car technology

Revised Honda CR-V priced

(WHICH) - Honda has announced the pricing for its revised CR-V ‘soft-roader’, which goes on sale in January 2010.

The new version of Honda’s compact SUV is distinguished by changes to the bumpers and grille, which leave it looking a little chubby cheeked from the front. The interior benefits from higher quality materials, improved sound deadening and a new audio console design.

But most significantly the refreshed CR-V also gains Honda’s latest generation diesel engine.

New i-DTEC diesel

The 2.2-litre i-DTEC turbodiesel unit produces 148bhp - 10 more than before - and offers class competitive, if not class leading, CO2 emissions of 171g/km. It comes with a six-speed gearbox or, for the first time on a Honda diesel SUV, a five-speed automatic is optionally available.

0-62mph takes 9.6 seconds in the manual, 10.6 seconds in the automatic. Top speeds are 118mph and 116mph, respectively. CO2 suffers somewhat with the auto - rising to 195g/km - while fuel economy is 43.5mpg (combined) in the manual, 38.2mpg in the automatic. The engine is Euro V emissions compliant.

The 2.0-litre petrol alternative is unchanged from the previous model. It’s slower and less efficient than the diesel - but cheaper to buy.

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