Honda CR-V 2025: Model Overview

Known officially as the Comfortable Runabout Vehicle upon its launch, the CR-V remains the best-selling Honda SUV to date. The first-generation Honda CR-V began its life in 1995, being released for sale in the U.S. two years later. When it comes to its popularity in the Middle East, the CR-V has managed to be one of the preeminent crossovers.

Among segment rivals from Toyota and Nissan, the Honda CR-V holds its own quite comfortably. Spread over six generations, the CR-V has witnessed meaningful success in a wide variety of globally challenging and competitive markets – the Middle East is no exception. The region is, in fact, populated by crossovers and SUVs of all kinds.

This poses a natural barrier, keeping most substandard models from making any decent headway. Meanwhile, the Honda CR-V has been leaving showrooms sans any difficulty. The all-new sixth-generation model arrived in Saudi Arabia earlier this year, boasting an all-new platform, a refreshing new design, and the latest features. The Honda CR-V 2025 makes a solid case for itself, regardless of competition.

Variants & Price

There are four variants of the new Honda CR-V 2025 on sale in Saudi Arabia. The range kicks off with the entry-level DX (2WD), priced at SAR 144,785. This is followed by the LX (2WD) at SAR 151,685 and the penultimate EX (AWD) at SAR 175,835. At the top of the range is the fully-loaded Touring (AWD), costing SAR 187,335.

Note that all the prices mentioned here are inclusive of 15 percent VAT but exclusive of registration and insurance. There are well over a dozen official Honda showrooms located all over Saudi Arabia. These include dealerships in Dammam, Jeddah, Madinah, Makkah, and Riyadh.

Exterior

Moving into its sixth generation, the CR-V has undergone a spurt in growth – becoming bigger and maturing at the same time. The former can be noticed when taking a closer look at the car’s exterior dimensions. The new Honda CR-V measures 4,706 mm in length, 1,866 mm in width, and up to 1,691 mm in height.

The new model has also had its wheelbase stretched by 40 mm, now measuring 2,700 mm. The boot space of the CR-V with the third-row seats up is a piffling 150 liters – barely enough for a few medium-size duffle bags. Folding down the last row liberates around 470 liters, decent for quick airport jaunts or short local trips.

The styling of the new Honda CR-V amalgamates traditional SUV-like elements with the smooth finish one expects from modern crossovers. The former is there for everyone to clearly see when viewing this car from the side. The flat roof (and nose) and simple but crisp beltline give the CR-V’s design poise and stability while avoiding any form of visual clutter.

The crossover bits are very much there as well – the CR-V is a soft-roader at its core, after all. This aspect is brought to the fore by the svelte design of the headlights & taillights, rounded wheel arches, and extended overhangs. There is the ubiquitous black plastic cladding as well, but these haven’t been overdone.

The oversized wing mirrors are attention-grabbing, while the passenger-side unit has a noticeable blister that houses Honda’s LaneWatch camera. We will cover that in more detail later on in the article. The entry-level CR-V gets 17-inch alloy wheels, with the upper variants featuring 10-spoke 18-inch rims. However, some might find the design of these wheels to be too conservative.

The large front grille and its smaller lower companion are both finished in glossy black, while the muscularly-sculpted bumper adds visual mass. These elements are sharply contrasted by the stylish and thin LED DRLs and small LED foglights. Rounding up things are the faux roof rails, split taillights, a roof spoiler, and chrome-tipped twin exhausts.

In the Saudi market, the Honda CR-V 2025 is available in seven colors: Platinum White Pearl, Crystal Black Pearl, Meteropid Gray Metallic, Lunar Silver Metallic, Brilliant Sporty Blue, Canyon River Blue Metallic, and Coffee Cherry Red Metallic.

Interior

Carrying over some of that ‘SUV’ inspiration to the cabin is the upright and relatively flat dashboard. The overall design and layout put more emphasis on minimalism and simplicity rather than outright pizzazz. This results in a cleaner and more sophisticated-looking cabin with a better sense of space and comfort.

The combination of the boxy exterior shape, large windows, panoramic sunroof, and light-colored upholstery opens up the CR-V’s cabin well. Honda has decorated parts of the dashboard and upper door pads with plastiwood, which some might find tacky, but it looks quite good. The front aircon vents have been cleverly hidden behind a metal honeycomb mesh with joystick-like vent controls.

Speaking of which, the controls for the climate control system feel high-quality and tactile to operate. As for the seats in the new Honda CR-V, they offer enough support and loads of comfort. This is felt even more with the perforated leather seats that are standard in the top Touring variant.

You don’t sit particularly high up in the CR-V, and the second row is perfect for carrying two adults, not three. Of course, you can have a middle passenger in this row but the narrow seat base will restrict movement and comfort. Window blinds would have been an excellent addition, though AC vents are provided for the middle and third rows.

The expansive glass area makes for good all-around visibility, with the aforementioned large wing mirrors aiding. Honda has moved the A-pillars further forward to reduce blind spots whilst also designing the dashboard in such a way so as to minimize unwanted glare and reflections hitting the windshield.

There is plenty of in-cabin storage provided – including deep door pockets, a rear armrest with cupholders, a front armrest with storage, front cupholders, and a little cubby next to the wireless charger. There are seat-back pockets behind the front seats, a sunglass holder behind the sunroof controls, and some more storage options for those seated right at the back.

The cabin of the new Honda CR-V receives even more improvements over the previous-generation model. Honda has now installed Active Noise Cancellation as a standard feature in all the variants, which will make traveling long journeys a more relaxing experience. The top variant also gets LED ambient lighting. Thankfully, all variants get sunvisors with built-in vanity mirrors.

The steering-mounted controls are easy to use, with the leather-wrapped wheel itself being good to hold. The digital instrument cluster is on the smaller side but works as intended and integrates customizable information & menu options. Finding a suitable driving position is easy – higher variants get a powered driver’s seat along with rake & reach adjustment for the steering wheel.

There are other nifty features like dual-zone automatic climate control, a powered co-driver’s seat, a hands-free tailgate, keyless entry & go, automatic wipers & door mirrors, paddle shifters, Apple CarPlay & Android Auto, Type A and Type C charging ports, and automatic LED headlights. The 9-inch infotainment display is backed by an 8-speaker audio system and auto-dimming IRVMs are standard.

Engine & Performance

The Honda CR-V 2025 is powered by a 1.5-liter turbo-petrol engine that develops 190 hp and 243 Nm of torque. This four-cylinder mill utilizes Honda’s 4-valve VTEC system along with dual overhead cams and direct fuel injection. Despite being turbocharged, the motor is happy to rev up to 6,000 rpm – not as energetic as Honda’s N/A VTEC engines, but good enough.

The torque spread is linear and predictable, coming in at 1,700 rpm and lasting all the way to 5,000 rpm. Drop below 1,500 rpm though, and forward progress will be sluggish. Thankfully, the CVT gearbox does a decent job of keeping the motor on the boil most of the time.

The new CR-V should be able to go from naught to 100 kmph in over 9 seconds, while 200 kmph should be within reach as well. In KSA, the CR-V is available in 2WD and AWD configurations – their fuel consumption figures being 15.5 kmpl (6.4 L/100 km) and 14.8 kmpl (6.7 L/100 km), respectively.

A good ride quality and decent handling were strengths that even the previous-generation model boasted. Since the all-new Honda CR-V also gets MacPherson struts at the front and a multilink independent setup at the back, those values haven’t been sacrificed. While it is no Mazda CX-5 in the fun department, the CR-V will be more than sufficient for most people.

Safety

The most important safety equipment of the Honda CR-V 2025 is its Honda Sensing Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS). The comprehensive suite includes adaptive cruise control with low-speed follow, forward-collision warning with collision mitigation, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, and lane-departure mitigation. For added convenience, there is also an automatic high-beam function.

The aforementioned Honda LaneWatch system uses a camera mounted underneath the front passenger-side ORVM. When the driver turns on the indicator or presses a button mounted on the right-hand-side stalk, a live feed from this camera is displayed on the infotainment screen. This allows for a better understanding of potential threats in your blind spot.

Other good-to-have safety features include a rear-seat occupant reminder, a driver-attention monitor, front & rear parking sensors, and eight airbags. You also benefit from having a head-up display, vehicle stability assist, hill-start assist, hill-descent control, and ABS with EBD and braking assist.

Conclusion

The CR-V packs in lots of handy features & safety gear, a spacious & well-built cabin, and a comfortable ride. Honda has ironed out some of the design niggles of the previous model while making marked improvements to the core strengths that made the last CR-V such a hit.

The base variants of the all-new Honda CR-V are pricier than some of its rivals, but they offer more equipment and seating for seven as standard. It may not be the most entertaining car in its segment, but the Honda CR-V does a lot of things really well. Therefore, it still remains an easy recommendation.