From Awards 2007 issue

List price when tested: £21,417
Kerbweight: 1660kg
85% match: 1411kg
Max towing weight: 2000kg
Towball limit: 100kg
30-60mph: 15.1seconds
30-0mph: 10.8m (solo)

YOU DON’T often associate 4x4s with greener driving, but the Honda CR-V isn’t like most 4x4s. The 2.2-litre diesel engine achieves 43.5mpg on the combined cycle, which is better than some petrol superminis. It emits 173g/km of CO2, which helps keep you Vehicle Excise Duty bill down, too.

It’s not your typical rough and ready 4×4 to look at either. The softer styling suggests a more family-friendly car, and that’s what you get, with lots of space inside. Legroom in the rear is especially impressive. There’s a decent boot, too, with 556 litres of luggage room with the back seats upright.

Happy and composed

The CR-V might be a 4×4 with a sensitive side, but what’s under the bonnet is tough enough. There’s 251 lb.ft of torque, which is enough to comfortably pull any suitable match. The CR-V pulled from 30-60mph in a respectable 15.1 seconds with a caravan in tow. On the motorway the Honda felt happy and composed at 60mph, although sometimes a gearchange from sixth to fifth was needed to hold speed on motorway inclines.

Through the emergency lane-change test, we found the CR-V short of front-end grip and the driver had to work hard at the wheel, especially on high-speed runs. The Honda made up lost ground in the hill start, breezing up the 1-in-10 slope in going forwards and in reverse.

Strong results in the JD Power Customer Satisfaction Survey each year suggest the Honda should prove reliable, and strong resale values make the CR-V a sensible buy, too.

We say
Towing: 4/5
Solo: 4/5
Practicality: 5/5
Buying & owning: 4/5

Verdict: 4/5 – Impressive economy and space. Tows well, too.

Find out more about this car at www.whatcar.com