BUYER'S GUIDE: Honda CR-V

FROM £20,000 Family SUV is a fine all-rounder, although it doesn't come cheap

IT'S almost three decades since the original Honda CR-V was unveiled. Launched in 1995, it was Honda's first in-house SUV, and it was available with an optional boot-mounted shower, but only with a petrol engine. The car proved hugely popular, and Honda built on this success with an all-new CR-V in 2001, which was available with diesel power for the first time.

By the time the fifth-generation CR-V arrived in 2018, it was available with seven seats and a hybrid powertrain. But this year the CR-V Mk5 will be superseded by a bigger model, leaving a smaller ZR-V to fill the space left by the outgoing CR-V - a car that still has lots to offer, despite its age.

History THE fifth generation of the CR-V went on sale in the UK in November 2018, with a choice of four trim levels, but only one engine: a turbocharged 1.5-litre petrol unit rated at 170bhp. This was available with a choice of front or all-wheel drive, with the latter transmission offered with manual or automatic gearboxes; all front-wheeldrive cars came with a manual gearbox.

Within three months the line-up had been boosted by the addition of a 2.0-litre hybrid powertrain option. This was offered only with an automatic transmission, but once again buyers were able to choose between front and all-wheel drive. From November 2020 the CR-V came in e:HEV hybrid form only, and at the same time the car's suspension was recalibrated to improve the ride and handling while the bodyshell was strengthened.

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Spare wheel Hybrid CR-Vs can't store a space-saver (unless it's stashed in the boot, reducing carrying capacity) so they have a tyre-repair kit.

Seats Front-wheel-drive, hybrid and some AWD CR-Vs had five seats, but the 1.5-litre AWD model was available in seven-seater form - although it's rare.