The CR-V HYBRID is THE BEST 2020 Honda CR-V to Buy

The 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid is Honda's most powerful and efficient CR-V. We're going to go through a look on the exterior, check out the cargo area, all the interior features, and we're going to take this for a test drive. And after that test drive, I'll tell you exactly what kind of MPGs we got on that drive. And to be frank, if I was going to buy a 2020 CR-V, it would definitely be this hybrid model. Real quick before we get started, thank you so much for stopping by and big thank you to Honda Cars of Rockwall in Rockwall, Texas for getting this CR-V ready and washed to show you guys. If you're in the DFW area, please be sure to check them out. I'll put their information in the description below. So let's start things out under the hood with this 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid. You do not have the 1.5 liter turbo, nor do you have the 2.4 liter naturally aspirated engine that they used to have. You have the two motor hybrid system similar to what you see in the Accord. But now for this one, there's more time that you can spend in EV electric mode. You've got a two liter Atkinson cycle engine right here with a lithium ion battery plus the electric propulsion motor. That's going to give you a combined 212 horsepower and 232 pound feet of torque. And it actually uses a mechanical all wheel drive, unlike the route four hybrid. And as typical with hybrids, there's not an actual real physical type of automatic transmission. It is electronically controlled, mimics a CVT transmission. And I'm not good at explaining it, but Alex on autos, he's got a great video covering how this hybrid system works. I'll link to that in the description below. Miles per gallon is great, but maybe not as good as some of you had expected because it does go a little below competitors like the route four and the escape, but still, it's impressive at 40 miles per gallon in the city, 35 on the highway and 38 miles per gallon combined. That's still well above what the regular gas CRV gets. It's got a 14 gallon fuel tank, so you can get 530 gallons if you get the combined rating. Now there's still the LX, EX, EXL and touring trims just like the regular models, but there are definitely some differences and we'll go through all of that here. Now, just know that I have a review of the non-hybrid model and the differences between that and the 2019 model in the description if you want to see that, but right up front, you'll see, we definitely have a different front end style compared to the 2019 models. And even compared to the gas models, those fog lights are completely different. So we still kind of get the same black grill here and on the bottom, we've got that sensor right there. You can see the blue around the H, that's how you know it's a hybrid. Then as we move over to the headlights, we've got these redesigned LED headlights with the LED blinker and the LED daytime running light. So those are pretty cool. I think those are stylish headlights and I have not been able to test them out at night yet, but the difference with those fog lights is the actual five beam pattern instead of just a traditional looking fog light and they look pretty nice. Now I would love to know what y'all think of the redesign of this front end here. There was definitely some mixed reviews in the other video that I did and taking a look at the wheels right here, we're going to get 19 inch wheels still for this touring model even on the hybrid and those, let me know what you think of those as well. Some lower trims got redesigned wheels on the gas models as well. So be sure to check out that video. Those wheels are 235 55 series tires and you can see a little hybrid badge on the side. Even the mirror has an LED turn signal. You've got blind spot indicators in that as well. And dimensionally, when you look at the side of the CRV, you're going to get 182 inches in length. So it's a nice, easy to maneuver, easy to park size. Nothing has changed for this hybrid model. On our trim, you can see that little chrome trim piece on the bottom and then some cladding below that. You can still get a roof rack with crossbars up there. Honda scenting is also standard on all of these trims as well, which is nice with all those safety features. And then coming around the back, there were some changes to the back of the CRV as well. You still get the nice kind of tall, unique looking LED taillights. You've got this LED blinker. These are full LED except for the reverse light. So the blinker, taillights, stoplights, they look pretty nice as well. I'd love to get a night video of this. Another little change is this trim piece running across the back. That is darker than it used to be. You've got the all wheel drive and hybrid badge there. And then as opposed to the regular touring model that had a kind of a new dual exhaust, you just have hidden exhaust right here, one under the right side. The cargo area for the CRV, still for the hybrid model, gives you the hands-free lipgate standard on this trim. Power on the EXL. Now one difference with the hybrid system and the battery setup is that we are losing a little bit of cubic feet back here, but it still swallows up items really well. You get 33.2 cubic feet behind the second row. It's really still quite spacious. You just don't have the movable cargo floor or spare tire, but you do get a tire inflator kit, and you even have grab handles to fold down the second row in a 60-40 fashion, and that gives you 68.7 cubic feet. And they are really flat. So you've got a nice spacious cargo area still, even though you lose a little bit compared to the non-gas model. So you've still got a nice spacious cargo area and a super flat load floor, although it is smaller than the regular gas model. Now as you hop inside the front seats of the CRV, you're going to get leather, 12-way power adjustable seats that include four-way lumbar support. They're going to be heated with two-position memory settings standard, but there's no ventilation available. Overall, these seats are comfortable. I've enjoyed my short time in here. I have not had the CRV for a full week before, but the leather is soft. It looks nice. The comfort of it is good. I'm 5'9". I don't have the seat all the way down or all the way up. It's kind of in the middle, and I've got a lot of room. And over six foot, you should be just fine. And legroom is still pretty generous as well, except maybe a little bit on the center console could get in the way. The passenger seat is four-way power adjustment, no lumbar, and the steering wheel is leather wrapped and heated, but it's manual adjustable. But it's got a pretty generous range of motion, and I've had no trouble getting it where I want it. All right, so hopping into the CRV, you get the smart key system with remote start, and you can even have this to where as you walk away from the vehicle, it will automatically lock. Now as you take a look at this door panel, you have a soft material up above. You kind of got this faux trim right there. Soft material with some stitching here, and a fairly soft armrest. I really like this door panel. It's just comfortable. And then the front windows are automatic one-touch, memory settings on the door, and you got some storage down there. And then my trusty water bottle even fits. Now in the CRV Hybrid, you get the same simple interior as the others. It's certainly not flashy, but it is simple, and it's got some nifty storage bins, and it's relatively spacious as well. Now just to the left of the steering wheel, you get your lane departure system, your forward collision mitigation, traction control, parking sonar, as well as to open up your rear gate. Now you'll see that Honda does have some nice materials in here across the dash for those of you that look for soft materials. Really the main place you won't is around here by the shifter, and right here where your knee might rest. But overall, this steering wheel is very comfortable to hold onto. I do like it. You've got a heated function on here. You can control your stereo and your information display with the steering wheel. One thing I always appreciate, rain sensing wipers on there. Now looking at the gauges here on the left, you can see the battery gauge. The right, you see the fuel gauge, and then an information display in the middle. Now this display, you can scroll through several pieces of information using the steering wheel. I wish it was a little bit simpler, a little bit more intuitive, but there's a lot that you can see. It can help you be more efficient, navigation. If you need to take a break, it shows you your driver attention level. And then this is kind of fun because you can see what is getting power, which wheels, whether or not the battery is supplying the power, the engine, whether or not you're recharging the battery. So that can all be kind of fun to watch. Now as we move across here, you can see this looks pretty much the same as it did before the refresh on the regular gas models as well. You do still get a volume knob, which is always good. You've got these touch sensitive options on the side. The one complaint about this system is that it does feel outdated compared to others. You can see you've got a few different screens you can swipe through, and you can kind of customize what you put on this screen. It is a seven inch touch screen. It'd be kind of cool if they took up more of this whole thing. It's kind of semi-tablet, semi-integrated, the fact that it's not sticking up. So leave your thoughts about what you think on the looks right there. You've got Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Those are standard on there. 330 watt, nine speaker system with a subwoofer. Some of you might look for a 360 camera, but you won't find that. Not available on the CRV, but you do have three different views for your backup camera. And you've got parking sensors as well. And then right below that, you've got your climate controls, dual zone AC. You've got three tier heated seats on each side, no ventilated seats in the CRV. And then you've got this push button shifter. So Honda and Acura have had this push button shifter for a little while. It does take a little bit of getting used to actually pushing buttons instead of moving a lever, electronic parking brake, brake hold. And then over here, you've got your sport, economy mode, or EV mode. And we'll go through those in the test drive. And new for this year, Honda redesigned the center console. I like this better. So on our trim, we've got wireless charging. You've got a couple USB charging ports there as well. And the faux wood trim wrapping around that instead of the kind of odd little cubby shape that it was before. These bottle holders work well without being in the way of anything. My bottle fits easily. And then this center console is reconfigured as well. First, you can see right there, you've got a 12-volt power outlet. You've got a nice soft armrest. We can lift this or move it forward. We can also lift it up out of the way. And then you've got this movable tray, so you can cover this whole thing. You can also just entirely flip it up out of the way. So you've got a really spacious center console. Honda also gives you a locking glove box over there. We have an automatic dimming rear view mirror. You've got garage controls up there. You still get a sunglass holder and a conversation mirror to keep track of your rear passengers. The lighting in here is just regular incandescent bulbs. And then up above, you do get a moonroof, but you do not get a panoramic option. That's something some of you may be looking for, but this is what you get. Then for those of you curious, visibility, you have fairly narrow pillars up the front. You've got blind spot indicators in the mirror. The back windows really aren't bad to look out of at all. Even that third window right there, you can see a little bit, and it gets a little hairy back with that rear pillar. But looking out the back, that back window is really not too bad. And then at night, you also get ambient lighting on the touring trim here. Okay, now looking at the backseat of the CR-V, this is where it does a really nice job. You've got really good leg space, really good foot space as well. Very impressive foot space. Sitting up tall, I can sit here with plenty of headroom as well. You get a nice soft armrest, and right in front of us, we get AC vents and two fast charging USB ports. The passenger seat also gets a seat back pocket. Now if I slide to the middle, I still got a lot of good space, just a small hump in the middle, which isn't too much of a problem. And these seats can recline a little bit, not a ton, but at least it's an option and there's a lot of space back here. This legroom is where it really does better than the RAV4. This is very impressive. The one thing is that these seats do not slide forward and backwards. All right, y'all, we are on the test drive in this 2020 Honda CR-V. And during this test drive, I'll let you know what kind of mileage we get on this short trip that we make. So my first impression of this CR-V compared to the regular one is that they feel pretty similar. It still feels like a nimble, little crossover, and the regular CR-V drives nice. It's a comfortable, fairly quiet ride, fairly smooth ride, just a very well balanced ride. And this hybrid feels pretty much the same, maybe even a little bit softer. Now we're going to put it in econ mode for a little bit here. It's going to help with our fuel economy, help us get as much electric power as possible. And then we'll also put it in sport mode as well. And at the end, we'll probably put it in EV mode too. So it's just electric power and we'll kind of see how we do with that. Now one thing about hybrids is that they can have some funky feeling brakes, hybrids and electric cars. And just with a simple, small slowdown, it's got a good pedal feel. It's a responsive pedal. Sometimes you can push into the pedal and then it's almost like it's kind of faint and then you get a hard grab in some vehicles. But this, I haven't experienced that yet. Now we are in econ mode and acceleration is definitely fairly faint. You can see whether or not the battery is powering or the battery is giving you power or the engine is, which is kind of cool. You can see that in some other hybrids as well, but it helps you to kind of learn how to be more efficient. And this road that we're getting on is somewhat bumpy, but so far, this is actually still fairly smooth. Those bumps haven't really made their way that much into the cab. And that's what this is built for. This is for families. This is built for comfort and efficiency. This road kind of has a rougher texture to it too. And I'm sure you can hear a little bit of the road noise, but overall in my time that I've ever been in a CRV, this 2017 and newer models of CRV, it's been a quiet vehicle. They even have active noise cancellation as well to help cancel out some of those unwanted noises. Now I just put it in sport mode, got red up on the dash there, a little bit more responsive. You can kind of hear a little bit more buzz from that powertrain as well. And I don't want to do too much sport mode because I kind of just want to drive normal and see what our efficiency is, but let's get on it again. And you can feel the torque come out of this CRV hybrid. Now I've got it back in normal mode. And the thing is just getting up to speed in this CRV is pretty effortless. It definitely has a different kind of unique feel to it since you don't have a real physical transmission, but the thing about it with it being electronically controlled the way it is, is that it can be responsive. If you want to get on it, it's going to give you the power that you need. So there's really no fuss about it. It's going to be responsive. It's more powerful. It's got more torque. And I'm still pleasantly surprised how it feels going over some of those bumps. I'm going to put it back in econ mode. You can instantly kind of feel it dull the throttle a little bit. It's kind of fun to watch the way the power is flowing on that meter there. And like I said, that can really help you kind of learn the best way to get the best efficiency out of this vehicle. Another note on the brakes, as you brake or even just as you coast and slow down, you're going to capture kinetic energy. You have the regenerative braking. So be smart with your brakes and be smart with your slowdowns. If you don't just abruptly come to a stop, you're going to do better with your efficiency because you can capture more energy. And right now we're just kind of taking it easy coasting down this road and it is all battery power right now. The engine is not required at all, which is pretty cool. It makes for a really quiet ride as well. So that's a big plus. Now I really want to get this for a full week review where I can do a night review, maybe a Honda sensing review, a full week of miles per gallon, even driving it a little harder and all of that. So if you want to see that, comment down below and I'll do my best to get one from Honda. And with a couple of small curves, the CR-V seems to be pretty spot on for this class anyways where you put the steering wheel. It's got a nimble feel to it for this type of vehicle. It really kind of just reminds me of the nimbleness of the Civic and it's really not that big of a vehicle. So right now if I let off the gas, we coast, the front wheels, the energy from the front wheels is returning back to the battery to help give us some energy. Now I just put the car in EV mode. So that means we're using basically just battery power and you can do this at certain times if you want. It will do this automatically as well at certain times too. The cool thing about EV mode is that you can still go at a decent clip and maneuver certain areas if you don't want to use any gas at all. And it can be kind of fun just to see how much you can do. And all four wheels are actually being powered at the moment. So I'm really glad that they actually offer an EV mode because I was just in the Escape Hybrid and they didn't have a dedicated EV mode. So that is nice to see. So really to wrap things up in terms of driving the CR-V, the ergonomics are good. Everything is in a pretty nice position. Visibility is really not bad in here. The steering wheel is comfortable to hold on to. It's a fairly quiet, fairly soft, easy to handle type of vehicle. There's really not too much you can fuss about for this class and I feel like anybody who really gets behind the wheel that's looking in this market is going to be satisfied with the CR-V. All right, I almost forgot. So coming to a stop, after just a short drive, we got 38.5 miles per gallon mixed with some harder accelerations, some coasting, some highway, some in town. Of course, that's just kind of a rough, you know, can't really base much off that. But that is what the combined rating is. So I definitely believe you could do better than the EPA estimates if you wanted to. So to wrap things up on this 2020 CR-V Hybrid, you get a price bump over the regular model but it's really not that bad and it's still all-wheel drive standard. If efficiency and practicality is what you have in mind, you get both of those with this CR-V with minimal sacrifice over the regular gas model. Some of you might have been sad to see the naturally aspirated engine go away. Well, now you kind of have one with this hybrid system if you don't want to go with the turbo and you want extra efficiency. Although it is not quite as efficient as maybe the RAV4 or the Ford Escape, it's still very efficient. You could probably do better than EPA numbers. You've still got the same practicality and function that you get with the CR-V that you've come to love. Thank you all so much for watching. Be sure to subscribe down below. Check out some of these other videos. And thanks again to Honda Cars of Rockwell. I hope you have a great rest of your day.