yeah maybe they'll pull a Lexus and upgrade the screen when the refresh comes out (looking at you 2014-2016 IS vs 2017). It is a waste of space.

 

The exterior, i'll wait till I see it in person, the interior definitely an upgrade from my 2014 , but the LCD dash screen looks too tiny, in my opinion, exterior reminds me of a Ford Edge just like the Honda Civic reminds me of the Ford , Wonder how the 1.5L turbo will be like. Hopefully they upgraded the audio systems too, they were very weak sounding on all models of the current gen.

 

Honda is one of the only automakers that doesn't offer a branded, premium audio system. I know that's not necessarily the absolute best audio option, but I think there is some inherent value, and performance enhancement of those Bose/Harman Kardon/JBL/etc systems, even for the mainstream non-lux cars.

 

Gauges look fine. Digital is the future and the awesome Honda S2000 had it right ages ago. What is wrong here is the speedo digits are too small. This is the most important piece of info to be had, and they shrunk it down. What's also wrong is this display has the inefficient diagonal "bars" that divide the area. The most wasted space comes from these. There's simply no need for them, as they go right where other important displays should have gone. New Civic as the same problem. BTW, the previous CRV's gauges were a huge inefficiency as well. The speedometer was way too large and stole precious space. Jumbo speedo gauges are rapidly disappearing from the industry, and for good reason.

Some other general points:

Overall body shape is pleasant and modern. But front end has a major overbite. Honda designers fell asleep for the lower half of the main grille. Gave the top half all the decorations and left the lower half an unfinished black hole. Rear taillights are still overstyled and feminine, as they have been on the last two CRV's and most Volvos. Honda would sell even more of these if they just made the taillights more appealing to all sexes. Round tailpipe tips are dated units. And yes.... all that unpainted black plastic at the bottom is something people should point out. Main dash vents are poorly integrated and an odd shape that do not match or mesh with all the other stack shapes just below them. Flat wood trim is a nice, modern touch on the higher trim levels.

Honda hit the major points well and this will sell very well.

 

(Respectfully) I have to disagree. The S2000 didn't have it right. That's one of several reasons why the Mazda Miata, (which did have it right) blew the S2000 out the door in sales-numbers, and why the Miata (and its new Fiat 124 Spyder cousin) are still around while the S2000 is long gone.

 

I'm referring to the gauge cluster, not the whole car itself.

 

Yes, I know, but that was my point.....The Miata's simple gauge panel was one factor, among several, in its much greater popularity over the S2000.

Of course, it's possible that the average CR-V buyer might (?) be a little more tolerant of a bar-graph gauge panel than those who buy and drive small roadsters.

 

The Miata's long-term success is widely based on handling, cost, and efficiency. Their gauges have little to nothing to do with why it's still around today.

 

Honda CRVs always seem to be clogging up the fast lane on the interstate. Almost as bad as the prius and non- turbo subies. But that one looks ok I guess.

 

Digital gauges are the future but not in the Tokyo-by-night style of the 1980s GM models (and Honda's current style). The latest digital gauges, emulating the glass cockpit in modern airliners, actually project pseudo-analog round gauges with sweeping arms on the display.

As for that overbite, it now seems to be a distinguishing feature on the CR-V.

The 3rd-generation CR-V had it bad.



The 4th-generation face-lifted model also went back to it after ditching it for the initial 2012 new model.

Initial 4th-generation model:


Face-lifted 4th-generation model:

 

Digital gauges are OK if done in an easily-readable, analog-style format. A number of vehicles are already doing that now.

 

There might be about 5 people in this country that drive a CR-V and also need a tach.

Seems a bit overstayed, but no doubt an improvement all around. I think it will definitely hit its mark.

 

Please explain. Why are digital gauges good only if they don't look digital? I fail to understand what's wrong with having large number representing your speed right in front of you, that is clear to see immediately. Why is it better to have a needle (or a fake digital needle) pointing to a hash mark between 2 numbers? I don't see how you get a speedometer that's easier to read than what they have in this new CR-V. I understand that in the 80s, when these first came out, sometimes there was sun glare and wash out, and you couldn't really read them. But the digital display has evolved, and new color LCD style screens don't suffer from this problem any more.

 

Maybe even less than that, considering that the CR-V only comes with a CVT. The only thing a tach is useful for, with a CVT, is to watch how many RPMs are wasted when the CVT motorboats LOL.

Well, what works best for you, I can't say, but IMO, it's hard to beat a sweep-needle on a dial. Electronic gauges can be programmed to look and act like conventional dials/needles (and I have no problem with that). The reason why I say it is hard to beat a sweep-needle design is that, when accelerating or losing speed quickly (or when the engine RPMs are rapidly increasing of decreasing, as in lower gears), it's usually easier for your eyes and brain to follow the actions of a needle sweeping up or down than to try and decode a constantly-changing set of flashing digital numbers or bar-gragh lights. IMO those electronic flashing-displays are basically gimmicks. Yes, I know that military fighters have heads-up displays that flash much of the data in the windshield, but that's done, not so much because of the electronic format itself, but to simply allow a fighter pilot, in combat, not to have to take his eyes off of what is going on in front of him to look up and down at the panel.

As a rated Private Pilot (and Ground Instructor) checked out in several Cessna and Piper models, I also found that, in the cockpit, it was usually easier to deal with analog rather then digital gauges. When flying manually in IFR/hood/low-visibilty conditions, you had to multi-task and monitor several gauges at once (altimeter, airspeed, flight-attitude, directional gyro/compass, VSI (Vertical-Speed-Indicator, and others).



Back then, it was more than just a problem of sun-glare. The panels looked like something out of a Pachinko Parlor.

 

Well, I'd argue that when accelerating or losing speed quickly, your eyes shouldn't be on the speedometer at all.