Saar: It is available with five or seven seats inside the cabin and a petrol or diesel engine under the hood.

Have you been waiting for the new Honda CR-V? Well, your wait has come to an end as the Indian arm of the Japanese carmaker has officially launched the fifth generation of the SUV. The new Honda CR-V is available in just one trim, spread across three variants – Petrol-CVT, Diesel-AT 2WD and Diesel-AT 4WD. They have been priced at Rs 28.15 lakh, Rs 30.65 lakh and Rs 32.75 lakh (ex-showroom India) respectively.

In its latest avatar, the Honda CR-V brings in a couple of important firsts. One, it is available with a three-row layout to house seven passengers and two, a diesel engine option. However, the seven-seat layout can only be had if you opt for the diesel engine. The petrol engine, on the other hand, can be had only with a five-seat configuration.

Speaking of engines, the petrol motor displaces 2.0 litres of fuel to produce 156PS of power and 189Nm of torque. It can only be had with a continuously variable transmission (CVT), which routes the power to two wheels only. The other option is the 1.6-litre diesel engine which produces 120PS/300Nm. Mated to it is a 9-speed automatic transmission which feeds two or all four wheels, depending on the variant chosen. Honda claims that the mileage figures for the Petrol-CVT, Diesel-AT 2WD and Diesel-AT 4WD are 14.4kmpl, 19.5kmpl and 18.3kmpl.

Don’t think that Honda has skimped on features with the new CR-V. On the outside, the SUV gets a panoramic sunroof, diamond-cut 18-inch alloy wheels, roof rails and all lights powered by LEDs. Inside the cabin, you get creature comforts like electrically adjustable driver’s seat, leather upholstery, second-row 60:40 split with reclining function, sliding second-row seats (diesel only), dual-zone climate control and automatic IRVM, headlamps and wipers. Other gizmos that are part of the kit include a 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, 8-speaker sound system, cruise control, push-button start/stop, voice recognition, paddle shifters (diesel only) and rear AC vents.

Since the Honda CR-V is underpinned by a monocoque chassis, it doesn’t quite compete with the likes of the Ford Endeavour, Toyota Fortuner and the Isuzu MU-X. Instead, it will lock horns with the Volkswagen Tiguan, Skoda Kodiaq and the Mitsubishi Outlander.