Honda CR-V 2.2 CDTi (2006) CAR review

So it’s more of an MPV?

I suppose so. The rear seats slide back and forth to suit your boot space:rear leagroom needs or can be folded forward and the boot can be split into two levels by a large board that rests atop the two rear wheel housings. The materials are top quality and the old car’s weird one-armed bandit handbrake lever has thankfully gone.

What about the oily bits?

You’ve got two engines to choose from, both lifted from the Accord: a 2.0-litre i-VTEC petrol producing 148bhp and 140lb ft and a 2.2-litre diesel with a much healthier 138bhp and 251lb ft of grunt. There’s nothing between them on paper, the petrol reaching 62mph in 10.6sec, two tenths ahead of the diesel but running out of steam at 110mph, leaving the diesel to storm ahead to a heady 112mph. But as usual the seat of the pants verdict is entirely different and the torquey diesel feels the far fleeter. It’s refined too and manages 42.2mpg to the petrol’s 30.4mpg although the pronounced turbo lag does irritate. And unlike the petrol, the diesel can’t be ordered with an auto box.