Turbo lag, especially in diesel cars, is not only annoying but can be dangerous when overtaking or trying to get through an intersection in a hurry.
I remember almost writing myself off not too long ago in a manual Passat TDi, trying to turn right at in peak hour traffic. The gap was there, I was there, the throttle was there, the response wasn't. After realising I was not going to make it, I tried riding the clutch to force boost - it worked, but the eventual response was so sudden that I almost overshot the turn.
And as per the laws of physics, it gets more interesting the bigger the vehicle. So it was a rather suprising few days that I then found myself spending with Honda's diesel CR-V - the 2.2 i-CTDi. I'd driven the petrol version a while back and, although pleasing, it didn't really stand out from the crowd. The diesel is quite different.
For starters, it features well on my lag scale; in fact very well. There's almost no lazy spot at low rpm - the CR-V lifts her skirt and gracefully crosses the road, no need for whips and chains. Simply select first gear, ask it nicely to get going, and it does. The boost comes in smoothly, so no need for Velcro on the headrest either; if anything, you find yourself overdoing it a bit and forgetting that it's an SUV.
It's a great engine and, apart from the no-lag-bonus, is generally responsive - especially when you find some open road. There be some long legs under the bonnet, especially in the higher gears, meaning that even at 120km/h in sixth you don't have to change down to enjoy the grunt. The 320Nm is on tap from 2000rpm, so just sit back.
The grunt will also be ideal for towing. Honda seems to have realised this and catered for those having a jaunt at the dam by including a trailer stability system that corrects trailer swing by adjusting power and brake pressure to the wheels independently.
Honda claims 10.3sec to 100km/h and 187km/h top speed from the 103kW, 2.2-litre quad-valve International Engine of the Year category winner. It feels quick to 100km/h but needs two gear-changes to get there.
It's also a quiet engine at idle and under hard acceleration. The familiar diesel tuk-tukking is not an issue. Honda says this is thanks to high-pressure, common-rail, direct fuel-injection. The injection system operates at up to 1.6 bar and a pilot injection or "pre-squirt" prior to the main injection phase helps to lower combustion noise.
Methinks the windscreen glass (thicker than that of the petrol version) and thicker carpeting also help.
Same AWD system
Handling is not exactly "car-like" but neither is it SUV-like. It's not spongy or wallowy as some SUVs tend to be but instead generally direct and the driver can point and squirt with confidence. At no point was there a hint of understeer, bearing in mind that the limits were not explored.
The turbodiesel CR-V's all-wheel drive system, identical to that of the petrol model, automatically goes from two to all-wheel drive when the control unit senses the need for more traction. This reduces tyre wear and fuel consumption in comparison to permanent all-wheel drive, although the Kingsley Holgates of the world may say this is not real 4x4. What it is really is an urban and mild off-road joller, with no further pretensions.
The cabin is pleasant, user-friendly and of decent quality. The seats are comfortable and give the driver a good view of the road. There's also a sense of space (probably across most SUV's) that gives a sense of freedom. The gearshift falls easily to hand and the gearbox - like the Civic and the Jazz - selects easily and directly, a welcome touch as, being turbodiesel, there's a fair amount of gear changing.
Watch that door
The steering has all the essential buttons to make your life easier and typical SUV things such as cupholders and many little storage crevices come in handy for the likes of cellphones and house keys.
My only real issue here was a bigger-than-normal tail door - release it, and you have to take two steps back to avoid being hit by it.
Most of the usual safety bells and whistles are in place. This CR-V has a four-star Euro NCap and four-star rollover rating and claims to have the biggest and fastest side crash bags in its segment. On the tree-huggers side, Honda claims its oil-burner will cruise along at a combined (urban/extra urban) consumption of 6.5 litres/100km. I got closer to nine but did very little open road driving so the consumption I achieved was still far from bad.
But don't forget that diesel cars are generally more expensive, meaning you need to be doing lots of mileage to realise the saving - in this case the similarly-specced petrol CR-V 2.0 RVSi comes in at R305 500 - a lot cheaper.
The diesel CRV also requires servicing every 10 000km, which is more frequent than the petrol version's 15 000km.
VERDICT
Overall, the CRV diesel is a well balanced offering for the family in need of an SUV. I think an automatic gearbox might do no harm, especially as there aren't lag issues to contend with.
Styling may not be everyone's cup of tea but it scores highly in most other sectors. It's not exactly cheap at R326 900 but is competitive in its segment.