Honda's CR-V compact crossover has never been the prettiest SUV around, but that hasn't stopped it from becoming the most popular one. The 2012 Honda CR-V may continue selling better than nearly everything else in the segment, but just like the outgoing CR-V, the new Honda features controversial styling.
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The 2011 Honda CR-V's odd lower grille that connected the two headlights is finally gone. In its place is a much larger grille with three chrome bars meeting headlights that point toward the Honda badge in an unusual way.
Plenty of black cladding all around the 2012 CR-V remains, but is now a bit subtler on the sides, free of the tab-like shapes found on the 2011 CR-V in the gallery below. The character line now intersects the door handles but it's really the rear side window that current CR-V owners may notice. The chrome trim below and above the side windows now meet in the middle, just like Honda's Accord coupe.
From behind, the new 2012 Honda CR-V appears bolder than ever, thanks to vertical taillights that accentuate the rear windshield's pulled forward look that remind some of the Volvo XC60 crossover. The 2012 CR-V is far more striking from the rear -- for better or for worse -- and also incorporates a black panel below the windshield not found on the back of the 2011 CR-V.
Inside, it's clear Honda has taken a completely different approach for the 2012 CR-V. The tachometer has been pushed aside in the instrument cluster to make way for a centered and much bigger speedometer while Honda's multi-information display screen sits prominently at the top of the dash. The 2012 Honda CR-V's central air vents now flank the navigation screen, which has moved upward on the dash compared to the 2011 model.
What do you think of the new 2012 Honda CR-V crossover design? Has Honda improved the CR-V when matched against the 2011 model? Tell us what you think in the comments section below.
Last week, the comments section of the 2013 Ford Escape crossover featured more opinions about a Refreshing/Revolting subject than we've seen in a while. CommenterDavesaw the new 2013 Escape in person and felt it looked "really good and substantial. I understand how people were attached to the old model, but I was impressed with the new design."
Alexisn't a fan: "This thing fell out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down."
Photos of the 2012Honda CR-Vare on the left while2011 Honda CR-Vimages are on the right.
I’ve come a long way since I drove sugar packets across restaurant tables as a kid, pretending they were cars. With more than 17 years of experience, I'm passionate about demystifying the new car market for shoppers and enthusiasts. My expertise comes from thoughtfully reviewing countless vehicles across the automotive spectrum. The greatest thrill I get isn’t just from behind the wheel of an exotic car but from a well-executed car that’s affordable, entertaining, and well-made. Since about the time I learned to walk I’ve been fascinated by cars of all shapes and sizes, but it wasn’t until I struggled through a summer high school class at the Pasadena Art Center College of Design that I realized writing was my ticket into the automotive industry. My drive to high school was magical, taking me through a beautiful and winding canyon; I've never lost the excited feeling some 16-year-olds get when they first set out on the road. The automotive industry, singing, and writing have always been my passions, but because no one seeks a writer who sings about the automotive industry, I honed my writing and editing skills at UC Irvine (zot zot!), serving as an editor of the official campus newspaper and writing stories as a literary journalism major. At USC, I developed a much greater appreciation for broadcast journalists and became acquainted with copy editing rules such as why the Oxford comma is so important. Though my beloved 1996 Audi A4 didn’t survive my college years, my career with MotorTrend did. I started at the company in 2007 building articles for motorcycle magazines, soon transitioning to writing news posts for MotorTrend’s budding online department. I spent some valuable time in the copy editing department, as an online news director, and as a senior production editor. Today, MotorTrend keeps me busy as the Buyer's Guide Director. Not everyone has a career centered on one of their passions, and I remind myself all the time how lucky I am.
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