highlights
• 17-inch alloy wheels
• Rear privacy glass
• Heated mirrors
• Sunroof 

In the NHTSA crash tests, the 2011 Honda CR-V got the best rating possible of five stars in the frontal and side-impact tests. When tested by IIHS, the crossover manages to score a rating of 'Good' in most of the tests, however, it fails to perform in the roof-strength test where it received a score of 'Marginal.' The Honda CR-V comes with many safety features and has a pretty good safety record in terms of build quality. Apart from this, the crossover also has many safety features as standard, some of the important safety features are:

• Anti locking brakes
• Electronic brake distribution
• Brake assist
• Vehicle stability assist
• Traction control
• Side-impact door beams
• Daytime running lights

The 2011 Honda CR-V might not be the best looking or the most powerful car or the most massive one among the segment, but it is a car that can provide what is just right for its owners. Also, this car with its affordable pricing manages to give out good value for money and is a good bargain. This car might prove to be a great choice for the family short drives or will do great as your daily driver. Overall, this car is not a bad one and can just flatter you at times.