Happy with this Honda’s horsepower

MARKETING experts are good at coming up with catchy advertising slogans for car companies to help them sell their products.

There is an old saying that self praise is no praise but when you are voted most trusted brand in an on-line survey of over 12,000 new car owners, that’s an award I think should mean something.

And it certainly does mean something for Honda, who have now won Kelley’s Blue Book award for the second year in a row.

With that news fresh in my mind I headed to Honda’s Irish headquarters at Brownsbarn on the Naas Road to pick their new CR-V. Brownsbarn or to give it its proper name, the Royal Garter Stables, was the last stage where horses could be changed on the old Bianconi carriages on the road from Cork to Dublin.

I was very happy with the horsepower I picked up there last week. The fourth generation of Honda’s CR-V is massive and with a 2.2 litre diesel engine the horses under the bonnet were very willing.

The new model has got a few tweaks at the front and side to make it even more attractive. I liked the front end where you now get LED lights and a more attractive grille. Slight changes at the back also where there is massive boot and underneath is a full-size spare wheel. The boot is closed automatically by pressing a button on the door.

Inside everything is bright and cheerful thanks to the cream coloured seats and roof. The interior is made even brighter thanks to a full size sun roof. The model I drove had everything you would ever need in a car: automatic gear change, heated front seats, sun roof, sat nav, cruise control, reversing camera. The model I drove was described as Urban Titanium Metallic, but I noted that Passion Red Pearl was the colour used in the catalogue and it looked great.

The ride is high and on a fine day you will appreciate this green and pleasant land of ours as there is excellent visibility from the CR-V. It was a pleasure to travel in and while I didn’t get an opportunity to go off-road, I’m told the CR-V will perform well on rough terrain also.

Over five million units of the CR-V have been sold since it was launched in 1995, so Honda must be happy with those figures. There are discrepancies as to what CR-V stands for; Honda’s sales literature make references to

‘Compact Recreational Vehicle’ others claim the letters mean

‘Comfortable Runabout Vehicle.’ I like the sound of the latter description, but really it’s much more than a

‘runabout.’ Either way it’s a classy, comfortable SUV that will spoil you.

Prices start at

?¬39,295, which is reasonable for such a massive SUV. But if you want to go for the top of the range automatic model I drove with various extras it will cost you

?¬51,565. A 1.6 litre version will be available later this year and no doubt that will be a little cheaper.

According to some EU officials austerity is supposed to be over and we hope they are correct. Still it’s hard to see many first-time buyers finding the money for a top of the range CR-V, with most interest likely to be on the entry level model.