It will be white or red
The Honda CR-V is 30 years old, and although we Europeans are certainly not the biggest buyers of the model, Honda is offering discounts of over €10,000. This brings the current generation below €50,000 for the first time, and of course we’re happy to see what you get for that amount.
Honda CR -V Elegance Full Hybrid 2WD 30th Anniversary Edition – € 49.995
There is a somewhat special situation on the price list of the Honda CR-V, which is currently in its sixth generation. Honda is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the model, which is very popular elsewhere, with 30th Anniversary versions, but that ‘anniversary label’ is combined with the versions we already knew. The Honda CR-V is therefore now available as Elegance 30th Anniversary Edition, Advance 30th Anniversary Edition and Advance Tech 30th Anniversary Edition.
There’s something else: in addition to equipment, these versions also differ significantly in terms of powertrain. The Elegance is a front-wheel drive hybrid, the Advance is a hybrid with four-wheel drive and the Advance Tech is a plug-in hybrid with front-wheel drive. You can go in any direction with the CR-V, but in the case of the plug-in hybrid you immediately opt for the most luxurious version of the bunch.
This undoubtedly contributes to the fact that the plug-in hybrid is not the cheapest CR-V in the Netherlands, as we see with many other cars due to the low CO2 emissions of such a PHEV. With a price of €57,724, the Advance Tech is actually the most expensive of the three, although it hardly differs from the Advance (AWD) which you can get for €57,560. The bargain of the bunch is therefore the Elegance, as mentioned a regular hybrid that can be put in your name for €49,995.
The choice of powertrain therefore immediately determines the equipment level at Honda and because separate options are hardly available, you will have to make do with the standard equipment. Fortunately, that is quite decent. The Elegance can hardly be called a basic version and has keyless entry & start, an electrically adjustable driver’s seat, seat and steering wheel heating, leather upholstery, an electric tailgate, adaptive cruise control, a reversing camera, 18-inch alloy wheels and even a panoramic sliding/tilting roof.
With that immense list, you would almost wonder what the other versions can add to this, and you should indeed look for those things in the corner of Bose audio systems, head-up displays, seat ventilation and painted wheel arch edges. That last thing is also possible on the Elegance, but only if you choose the Style Pack for €3,000. In addition to that ‘sporty’ package, there is also an Aero Pack with a slightly different look and you can have a tow bar or other wheels installed, but then we’ve also had the options list. Even in terms of color there is hardly any choice. The leather upholstery is always black and for the exterior the 30th Anniversary only offers two options: pearl white, or ‘Crystal Red’. Real Honda colors, but anyone who wants something else is out of luck.
We are ready quickly today: just give me a red one. The Style Pack is nice, but expensive and the standard equipment of the Elegance leaves little to be desired.