The sixth-generation Honda CR-V has been spied once again doing road trials, this time by our in-house staff. Our photographer Sherman Sim, together with colleague Natasha Gill, happened to come across the SUV, still fully camouflaged, whilst on the road in Putrajaya near the Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC), and managed to get snaps of the car.
Interestingly, there are no trade plates to be seen on the test mule – could it be undergoing JPJ vehicle type approval? We figure that even with VTA evaluation, there should still be some form of identification, so that’s kind of strange.
The latest sighting follows on that from last month, and the increasing frequency of the vehicle means only one thing, that it’s getting ever closer to its market introduction. Back in March, Honda Malaysia announced that would be launching four new models this year, and the CR-V would be one of these. With less than four months to go, we could be looking at a market debut quite soon.
The new CR-V, which made its global debut in July last year, is slightly larger than the fifth-gen model it will replace. The increased dimensions bring about a more spacious cabin, with rear legroom enhanced by an additional 15 mm.
The cabin presentation largely mimics that of the current 11th-gen Civic, with a larger centre console that allows the gear lever to be placed side-by-side with the drive mode selector, hill descent control button and electronic parking brake switch.
No indication of kit and specifications for the Malaysian car, but it should largely mirror that seen in Thailand, where it is available in two powertrain guises.
The first is a 1.5L turbo petrol unit with 190 hp at 6,000 rpm and 242 of torque from 1,700 rpm to 5,000 rpm, while the other is a 207 PS and 315 Nm 2.0 litre hybrid with an i-MMD powertrain configuration similar to that on the Civic e:HEV. While the CR-V is available in five- and seven-seat forms in Thailand, the latter is unlikely to be sold here.
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