Review

Contraflow reveals CR-V’s fuel potential

Fuel efficiency figures for the Honda CR-V have been improving thanks to the SUV having to negotiate road works on a daily basis.

Faced with three miles of bollards and a 50mph maximum speed limit on the daily commute, I would normally be cursing my luck.

However, I’ve managed to content myself with seeing how much further the CR-V is travelling on a gallon of fuel.

The manufacturer claims a combined figure of 62.8mpg, but the CR-V had been falling short of that figure by up to 25%. That’s a lot higher than the widely accepted shortfall of 15%, which the Energy Saving Trust says fleets should expect.

But after four weeks of average speed cameras and negotiating a narrow corridor of bollards, the CR-V has seen a 10% increase on its previous real-world figure. It’s now achieving 54.4mpg – a shortfall of less than 14% on its claimed combined.

Now, I’m not advocating a road network covered in bollards and average speed cameras, heaven forbid.

But what’s startling is how a change in driving style can reap such significant rewards and the way the CR-V has responded to show its true potential.

An SUV achieving more than 50mpg in real-world conditions is impressive and certainly worthy of consideration.

In addition, emissions of 119g/km put the 1.6-litre i-DTEC SE-T in an 19% benefit-in-kind tax bracket, with a 20% tax-payer paying less than £1,000 per year.

It all adds up to a package which performs on the road and on paper, and with the contraflow going nowhere for the next few months, fuel efficiency figures may improve further still.

Gareth Roberts

Test mpg 54.4
Current mileage 6,715

Author: Fleet News
More Honda reviews

Specs

Manufacturer Honda
Model CR-V
Specification
Model Year 0.00
Annual VED (Road tax) £0
BIK List Price £25,770
CO2 119g/km
BIK Percentage 18%
Insurance Group N/A
CC N/A
Fuel Type Diesel
Vehicle Type
Luggage capacity (Seats up) N/A

Running Costs

62.8 MPG
119g/km CO2
£0 VED
P11D £25,770
Cost per mile 40.92ppm
Residual value £9,303
Insurance group N/A
Fuel Type Diesel
Cost per mile 0.00ppm
Fuel 0.00ppm
Depreciation 0.00ppm
Service maintenance and repair 0.00ppm

Info at a glance

  • P11D Price
    £25,770
  • MPG
    62.8
  • CO2 Emissions
    119g/km
  • BIK %
    18%
  • Running cost
    3 Year 60k : £9,303 4 Year 80k : £7,353
  • Fuel Type
    Diesel