Motor Trend magazine has named the revamped 2015 Honda CR-V its SUV of the year, beating out 18 other all-new or redesigned SUVs.
The
CR-V wasn't completely redesigned for 2015. But Honda (HMC)
made significant improvements that put it over the top, Motor Trend
editor-in-chief Ed Loh said.
Among the most striking, he said, was a continuously variable
transmission that replaced the CR-V's 5-speed transmission.
As
its name implies, a continuously variable transmission can vary gear ratios up
and down, unlike other transmissions with a finite number of fixed-gear ratios
depending on the vehicle's speed and how much pulling power is needed. With the new transmission and other changes, the 2015 CR-V gets three miles per gallon better fuel economy than the 2014 model. Loh also said it feels more dynamic to drive -- a departure from the previous model, which had been "kind of boring."
"They
fixed all that and gave it a really nice suite of safety features, including a
lane keeping assistance system that is pretty amazing," he said.
The
CR-V's lane-keeping assistance feature uses cameras to monitor the vehicle's
position while driving, as other such systems do. But it can also briefly steer
the vehicle on its own. It even allows drivers to take their hands off the
wheel for as long as 12 seconds.
Motor
Trend's 2015 SUV of the Year award was open to any SUV sold in the United
States that was all new or substantially redesigned for the 2015 model year.
Among the other contenders were the Porsche Cayman, Ford (F)'s
Lincoln MKC, the BMW X4 and X5, and General Motors (GM)'
new full-sized SUVs including the Chevrolet Tahoe, GMC Yukon and Cadillac
Escalade.
Chrysler
Group (FCAU)'s
new Jeep Cherokee was included because last year it was released just slightly
too late to be included in the competition. It nearly beat the CR-V, Loh said,
but was held back by its 9-speed transmission.
"Its
performance was a letdown for us," he said.
The
magazine tests the SUVs together in paved and dirt road conditions, as well as
on a test track. The magazine's writers and editors then select a winner based
on six criteria: design advancement, engineering excellence, performance of
intended function, efficiency, safety and value.
The
criteria are designed to allow judges to fairly compare vehicles from different
price categories and with different capabilities.
Last
year's SUV of the Year award was given to the
Subaru Forester. The magazine gives out similar awards later in
the year for Car of the Year and Truck of the Year.
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