How is the quality and layout?

The CR-V borrows most of its interior fittings from the Honda Civic, which is no bad thing. After all, we liked the Civic so much that we made it Parkers Car of The Year for 2023. That means you get a minimalist dash design, with a strip across the centre containing the air vents that separates the high-set 9.0-inch infotainment screen from the physical climate control panel.

It all feels very well built and incredibly straightforward – we love the proliferation of physical switchgear at a time when so many brands are simply loading as many functions as possible onto touchscreens.

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Furthering the whole ‘idiot-proof’ mantra, Honda labels each switch with both words and symbols, just to make sure no function goes unflagged.

Infotainment and tech

The CRV’s infotainment system is a simple affair, although its interface isn’t quite as eye-catching, clear or user friendly as the best systems offered by rivals. But we’re glad to see that Honda hasn’t filled the screen with car control functions and, because of that, it works quickly and smoothly. 

There’s very little lag when you swap between menu screens and, if you want to change the temperature, you simply spin a nice, clicky rotary dial instead of digging through a load of sub menus and poking at tiny icons. If only every carmaker took these kinds of ergonomics so seriously.

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Thankfully, if Honda’s rather simplistic menu design isn’t to your taste, it’s easy to connect your phone to the screen using Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. The former works wirelessly but you will need to plug in to one of the USB ports to use the latter.

This is a shame, especially as one of the only issues we had with our long-term test car was an unreliable Android Auto connection (we tried different cables, and experienced the same problem on a short-term test car, too). Perhaps if Honda had elected to use the newer USB-C standard it would be less troublesome.

All models have a digital instrument cluster, which – like the infotainment – is clear but lacking in visual sparkle. We like this, though, because it’s easy to read and configure.

Comfort

• Supportive seats front and rear
• Lots of adjustment for drivers of all sizes
• Roomy in the rear

The lofty driving position is spot on. The steering wheel is dead ahead of you (which isn’t as common as you might think) and it offers plenty of adjustment. Forward visibility is good and the seats are comfortable, with the eight-way electric adjustability for the driver on Advance and Advance Tech models allowing you to set yourself up just right. There’s a memory function, too, so you won’t constantly be cross with your partner for mucking about with it.

The considered comfort extends to the rear, where leg and headroom as well as seat shape are all very good. Refinement is good overall, although the low-profile tyres fitted to higher-spec models generate an appreciable amount of road noise. Happily, this is balanced out (at least in part) by the CR-V’s sound deadening.