Sector: Medium SUV Price: TBA  Fuel: 4.49l/100km CO2: 119g/km

We knew it was coming. Honda unveiled the CR-V with 1.6i-DTEC diesel engine at the Geneva Show in March. Just the same, the waiting is not over yet, as this model is not due on sale until Autumn 2013, close to a year after the new CR-V was launched. Like other CR-V models, it will be built at Honda’s Swindon plant in the UK.

It’s not simply a matter of fitting Honda’s impressive 1.6-litre diesel, launched in the Civic early this year, under the CR-V bonnet. The car will only be available with front-wheel drive and manual transmission, so if you want the CR-V’s all-wheel-drive capability, you will have to stay with the larger and more powerful 2.2-litre iD-TEC diesel, or the 2.0 i-VTEC petrol engine.

150hp from the 2.2-litre engine plays 120hp from the 1.6, but torque – pulling power is probably the more noticeable factor for SUV drivers and here the 2.2-litre engine delivers 350Nm to the 1.6-litre’s 300Nm. It may be a noticeable difference, but the point is that 300Nm of torque is a healthy output and the front-wheel-drive CR-V will be carrying less weight around than the four-wheel ­­drive model with a bigger engine, so the difference in performance is less than you might think. Honda claims the 1.6-litre diesel is the lightest diesel engine in its class, weighing 47kg less than the 2.2-litre diesel.

In practice, the CR-V’s performance was far more impressive than I was expecting, in more ways than one. Firstly, that torque ensures that the 1.6-litre engine doesn’t give that much away in performance. Peak torque is available from a predictable 2,000rpm, which means that there’s plenty of pull for stop/start traffic and the car also offers reasonable highway cruising ability. The 1.6-litre diesel’s refinement is impressive too with low levels of engine noise and a smoothness in delivery that would surprise those not familiar with modern diesels.

The car has not yet been through the European emissions test/fuel consumption cycle but Honda’s own CO2 emissions test figure of 119g/km looks promising for countries with emissions based vehicle tax ratings. This equates to a combined fuel consumption figure of 4.49l/100km, which is impressive for an SUV of this size. We shall have to wait to see how the car performs in official testing.

It will be helped by equipment such as the Honda ECON mode, standard on all CR-V models. Pressing the ECON button re-maps the accelerator pedal response and the air conditioning settings to reduce fuel consumption. Eco Assist also gives drivers feedback on how driving style is affecting fuel consumption, by changing the colour of the dashboard dials from white to green when more efficient driving is logged. Idle Stop automatic engine Stop/Start will also be standard equipment with the engine.

Otherwise the CR-V 1.6 i-DTEC comes with the same equipment and features as other models in the CR-V range. Generous boot capacity ranges from 589 to 1,648 litres, even though the latest CR-V is 5mm shorter and 30mm lower than the previous model. Despite that, the load area is 140mm longer than before at 1,570mm, while the load lip at the rear is 25mm lower. The Easy Fold-Down 60/40 split rear seats make folding down the rear seats a simple, single-handed operation meaning it’s easy to take advantage of the full load area when its needed. All three rear seats can be folded at the pull of a handle.

Verdict

First impressions are good. Refined and with impressive performance the low  consumption and emissions should make this the most tax-efficient CR-V yet.