2012 Honda CRV Caught Testing in Europe

We've already brought pictures of prototypes, the concept version and more importantly, the official design patents of the upcoming 2012 Honda CR-V, but our persistent spy photographers just caught up with another test model of the compact SUV in Europe.

While it's only a matter of weeks before we see the final production model in North America as it is due to be revealed at the Los Angeles Auto Show before hitting showroom floors by the end of the year, European consumers will have to wait another year for the new CR-V to arrive in dealerships.

The European-flavored 2012 CR-V will feature the same styling as the North American version but will be offered with a larger variety of four-cylinder engines including an all-important turbo diesel.

Source;
http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2011/09/spied-honda-continues-testing-european.html

2012 Honda CRV Design Leaks Out

Well, can't really tell from these photo's whether or not there's a 3rd row, although with the 2nd row window placement you could certainly make a case for there being one. Sounds like Honda is going with 2 different engine choices, the 2.4L and a new 2.5L, and that there will be a DVD model.

Source;
http://www.autoblog.com/2011/09/21/2012-honda-cr-v-final-design-leaks-out/

2012 Honda CRV Caught without Camo

I got to say, I am really liking this redesign, and that's not to say anything bad about the current one. Great shot of the interior and I love that front end.



Source;

http://jp-cardesigncorner.blogspot.com/2011/08/all-new-honda-cr-v-caught-undisguised.html

WorldCarFans: 2012 Honda CR-V spied hot-weather testing

Next-generation of Honda's CR-V SUV will have new front and rear fascias and a bigger boot area

Our spy photographers have caught the upcoming next-generation 2012 Honda CR-V doing some hot-weather testing in Death Valley, USA.

The CR-V prototypes spotted here come in different colors including blue and black, some of which are hauling trailers to test the CR-V's towing capabilities.

The camo is only covering the front and rear ends, so we expect substantial changes to the front and rear fascias in terms of bumpers and headlight clusters. Also, the car's roof looks lower and the rear boot area between the B- and C-pillars appears to be little longer than on the current generation.

This SUV seems about ready to go to production and the 2012 Honda CR-V is expected to debut sometime later this year.

Source: http://www.worldcarfans.com/111071835004/2012-honda-cr-v-spied-hot-weather-testing#ixzz1SUUHv300

TOV and Priddy: New Spy Shots! 2012 Honda CR-V!

Out of respect for TOV and Brenda Priddy, I have supplied the link to the 3X Spy photo's;
http://www.vtec.net/news/news-item?news_item_id=991215

Close-up: 2012 Honda CR-V!!
Honda has been doing a good job of hiding the next-generation CR-V, but today, we've finally gotten close up to a lightly disguised prototype! The biggest changes appear to be at the rear, where Honda almost looks to be taking a page from the Volvo design handbook.

It's possible that the extra space in the back is making room for a 3rd row. There seems to be some significant changes up front as well. The 2.4L four-cylinder VTEC motor should continue to be the only choice. Though we expect it to get a modest bump over the current 180hp, as well as a modest gains in fuel economy.

While the earthquake in Japan has delayed the start of production by about a month, expect the new CR-V to start rolling down the assembly line in Ohio, as well as Alliston, Ontario, in late Fall of this year.
Photo Credit: Brian Williams for Brenda Priddy & Company

2012 Honda CRV Rearend Spyshot

Spied somewhere in China where apparently the current CRV is very popular.

Source (via www.burlappcars.com);
http://auto.163.com/

2012 Honda CRV and Volvo XC60 Similarities

Nice read, and shocking how similar the CRV and the Volvo XC60 really are....
This, we are told, is the new 2012 model year Honda CR-V, known internally at Honda as the 2WS. Yes, that wedge shaped rear does remind us of a Volvo XC60. According to the folks at Autoblog, the elongated D-pillar suggests a third row seat. We think that's quite a possibility given that the CR-V's main rival, the Toyota RAV4, comes with a third row seat option in the US. Although it needs to be noted that US market RAV4 is slightly longer than their Japanese / European market equivalents.

On critics saying that the CR-V apes too much of a Volvo XC60 - give the same brief to two different designers working separately, to design a mid size urban soft-roader SUV that appeals to the masses, I reckon that both will still come to a similar solution. Being a mass volume product, cost is imperitive, so tail lamps stretching horizontally across the tailgate will be ruled out due to assembly and wiring harness cost. The only way left to go is for the tail lamps to be stacked vertically. Fuel economy concerns will dictate that a gradually slopping rear is favoured to reduce aero-drag. Plus the side windows profile and overall silhoutte needs has to project a youthful-sporty appeal. Hence that pronounced shoulder line that rises upwards to the rear to give the illusion of motion. Thus explains similarity. Sure there are other ways to achieve the same, but one needs to consider the complexity of the design which will then affect the steel stamping, logistics (flat body panels are favoured as they take up less space) and assembly take time.

On this side of the world, punitive taxes on imported vehicles coupled by the fact that the aside from China, Japan is the only source for right hand drive Toyota RAV 4 meant that Honda's hold on the passenger car based / unibody SUVs is uncontested. Nissan X-Trail is a bit more utilitarian, and the local distributors of Nissan Edaran Tan Chong Motor have sort of dropped the ball with the second generation X-Trail. In its heydays, Nissan used to shift almost 300 units of the first generation X-Trail a month. Now it registers just barely above 100 units a month. So by default, it is going to be another winner. Those in the know however, who are brave enough to break away from the herd mentality will opt for the Hyundai Tucson / ix35. Brilliant car in our opinion. It's cheaper and backed by a 5-years warranty.

Powertrain for the 2012 CR-V will be carried over from the current generation model, meaning a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder and in some markets, a 2.4-liter as well. European markets will receive a diesel option. Expected public launch will be in the coming 2011 Tokyo Motor Show this December. Local market launch should start sometime around Q2 2012. That is of course, assuming that the Mayans were wrong about the world collapsing by 2012.

Source;
http://www.theautoindustrieblog.com/2011/05/honda-cr-v-2012-spyshot.html

Car and Driver: 2012 Honda CRV

2012 Honda CR-V Spy Photos - Future Cars

Honda continues its trend of gentle evolution with the next-gen CR-V.

BY JUSTIN BERKOWITZ, PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROBERT WHITLEY AND THE MANUFACTURER
May 2011

A fearless Car and Driver reader in Washington, D.C., snapped this picture of the next-generation Honda CR-V crossover, which will debut this fall. The vehicle looks ready for production, wearing its own sheetmetal (rather than the modified body of an existing Honda model) with the badge buried in tape on the tailgate.

Like other Japanese auto companies, Honda is as tight-lipped as can be about its future products. We’re left to use recent history and this photo to determine that the next CR-V will represent a gentle update to the current car, rather than a radical redo.

Figure on a naturally aspirated four-cylinder being the only engine available. It should displace 2.4 liters like today’s CR-V engine, and we expect it to make between 180 and 200 hp—although the number may be closer to the bottom end of that range. Fuel economy also should improve slightly; in front-drive spec, the current model is rated for 21 mpg city and 28 mpg highway. (All-wheel-drivers are rated for 21/27.)

If there are any major changes to the upcoming CR-V, it could be in the seating layout. Until now, every CR-V has been a strictly five-seat affair. Given the long rear overhang of the car in this photo, however, it looks like there just might be room for a small third row of seats for short-legged passengers. Toyota sells a three-row RAV4, but most others in the segment serve a maximum of five.

Few would call the CR-V in its present form a pulse-raising vehicle, but it’s a staple for Honda, offers good driving dynamics, and is a sensible choice for more than 200,000 Americans per year. Even without concrete details on the next-generation CR-V, we feel confident saying it will maintain the current car’s sales success. We expect the 2012 CR-V to debut at the Los Angeles auto show this November.

Source;
http://www.caranddriver.com/news/spied/11q2/2012_honda_cr-v_spy_photos-future_cars

Autoblog: Spy Shots: Is this 2012 Honda CR-V test mule packing a third row of seats?

http://www.autoblog.com/2011/05/18/is-this-2012-honda-cr-v-test-mule-packing-a-third-row-of-seats/

Out of respect to Brenda Priddy and Co, I supplied the link to the photo above, not much to look at right now, but I imagine that Brenda will be coming out with more soon.

Here's straight from Autoblog....
"While Honda may have to delay rolling out the successor to the current CR-V crossover, a shortage of parts resulting from the crisis in Japan doesn't mean it isn't still working on the project. And while we hadn't seen any prototypes running before, we've now received our first glimpse.

The test mule in this solitary spy shot is wearing a bra over the front end and some taping around the hind quarters, but is otherwise fairly naked for all to see. So what are we looking at? Heavily revised styling for a start, with tail-lights that extend up the D-pillar like the current model but with a rather Volvo-like shape to them. Our intrepid auto spies also suggest the extended rear end could be making room for a third row of seats (wonder what that D-pillar tape job is hiding?), but from where we sit, it looks mighty cramped.

Beyond the design, we can expect a slightly more powerful and more efficient version of the current model's 2.4-liter VTEC four. Expect production to begin in Ohio and Ontario before winter rolls back around."