Toshiaki Mikoshiba, the new president and CEO of American Honda Motor Co., Inc. is finally steering Honda to the right direction for its car designs sold in the US. New 2017 Honda CR-V used BMW X3 as their benchmark (sorry, not Mazda CX-5) and has made big improvement to every area. 2017 CR-V got chosen by Car and Driver 10Best Award and the Best compact CUV on the market!
Comparing to new 2017 2nd-gen CX-5, 2017 5th-gen Honda CR-V has the following advantages:
- More LED lighting applications including harder-to-mod LED turn signals.
BUT YOU HAVE TO STEP UP TO HIGHER TRIMS TO GET LED HEADLIGHTS AND LED FOGS ARE UNAVAILABLE AT ANY PRICE.
- Foot activated power liftgate.
- Remote start included in the factory key fob.
- More sophisticated keyless entry system! Locking doors by a finger sensor with no push-bottom mechanical switch; unlocking and opening the door with a nature single-action touch-and-pull to the door handle, no need to push a button like CX-5!
- Left dead pedal has a protective pad.
- 12-way power adjustable driver's seat including 4-way power lumbar support like my BMW 528i!
UNLIKE CX-5 PASSENGER HEIGHT ADJUSTMENTS ARE UNAVAILABLE. LET'S NOT FORGET NO REAR HEATED SEATS ON CR-V. THE CX-5 WILL HAVE THEM AND HEATED STEERING WHEEL TOO!
- 8" infotainment screen is integrated into the center stack not like an afterthought.
CRV's IS MOUNTED TOO LOW AND THERE'S NO HUD AVAILABLE AT ANY PRICE.
- Front center vents mount high.
- Engine coolant temperature gauge.
IT'S IN THE NEW CONFIGURABLE RIGHT HAND DISPLAY - ALONG WITH A COMPASS THAT DOES NOT LOOK CHEAP.
- Full-color high-tech looking TFT display for dash instruments.
THE BUTTONS FOR CHANGING SCREENS ARE RIDICULOUSLY TINY. THEY ARE A SAFETY HAZARD LIKE THE MANY SMALL TOUCH CONTROLS STILL FOUND IN THE NEW CRV.
- Available gray color interior perfect for my preferred silver exterior which makes cabin looks brighter.
- Highly criticized missing volume knob is back. Looks like Honda is listening!
IT FEELS CHEAP COMPARED WITH THE CURRENT CX-5 VOLUME KNOB.
- Infotainment system supports both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto!
IT'S HALF BAKED. PUT IT BACK IN THE OVEN!
- Garmin based Nav system supports live traffic!
I'D RATHER HAVE TRAFFIC SIGN RECOGNITION LIKE THE NEW CX-5 HAS.
- Better backup camera with 3 different views including top-down view when you're pulling a trailer.
- Much better designed center console arm rest which can slide forward.
IT FEELS CHEAP EVEN COMPARED WITH THAT OF THE CURRENT CX-5.
- Both front windows are one-touch up-down power windows with illuminated power window switch on all 4 corners.
- Didn't see any smoke coming out during initial start up and revved the engine in the video like that Japanese CX-5 diesel did!
G-VECTORING CONTROL- AN INNOVATION LIKE OLD HONDA USED TO PUT OUT. NEW HONDA IS NOT INNOVATIVE!
However, I may still choose new 2017 CX-5 over 2017 CR-V simply because the CR-V uses turbo and CVT!
We agree on one thing. There's hope!!