I tested Honda’s new CR-V – it’s a proper family hauler that’s bigger and better than old model but a lot more expensive

THE Tokyo motor show always has plenty of alien silliness.

But the cars Japanese manufacturers put on sale over here are straightforward and completely trustworthy.

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The Honda CR-V’s cornering and grip are full of confidence, even when it’s slippery[/caption]

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The motor is well-equipped, practical, economical and dependable[/caption]

So even if they’re a bit dull, owners will always come back for more.

Just look at the Honda CR-V.

It was one of the first family crossovers, back in the mid-Nineties.

The new one has been hit by middle-age spread.

It’s bigger, more luxurious and a lot more expensive.

Like, nearly £50k expensive.

Honda people talk of it as a rival for the premium stuff like the Volvo XC60, which it quite looks like. Or Audi Q5 or BMW X3.

But it isn’t.

It isn’t it a rival for a Skoda Kodiaq or Ford Kuga either.

Yes, it’s the same size and purpose as all those, but thing is, they’re not Japanese.

And people who buy Japanese cars won’t look elsewhere, because they trust them not to go wrong. Ever.

If they arrive at the Honda showroom to replace their old CR-V and they gulp at the price of the new one, that’s OK.

Because now Honda just introduced the slightly smaller ZR-V. Which starts under £40k.

Anyway, back to the big-daddy CR-V. Call it a rival to the Toyota RAV-4 and Nissan X-Trail. Both Japanese, too.

I tested the version that’s a hybrid without a plug.

So the consumption figure in the spec is one you can believe – just better than 40mpg, about equal to an unfashionable diesel.

And yet the hybrid petrol system is a lot quieter than a diesel.

Actually, Honda hybrids feel more like electric cars.

Press the accelerator and the CR-V gets going with no delay or lumpiness.

The steering’s accurate. Cornering and grip are full of confidence, even when it’s slippery.

Thank the standard four-wheel drive.

The suspension’s springs are fairly taut, so the ride can be a bit busy.

Still, that means it shouldn’t sag with heavy loads.

This is a proper family hauler. The back seat is leggy and the boot vast.

The rear seats slide forward to make the boot even bigger.

If you have a toddler in a car seat, that forward position makes it easy to hand them snacks from the front.

In a nutshell, the Honda CR-V is well-equipped, practical, economical and dependable. Very Japanese.

Except it’s built in China.

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This is a proper family hauler. The back seat is leggy and the boot vast[/caption]