Since 1995, Honda has been offering one of the most popular and innovative compact SUVs on the market, the CR-V. Currently in its sixth generation of production, the Honda CR-V takes its name from “comfortable runabout vehicle,” while there are those who claim that CR-V stands for “compact recreational vehicle.” Whatever the meaning, the 2024 Honda CR-V is a key model in the brand’s efforts to achieve a significant goal. At a press conference in 2022, Honda global CEO Toshihiro Mibe announced that, “Honda will strive to realize carbon neutrality for all products and corporate activities Honda is involved in by 2050.” While that might sound like a date far in the distance, today we are only 27 short years away from that date.
This bold objective means that all aspects of Honda’s business will not be able to produce harmful greenhouse gases. As such, the production of vehicles, as well as the vehicles themselves, can no longer operate on internal combustion engines that use gasoline or diesel fuel. The 2024 Honda CR-V is a big step in this direction, as half of the currently available models come with a hybrid engine only.
What Are the 2024 Honda CR-V Engine Options?
Honda is offering the 2024 CR-V with two different engine options. The LX, EX, and EX-L models come with a 1.5L I-4 gas engine utilizing a turbocharger to boost engine output, allowing Honda to equip the model with a smaller and more fuel efficient engine, paired with a continuously variable transmission (CVT). As a result, the gas powered 2024 CR-V has a carbon emission rating of LEV3-SULEV30 with front-wheel drive, and LEV3-SULEV50 with all-wheel drive. This engine delivers up to 190 horsepower and 179 lb-ft of torque using direct fuel injection.
If you are concerned about the environment, you can opt for a hybrid powertrain. The Sport Hybrid, Sport-L Hybrid, and Sport Touring Hybrid each come equipped with a hybrid engine. This combines a 2.0L Atkinson-cycle I-4 gas engine with an electric hybrid motor. The e-CVT transmission is designed to blend the performance of the two engines to produce efficient performance across all driving conditions. The electric motor is powered by a 1.1-kWh lithium-ion battery pack which recharges from a generator from the gas engine. It also gets recharged by regenerative braking. When you take your foot off the gas pedal, the turning wheels of the car generate electrical power that goes back to the battery while slowing you down in the process, separately from the standard braking system. You can choose how much or little regenerative braking you want using paddles next to the steering wheel. The combined output of the two motors on the CR-V Hybrid is an impressive 204 horsepower and 247 lb-ft of torque. Like most hybrid and electric vehicles, you get a great deal of instant torque as soon as you step on the accelerator.
All trims of the 2024 CR-V come with available Honda Real Time all-wheel drive with intelligent control system, except the Sport Touring Hybrid that is all-wheel drive only. This allows you to decide between the better fuel efficiency offered by front-wheel drive, or the improved traction that you will get if you opt for all-wheel drive.
How Fuel Efficient Is the 2024 Honda CR-V Hybrid?
One way that Honda helps achieve its goals of improving the environment is by producing fuel efficient vehicles. This reduction in the consumption of gasoline helps in two ways. First, it reduces the greenhouse gases produced by internal combustion engines. By offering hybrid and electric vehicles, Honda is shifting the emphasis to cleaner battery powered vehicles. Second, by reducing the amount of gasoline used in its vehicles, Honda is helping to reduce the demand for petroleum products. The exploration, pumping, and shipping of crude oil used to make gasoline has a substantial negative impact on the environment.
The 2024 CR-V Hybrid plays its part well in this regard. Like most other hybrid vehicles, the CR-V Hybrid actually gets better fuel economy in local and city driving. This is because the vehicle uses only its electric motor when traveling at speeds at or under 30 miles per hour, where electric motors are most efficient. This results in the 2024 CR-V Hybrid getting an amazing 43 miles per gallon in city driving on front-wheel drive models, and a still impressive 40 miles per gallon in the city with all-wheel drive. When you take the 2024 CR-V Hybrid out on the highway, the fuel economy actually decreases slightly without the assistance of the electric motor. This is why the 2024 CR-V Hybrid with front-wheel drive gets 36 miles per gallon on the highway, while the all-wheel drive model will give you 34 miles per gallon.
Nevertheless, choosing the CR-V Hybrid over the conventional gas model will give you better overall fuel economy. For example, the 2024 CR-V EX-L with all-wheel drive gets 27 miles per gallon in the city and 32 miles per gallon on the highway. While these are exceptional numbers for an all-wheel drive compact SUV, they don’t compare to the fuel economy numbers on the hybrid model.
What Other Environmentally Friendly Features Does the 2024 Honda CR-V Have?
All 2024 Honda CR-V models come equipped with the idle-stop feature. This will turn the engine off as soon as you come to a complete stop, either at a red light or when you are in a traffic jam. As soon as you release pressure on the brake pedal, the engine will automatically restart. This feature reduces fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in a very easy way by not running the engine when you don’t need it.
Honda is also taking steps to help the environment by reducing the number of automobile accidents. It is accomplishing this goal by equipping every 2024 CR-V with the Honda Sensing Safety & Driver-Assistive Technologies. This is a suite of active safety features that will make it safer and easier for you to drive the 2024 Honda CR-V.
Included among these standard features is a collision mitigation braking system. If the system detects an imminent collision, it will immediately apply the brakes automatically to either bring the CR-V to a safe stop to avoid a crash, or reduce its speed to minimize damage in an unavoidable crash. The 2024 CR-V also has a lane-keeping assist system with lane departure warning. If you start to drift out of your lane, the system will send you an audible warning sound, and begin using slight steering adjustments to get you back in lane. There is even a driver attention monitor that will use sounds and images to alert you if the system thinks that you may be distracted or falling asleep while behind the wheel. With all of these and other Honda Sensing features, it is pretty clear why the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety named the 2023 CR-V a Top Safety Pick+ for the category of small SUVs. (They have not yet tested the 2024 model.)
Start a Greener, Cleaner Future in a 2024 Honda CR-V
Kermit the Frog once sang, “It’s not easy being green,” but the famous Muppet never worked for Honda. If he did, he would see how Honda is charting a greener, cleaner future. This includes targeting 2040 as the year when all vehicles sold by Honda will have zero emissions. Part of this plan includes producing EV batteries for its vehicles. It also includes making all Honda factories green, with zero waste-to-landfill. This plan also includes producing vehicles like the 2024 Honda CR-V. This is not only fuel efficient, but designed to be safe and leave as little of a carbon footprint as possible behind its tires.
