Honda CR-V 2022 Black Edition

 

Even in the highly competitive small SUV segment, the Honda CR-V makes it look simple to keep up with the competition. It lets five people sit comfortably and features a multitude of well-thought-out storage options. It also boasts a comfortable ride, decent handling, and is easy to drive. Following a slight makeover in 2020, we don’t expect Honda to make any significant changes to this model in 2022.

Honda will release a CR-V special edition vehicle for the 2022 model year. Instead of giving the crossover a sportier facelift, Honda chose to create a blacked-out version of it.

Exterior

From its namesake, this particular CR-V is only available in one color – Crystal Black Pearl. It gets a healthy dose of dark chrome on the front grille, tailgate trim, as well as the trim décor surrounding the entire vehicle. Even the 18-inch wheels and the roof rails are painted black to match the vehicle’s theme. Finally, but not least, there is a one-of-a-kind ‘Black Edition’ logo on the tailgate.

Interior

The CR-V’s cabin offers a cool and pleasant environment. Front seats that are supportive and attractively contoured embrace their passengers in all the right spots. We were able to put 10 carry-on bags behind the back seat of the Mazda CX-5 and Ford Escape. When the back seat is folded flat, the Honda provides best-in-class baggage space.

The 2022 Honda CR-V will have an entirely new infotainment system that will serve as the centerpiece of the new SUV’s interior. It will follow in the footsteps of Honda’s recent models, adopting a simple and “human-centered” design. A flatter back end and a straighter roofline are anticipated to enhance space in the optional third row, making it a more evident challenger to the Kia Sorento and Seat Tarraco.

Features

The Black Edition CR-V comes with the following features: a panoramic glass roof, power-adjustable front seats, dual-zone automatic climate control, a wireless phone charging pad, a power tailgate with hands-free opening, a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, and an 8-speaker sound system.

The CR-V handles well and is relatively quick for a family-oriented compact SUV. It’s also in the top half of the class for efficiency and wins our hearts with simple touches like levers to fold down the rear seats from the cargo area as well as rear doors that open to nearly 90 degrees.

Engine, Power & Transmission

The Honda CR-V Black Edition is powered by a 2.4-liter i-VTEC 4-cylinder petrol engine with 173 horsepower and 224 Newton-meters of torque, which is transferred via a CVT automatic transmission.

Honda did its homework by putting its first turbocharged engine, a 1.5-liter unit with 190 horsepower, in a CR-V and coupling it with one of the best continuously variable automatic gearboxes (CVTs) on the market—praise. Most compact crossovers have modest towing capacities, but the CR-V has one of the lowest, at 1500 pounds.

The CR-V Hybrid is powered by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine and two electric motors that provide 212 horsepower in total. The hybrid system is smooth and unobtrusive, and how Honda reduced the engine drone at wide-open throttle by using sound-deadening materials and adding an active noise-canceling feature to the audio system.

Fuel Economy

The front-drive, gas-only model gets 28 mpg in the city and 34 on the highway. While all-wheel-drive variants get 27 mpg in the city and 32 on the interstate. On our 75-mph highway fuel-economy route, the all-wheel-drive CR-V returned 28 mpg. The hybrid CR-V is projected to score 40 miles per gallon in the city and 35 miles per gallon on the highway.

Safety features

•  Standard forward-collision warning and automated emergency braking
•  Standard lane-keeping assist and lane-departure warning
•  Standard adaptive cruise control

Price

1.5L Turbocharged Front-wheel drive 3,774,100 yen ($35,300)

2.0L All wheel drive 4,502,927 yen ($41,000)

Conclusion

Honda has yet to formally preview the new CR-V or provide specifics regarding its debut. Given prior model development timetables, we would anticipate seeing the wraps come off around mid-2022, ahead of a market introduction around the end of that year.