The Honda CR-V is far and away the brand's best-selling vehicle that isn't a car and is usually third in sales behind only the top-selling Civic and Accord. Knowing better than to mess with success, Honda has revealed the first image of the new CR-V and the updates appear to be minor.
The most-obvious changes are to the front end, where Honda has updated the CR-V with projector headlamps that give the vehicle a more modern look. Between them, the small grille has lost one of its two horizontal bars for a simpler, trimmer look enhanced by new chrome accents. Below that, the lower grille has also softened its appearance and picked up chrome trim that accents the overall shape of the grille opening rather than the slats that make up the grille.
Moving even further down, Honda has reworked the lower fascia and deemphasized the unpainted black plastic and its raised bumps in favor of a stronger, sleeker bumper, which has picked up an aluminum-colored accent. The fog lights have also been into oval-shaped units rather than round ones which sit closer to the surface of the bumper rather than buried deep inside.
Around the sides, the only noticeable differences are the turn signal indicators in the mirrors and the new wheels, which appear to be up-sized version of the rolling stock found on the Civic.
In all, the changes to the CR-V are mostly conservative and serve to pull the sheet metal a bit tighter over the frame for a sleeker, less blunt look than the outgoing model. We'll know more about any and all changes Honda has made when the new CR-V is fully revealed on September 17, likely at the Frankfurt Motor Show.
Source: Honda