Honda's hot-selling CR-V just gets better with age

Mark Glover’s AutoGlo car reviews can be seen here and in the Cruisin’ News, "Oregon, Nevada and California's classic auto news & marketplace."

Sacramento, California -- If you're going to make over a top-selling vehicle, you better not mess it up.

Thankfully, Honda hit all the right buttons with its reworked-for-2023 Honda CR-V, the compact crossover the automaker proudly bills as "America’s best-selling SUV of the past quarter century."

After a week in the 2023 CR-V Hybrid AWD Sport Touring model, I can say without equivocation that this is the best version of the CR-V produced to date.

For starters, it looks more sporty and rugged; it now stands out from the crowd of similar-looking SUVs -- a good thing in my book.

An upright grilled rolls back to a long hood line, a streamlined roof and rectangular exhaust finishers. By the way, this CR-V is nearly three inches longer than its predecessor.

Inside, the look is more refined and, well, more modern-looking in terms of materials and placement of controls.  Seating surfaces are precisely laid out and comfortable.  Volunteer passengers noted that they felt like they were riding in a purpose-built luxury SUV.  Also noted: plentiful interior space for a compact model.

The extraordinarily long list of standard features on the tester also leaned toward the luxury label. Beyond-the-norm perks included a power/tilt moonroof, rain-sensing windshield wipers and remote engine start.  No options were offered on the tester, which came in at a reasonable $39,845.

I enjoyed the CR-V's surprisingly feisty power plant: a 2-liter, four-cylinder engine matched to two electric motors. They combine for a max 204 horsepower and 247 foot-pounds of torque.

I couldn't get enough of zipping the CR-V tester around with complete, secure control on wet suburban streets, twisty rural highways and steep Sierra Nevada roadways.  The suspension was rock-solid; steering was just-right firm.

With the hybrid system, you get the additional bonus of exceptional fuel mileage: 40 miles per gallon in the city and 34 mpg on the highway in the tested CR-V.

Honda makes a point of saying you can take its CR-V anywhere, from the country club parking lot to the most rugged off-road trails.  That's a typical boast for an SUV, but in this case, I concur.

Overall, this is a textbook example of how to make the new generation of a popular vehicle even better.