2020 Honda CR-V: America’s Favorite Crossover Gets Significant Upgrades in Technology, Features and LX Powertrain

TORRANCE, Calif., Nov. 4, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — The refreshed 2020 Honda CR-V, an updated take on America’s most popular crossover, begins arriving in dealerships tomorrow with a refreshed exterior design, new and upgraded features, and a new turbocharged powertrain for the popular LX trim, along with standard Honda Sensing^® technologies on all grades. With cumulative U.S. sales now topping the 5-million-unit mark, the 2020 model looks to extend CR-V’s position as the best-selling crossover in America over the past 22 years.

The 2020 CR-V goes on sale with a Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price starting at $25,050¹ (excluding destination and handling charges) for the front-wheel-drive LX model, an increase of just $600 despite the addition of Honda Sensing and a more powerful and efficient 1.5-liter turbocharged engine to the LX trim. An all-new, even more powerful and fuel-efficient hybrid-electric CR-V will join the lineup early next year.

All 2020 CR-Vs benefit from new front and rear exterior styling cues, including a redesigned front bumper and grille, and new headlight designs. EX and EX-L trims also get redesigned alloy wheels, while Touring grades get new 19-inch (+1 in.) wheels and tires. The 2020 model also debuts three new exterior colors: Radiant Red Metallic, Sonic Gray Pearl, and Aegean Blue Pearl.

Inside, CR-V’s spacious and tech-savvy cabin gets a redesigned center console with more conveniently located USB ports and more flexible storage space, while the line-topping CR-V Touring adds a heated steering wheel and wireless smartphone charging.

Mechanically, the biggest change to the 2020 CR-V is the addition of the 1.5-liter turbocharged direct-injected engine for the popular LX trim, which replaces a 2.4-liter naturally aspirated engine. For the LX, this means more power (+6 horsepower), a flatter torque curve (179 lb.-ft. @ 2000-5000 rpm vs. 180 lb.-ft. @ 3900 rpm) and a higher EPA fuel economy rating (+2 mpg city/highway/combined).

Importantly, the CR-V LX also gets Honda Sensing^® safety and driver-assistive technologies as standard equipment, extending these popular features throughout the CR-V lineup.

2020 CR-V Pricing & EPA Data

ADVANCED POWERTRAINS
All gasoline-powered 2020 CR-Vs now feature a 1.5-liter turbocharged direct-injected powerplant rated at 190 horsepower (SAE net) and 179 lb.-ft. of torque (SAE net), delivering refined and responsive performance across the engine’s full operating range. Available in front-wheel-drive or with Honda Real Time all-wheel drive, power is transmitted through a sporty continuously variable transmission (CVT) with smooth-shifting Honda G-Shift control logic.

More information on the CR-V Hybrid’s two-motor hybrid-electric powertrain will be available closer to when it goes on sale early next year.

2020 Honda CR-V Powertrain Details

SOPHISTICATED EXTERIOR AND INTERIOR STYLING
The 2020 Honda CR-V’s more upscale and distinctive presence comes courtesy of a new blackout grille, and broad new openings for the fog lights. EX, EX-L and Touring trims get new, round LED fog lights. The added sophistication continues in back with dark-tinted taillight lenses, a dark chrome tailgate garnish and more darkly tinted rear glass. EX and EX-L trims get newly designed 18-inch wheels with a dark gray and machined finish, while the Touring trim’s new, larger 10-spoke 19-inch alloy wheels and tires (+1 inch) raise the bar on the Touring’s stance and upscale demeanor. Touring trims also get new chrome exhaust finishers. Three new exterior colors come to the CR-V—Sonic Gray Pearl, Radiant Red Metallic, and Aegean Blue Pearl—expanding to eight the number of color choices available for CR-V.

Inside, all 2020 Honda CR-Vs get a redesigned center console that is easier to use, with more flexible storage options, while CR-V Touring trims now come standard with Qi-compatible wireless cell phone charging. Other in-vehicle technologies include a color TFT driver information interface (DII) center meter display, available 7-inch touchscreen Display Audio interface with Apple CarPlay^® and Android Auto™ integration, and an available Honda Satellite-Linked Navigation System™. Additional available tech includes remote engine start, dual-zone climate control, an Electric Parking Brake (EPB), rear USB charging ports, front passenger seat with 4-way power adjustment and driver’s seat with 8-way power adjustment and 4-way power lumbar support, and heated front seats.

ADVANCED SAFETY AND DRIVER-ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGIES
Beginning with the 2020 model year, all Honda CR-V trims come standard with the Honda Sensing suite of advanced safety and driver-assistive technologies. Honda Sensing^® includes Collision Mitigation Braking System™ (CMBS™) with Forward Collision Warning (FCW) and pedestrian sensing capability, Road Departure Mitigation (RDM) with Lane Departure Warning (LDW), Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) with low-speed follow and Lane Keeping Assist (LKAS). Additional driver-assistive technologies include the available blind spot information (BSI), Rear Cross Traffic Monitor and Auto High Beam headlights.

The 2020 CR-V also incorporates the latest generation of Honda’s proprietary Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) body structure and targets the highest collision safety ratings. These include a 5-Star Overall Vehicle Score from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)³ and a TOP SAFETY PICK rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), including a SUPERIOR rating for frontal crash prevention with Honda Sensing.

CHASSIS TECHNOLOGY
The 2020 Honda CR-V maintains the same class-leading agility and confidence-inspiring handling as before. Its front MacPherson strut and rear multi-link suspension use specially tuned low-friction dampers, with both FWD and AWD models including tubular front and solid rear stabilizer bars that promote responsive turn-in and flatter cornering. Dual-pinion, variable-ratio Electric Power Steering (EPS) also contributes to the CR-V’s direct and satisfying steering feel.

Model Trim Level Summary

About Honda
Honda offers a full line of reliable, fuel-efficient and fun-to-drive vehicles with advanced safety technologies sold through over 1,000 independent U.S. Honda dealers. The Honda lineup includes the Fit, Civic, Insight, Accord and Clarity series passenger cars, along with the HR-V, CR-V, Passport and Pilot sport utility vehicles, the Ridgeline pickup and the Odyssey minivan.

Honda has been producing automobiles in America for more than 35 years and currently operates 19 major manufacturing facilities in North America. In the first half of 2019, nearly 90 percent of all Honda brand vehicles sold in the U.S. were made in North America, while nearly two-thirds were manufactured in the U.S., using domestic and globally sourced parts.

For More Information
Additional media information including detailed pricing features and high-resolution photography of all 2020 Honda models is available at hondanews.com. Consumer information is available at automobiles.honda.com. To join the Honda community on Facebook, visit facebook.com/honda.

¹ MSRP excluding tax, license, registration, $1,095 destination charge and options. Dealer prices may vary.
² Based on 2020 EPA mileage ratings. Use for comparison purposes only. Your actual mileage will vary depending on how you drive and maintain your vehicle, driving conditions and other factors. 
³ Government 5-Star Safety Ratings are part of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA’s) New Car Assessment Program (www.SaferCar.gov)

SOURCE American Honda Motor Co., Inc.