“Prototype.” Sure.
Japanese carmaker Honda has arrived at this years’ Frankfurt motor show with the new CR-V in tow, marking the SUV’s first European appearance. That said, they didn’t bring just any garden-variety CR-V to bow in: Instead, this big Honda’s got a secret beneath its skin.
Okay, so maybe it’s not a secret-secret. Under the contemporary body lies an all-new hybrid powertrain, the first of its kind for the CR-V. The Intelligent Multi-Mode Drive (i-MMD) petrol-electric hybrid setup marries a 2.0-litre i-VTEC four-pot Atkinson-cycle petrol to an electric motor, along with a fixed-gear ratio in place of a traditional transmission.
While no numbers were revealed in Germany, it’s speculated that they shouldn’t run too far from the numbers reported by the Accord Sport Hybrid, with its 105kW/165Nm petrol engine and 124kW electric motor, rated for 146kW/307Nm and boasts a fuel consumption figure of just 4.6L/100km.
The CR-V Hybrid offers no less than three driving modes: EV Drive, Hybrid Drive, and Engine Drive, with their intentions moving from economy-focused to drive-centric respectively. These modes are selectable, but the car can also shuffle between them to optimise the drive further. The CR-V Hybrid can also be driven on electric power alone, though it’s unlikely that this big SUV will give cars like the Nissan Leaf or even plug-in hybrids much to worry about.
For the European market, the CR-V will debut (that’s right, we have it first) with the 1.5-litre VTEC turbo engine exclusively, mated to either a six-speed self-shifter or a CVT automatic. The CR-V Hybrid also features some minor styling tweaks ahead of the cars’ European debut, and will help the car gain traction there. As for the CR-V Hybrid, there’s little word on whether or not it’ll be made available here when it gets officially-introduced in production form next year, though we’re keeping our fingers crossed that it’ll eventually make it to our shores.
You can read our report on the Honda CR-V here.
For more information on Honda, check out our Showroom.
