2023 Honda CR-V Hybrid Reviews, Pricing & Specs

The sixth-generation CR-V represents the most significant styling departure to date. Where its predecessors were mild-mannered, almost retiring, the 2023 CR-V is assertive. It leans forward. It’s tougher and more truck-like. It stretches about 6 centimetres longer and more than a centimetre wider than the outgoing model, and the longer wheelbase and wider front and rear tracks are visually evident in its more muscular stance.

The new CR-V retains the classic D-pillar taillights, but they’ve leveled up. Each now comprises three L shapes rather than just one, for a modern and more aggressive look. The rear end appears blockier overall, mimicking the bolder front fascia, and all CR-V headlights and taillights are now LED.

For this review, we drove the U.S. equivalent of Hybrid Touring trim in deep Canyon River Blue. The 2023 CR-V Hybrid gets Honda’s sport treatment with black roof rails, black mirrors, dual chrome exhaust finishers, and black wheels. 17- and 18-inch wheels are standard across the CR-V lineup in Canada, but as the top-of-the-line model, the Hybrid Touring gets 19-inch wheels.

The interior follows the design direction we’ve seen in the 2022 Civic and 2023 HR-V. The consistency with its Honda stablemates is heralded by the telltale honeycomb grille surrounding the climate control vents and spanning the width of the dash, but that detail feels somehow less obtrusive here. As with the new Civic and HR-V, the trend toward a more premium feel is successful. Materials in the Hybrid Touring cabin feel high-quality, and the contrast stitching on the seats and steering wheel is an attractive touch.

The simplified offerings for this new generation mean that if you’re buying a 2023 Honda CR-V, you’re either getting a turbocharged or a hybrid powertrain. In the hybrid, the result is a compact SUV capable of traveling at up to 185 kilometres per hour. The new-for-2023 hybrid powertrain combines a 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine with a two electric motors to produce 204 horsepower and 247 lb-ft of torque, making it the most powerful CR-V to date. (If you’ve ever glanced at U.S. specs, you may have noticed that the 2022 CR-V Hybrid was rated for 212 hp. Horsepower measurement standards have changed, and that would be 201 according to the new ISO measurements.) An increase of three horsepower is nice, but it’s the 15 lb-ft boost to torque that really impacts the driving experience. On our test drive, we found this made the CR-V Hybrid very responsive and more suitable for tasks like merging onto a highway. It is also now rated for towing, with a capacity of up to 450 kilograms (1,000 lbs).

For 2023, the CR-V Hybrid gets a continuously variable transmission (CVT; there’s no automatic transmission offered in any new CR-V) and a fourth drive mode: Snow joins Sport, Normal and Econ. In practice, the drive modes function primarily by adjusting accelerator response, making it smoother or more sensitive. Snow mode also makes use of the updated Real Time All-wheel Drive (AWD) system that’s available on the base CR-V LX and standard on all other trims, including the CR-V Hybrid. Where the outgoing CR-V had a 60:40 ratio, the 2023 version can now send up to 50% of its engine torque to the rear wheels. 2023 CR-Vs also come equipped for the first time with a hill-descent control system.

A new “B” shifter position allows the driver to increase the CR-V Hybrid’s regenerative braking, sending more power back to the battery during braking and approximating a one-pedal driving experience. Acceleration and deceleration can be partially managed with the steering-wheel-mounted paddles. Honda offers this “B” mode as a way of easing consumers into the electrified future—and giving CR-V Hybrid owners more control over their vehicles’ fuel efficiency. To that point, the Honda CR-V Hybrid is estimated to consume 6.0 litres per 100 kilometres in city driving, 6.9 on the highway, and 6.4 combined. The combined fuel economy figure is a full 2 L/100 km better than the turbo non-hybrid AWD models.

The sixth-generation CR-V’s larger exterior also translates to more interior volume. The Hybrid has 1,028 litres of cargo space with the rear seatbacks up and 2,030 litres with them folded. This is slightly less than the gas-only CR-V but comparable to the 2023 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid and substantially more than the 2022 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid. The range-topping Touring model has a hands-free power tailgate, and all new CR-Vs get wide-opening rear doors designed for easy access to the rear seating area. That along with the improved LATCH system should be a boon to families who frequently move car seats from vehicle to vehicle.

Passengers also benefit from the new CR-V’s extra length. Rear seat legroom is 1.5 centimetres longer for 2023, bringing it to 1,042 millimetres total. At the launch event we attended, Honda invited two members of the audience to test out the tandem seating space, demonstrating that there was room for two people over 6 feet tall to sit comfortably, one behind another. The reclining rear seats offer eight positions, partly to maximize headroom and partly to accommodate large boxes in the cargo area. Headroom measures 970 mm in both rows, just a tad lower than the Hyundai Tucson or Kia Sportage but with a standard one-touch power moonroof to take the sting out of it.

The cubby positioned ahead of the shifter is designed to hold two smartphones side by side. Each CR-V gets eight cupholders placed throughout the cabin, and Honda says the console, which is a traditional design rather than the sculptural layout seen in the new HR-V, provides best-in-class storage.

Honda knows many shoppers still prefer to have physical buttons for important functions, and the automaker has continued to reflect that preference in the new CR-V. The standard 7-inch touchscreen infotainment display comes with physical volume and tuning knobs, while the 9-inch touchscreen for the EX-L and Hybrid Touring trims has just a volume knob and leaves the hard Seek buttons to manage tuning. Home and Back buttons round out the array.

The CR-V Hybrid is well-equipped across the board. It has one USB-A and three USB-C ports plus Bluetooth connectivity. Dual-zone climate control, heated mirrors, and heated front seats are standard, with a 10-way power-adjustable driver’s seat with driver’s seat memory. A four-way power-adjustable front passenger’s seat, heated steering wheel, heated rear seats, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (the wired version of each is standard up to the Sport trim), Sirius XM, HD radio, Wi-Fi capability, a wireless charging pad, and a 12-speaker Bose Premium audio system are also equipped. The Hybrid Touring trim also gets Honda’s smart navigation system: When the driver enters a destination, the nav system will look ahead, consider the route, and optimize the vehicle’s fuel efficiency according to the terrain it will cover.

Active safety features are becoming par for the course on many new vehicles these days, but certain offerings are still a differentiator. Adaptive cruise control, for example, can ironically be harder to find in luxury segments. With just one trim, the CR-V Hybrid Touring is easier to compare to its rivals: It has just about everything. Front and rear parking sensors and rain-sensing windshield wipers, plus the Honda Sensing suite of advanced driver-assistance technologies is standard, with new and updated systems for 2023. The collision mitigation, road-departure mitigation, and lane-keeping assist systems have all been improved for smoother use and a more natural feel, as has adaptive cruise control.

New safety features for the 2023 CR-V include traffic jam assist and traffic sign recognition, both standard, as is low-speed braking control in Canada. A blind-spot monitoring system and cross-traffic monitor are newly standard across the CR-V lineup (but note that trims marked with a B shipped without these features due to ongoing parts shortages). The new rear-seat reminder and rear seatbelt reminder are also standard for all 2023 CR-Vs.

In addition to these many tech-forward enhancements, Honda has also endowed the new CR-V with some good old-fashioned updates to improve safety on a vehicle that had already earned a Top Safety Pick+ award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and five stars from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). New airbags, dashboard patches, and 15% stiffer structure provide additional protection in the event of a crash, and increased visibility gives the driver a leg up for avoiding collisions in the first place.

The compact crossover segment is popular and, therefore, highly competitive. But even though mass-market hybrid SUVs came to the North American market over 15 years ago in the form of the 2005 Ford Escape, there still aren’t nearly as many hybrid options. Fortunately, CR-V Hybrid shoppers benefit from the gas-powered CR-V’s need to keep up with the Joneses—and from Honda’s wisdom in positioning the hybrid as the top choice.

In Canada, the 2023 Honda CR-V Hybrid Touring carries new car pricing of $51,324, including the destination fee. This is the biggest issue with Canadian pricing: because there’s only one trim and it’s the top of the line-up, the cost of entry to the hybrid powertrain is significantly higher here than it is in the U.S. This problem is being addressed as Honda Canada adds an EX-L Hybrid model for 2024, which will be priced at $48,275 including destination. That’s not a huge drop in price, but every bit helps. However, it’s still significantly more affordable to get into a Kia Sportage Hybrid, which starts at $39,483 for its EX trim, or a Toyota RAV4 Hybrid, which starts at $38,135 for the Hybrid LE AWD.

But for consumers who appreciate creature comforts and capability with their fuel efficiency, the 2023 Honda CR-V Touring Hybrid is a compelling option.

Note: Images show a US model.