When practicality is at stake, Honda takes no chances to let it slip as they introduced their new car in the line of CR-V. it can be found somewhere smaller than the Pilot SUV and Odyssey minivan yet packed with a lot more utility than that of the Civic—or even the Accord—the 2012 Honda CR-V is the zenith of the compact-crossover world of efficiency and versatility, and one of the safest SUV found in the market. If you are bound to buy a car for your family, well then, the 2012 Honda CR-V answers and meets all of your requirements just in every way, except, perhaps, of the performance.

Cutting right through the CR-V, this is just perfect for what families want and need: the 2012 Honda CR-V is the best rear seat-folding arrangement of any vehicle in class, yet; and the innovation of which is the combination of impressive back-seat comfort and good ride comfort in general. By just opening one of the back door and with one arm and a simple pull of a strap, the effect is somewhat auto-robotic: the lower cushion tumbles forward into the footwell, the headrest angles also forward, and the rear seat-back flips forward, all tucking nearly behind the front seat, to a completely flat position. Cargo loading is also just a frosting on the cake, as the lifover height is only 23.6 inches.

Safety

The other leverage of the CR-V is its safety. In the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the CR-V earned overall five-star results, as well as in the front and side impact testing. In terms of the standards of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), it earned top ‘good’ scores in all tests and is a Top Safety Pick. There is a Multi-Angle Rearview Camera available which offers three different kinds of views to help you see obstacles.

Exterior and Interior

That’s the good thing about the CR-V. The bad is, on the other hand, depends on of what kind of shopper are you, because in both the exterior styling and performance, the CR-V is fine for a family type vehicle. The exterior evolved slightly, with the front and rear styling spruced up a little bit. Meanwhile, Honda decided to drop the cargo floor a few inches, as well as the seating, for the reason to give more space, but the effect of this ‘inside-out’ exterior designing move is that it can appear a bit homely from the outside compared to its competitor entries like the Ford Escape or Kia Sportage. The inside is in its utmost simplicity, streamlined serves it well, climate controls just below the audio controls, and a small five-inch ‘i-MID’ trip-computer and an audio screen just above it all.

Performance

Performance of the 2012 Honda CR-V maybe a bit of an issue. The CR-V doesn’t steer with much verve; has a five-speed automatic at a time contrary to its most rivals which has six-speeds; and it skipped direct injection. With that, you get a smooth and even, but not that all quick. For better fuel economy, here’s what Honda has sorted out so far: EPA fuel economy ratings at 23 mpg, 31 highway with front- wheel drive, or 22/30 with four-wheel drive – making it the highest-mileage vehicle in its class. Just like any other model of Honda, there’s a big green ‘econ’ button on the dash.

For the 2013, Honda CR-V keeps pace on what’s in demand in the industry in terms of connectivity to the buyers.

Feel free to browse the 2012 Honda CR-V gallery of images.