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Honda CR-V 2012 GCC launch in UAE

Honda CR-V 2012 GCC launch in UAE

by Mashfique Hussain Chowdhury. April 16, 2012.


The redesigned 2012 Honda CR-V was launched to the GCC media today at an event in the UAE. Essentially an all-new model, some of the specs remain familiar, but there are some major changes.

The GCC-spec 2012 CR-V will now come from the United States instead of Japan to avoid the currency fluctuations that have driven up Honda prices in recent years. And while the all-new design looks larger than the previous model, it is actually an inch shorter in both length and height, about 20 kilos lighter and apparently 10% more aerodynamic. It comes in LX, EX and EX-Leather flavours.

It is still powered by a 2.4-litre 4-cylinder engine, with power now bumped up to 188 hp as well as 222 Nm of torque. Even the basic 5-speed automatic transmission remains the same. But Honda now tacks on an improved all-wheel-drive system that still drives the front wheels most of the time but can send torque to the rear wheels anytime, instead of like the old system that used to wait for the front wheels to lose traction and spin first.

The old CR-V impressed us before with its versatile storage ideas, and the new model takes that further, with more cabin space and an ingenious mechanism to fold flat the rear seats. The 5-seater cabin still retains its previous textured hard-plastic demeanour though, with only the armrests getting some padding.

The LX gets 17-inch alloys, a 4-speaker CD stereo with AUX port, mirror-mounted indicators, ABS, stability control and front airbags. Only the EX and EX-L models get 18-inch wheels, a 6-speaker stereo with USB/AUX ports, cruise control, HID headlights, fog lamps, dual-zone auto a/c, sunroof, Bluetooth, rear camera and an “i-MID” LCD display. The EX-L itself further gets side/curtain airbags, leather and a power driver’s seat.

The 2012 Honda CR-V should still be as entertaining to drive as the outgoing model, and potentials buyers now have to hand over anywhere from Dhs 99,000 to Dhs 120,000 for the privilege.

Keep track of updates in the Honda CR-V buyer guide.

About the author

Mashfique Hussain Chowdhury

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Comments

  1. I would still go for Kia Sportage for this…100K basic 5 speed…grandmothers car

  2. We pay 30K DHS extra for RELIABILITY and RESALE VALUE….

    • U pay 99k fr CR-V, keep it for 5 yrs, and sell it for 40k, and hav a big smile on ur face for gettin an amount tat huge…a smarter guy pays jus 75k fr a better lookin vehicle, keep it for 5 yrs (gets 7 yrs warranty and some free service as well in the meantime), and sell it off for just 20k!! n u think u r a smartass??! LoL..Do the math..

      The Sportages have always been reliable and great alternatives..Do the investigation properly rather than going for word-of-mouth!

    • On the contrary, my office colleague who owns a Kia Sportage has had quite a few problems with the vehicle and although he was able to get them fixed under warranty, he swore never to buy another Kia owing to additional effort of having to leave the car at the workshop and renting out a spare car while his car was being repaired.

      Kia might have a great designer conjuring up pieces of art on the roads but they still have a long way to go in terms of reliability and build quality.

      Id stick to the Honda, Toyota or Hyundai.

    • Your reply is there below, posted by an ex-Toyota owner.

      So it isn’t really Kia afterall 🙂

      Honda indeed has a very high reliability rating, awesome refinement levels and out of the world track records in terms of reliability, I totally agree with you. But, that extra money they are ripping off you, just for some peace of mind and a tad bit more comfort, is mind-blowingly ridiculous!

  3. neat family crossover…

  4. it is not new for Hondas to be overpriced, the honda prices are high to the degree that make me feel those driving them are “sorry for that” stupid. when you go and find the Civic no 3 spec for 80K, then excuse me I would rather go and by Kia Cadenza spec 2 for example and I will be ready to bear few problems in the car after a while rather than being seen in the Civic. we know that I might face some more problems in kia or hyundai compared to others, but come on, it is a new car after all and you it should be fine for the first 50K kms at least. besides, you never know, we all saw what happened with my 2011 avalon which I bought for 146 K and then sold it without finding a solution to the vibration and pulling problem

    • ^^so what do you drive now?

    • I’m renting for now coz still not decided, but I’m starting to be convinced with Kia Cadenza after I saw its sepcs for only 88 K, it is really convincing, or maybe i will be a small car, drive it for a while and then decide what to buy, but for now Im renting

  5. @john

    *******On the contrary, my office colleague who owns a Kia Sportage has had quite a few problems with the vehicle and although he was able to get them fixed under warranty, *****

    Re: really i have 2011 what problem did he actually have?….

    Id stick to the Honda, Toyota or Hyundai.****

    RE:Hyundai?… really …wow!

    i hope you know Hyundai owns kia and the engines and transmission on tucson and KIA are exactly the same!

    lol

    • Good gosh.. so defensive… don’t take it personal dear chap, we’re all here merely to express our views. The major problem faced by my colleague was with the auto transmission (heavy jerks during downshifts). Another issue he spoke of was the engine warning lamp would blink from time to time. Lets hope your 2011 Sportage has been done away with all these problems.

      Well, my brother in law is the single owner of a 7 year old Hyundai sonata. Leaving alone the normal consumables, till date the car runs perfect with only the driver side window ever having a fault therefore I do have a certain amount of faith in the brand.

      The Kia Sportage is trying too hard to please with that overly bold external design, the interior feels a bit plasticy, the brand/logo KIA itself is something that would suit a Fridge in Carrefour supermarket and the manufacturer should seriously think about getting rid of the name and starting a fresh.. like how Datsun became Nissan way back. Hyundai might own KIA and they probably even share similar components but in the end we know who builds the better car.

      All my personal views, no harm done.

  6. but comming back to the topic. CRV = fail

    if you look at the life cycle cost of owning a honda CRV i.e. insurance + interest and Service cost the resale factor goes out the door. I did the maths on this before buying a sportage and the CRV didnt make sence.

    anyway good to see CRV looks like a sportage…lol

  7. The major problem faced by my colleague was with the auto transmission (heavy jerks during
    Good gosh.. so defensive… don’t take it personal dear chap, *******

    RE: defensive?…lol just laughing at your preference of hyuandi v kia when essentially they are the same vehicles…really should have refered a different brand you would have made more believable story.

    ********downshifts). Another issue he spoke of was the engine warning lamp would blink from time to time.s ******

    RE: nope never had these issues…engine lamp?…sounds like those shj BMWs…heavy down shifts?… nope

    but interesting comments on hyundai building better cars, these issues your “friend” claims to have has to do with engine and transmission and since both have engines on tucson and sportage comesfrom the same factory wouldnt hyundai have the same issue?….

    @honda lover boys
    it is ok to be annoyed since you bought your “power of dreams” as trading enterprise will now start ripping you with thier services bills…. get ready for the “power of nightmares”

  8. the previous version was only overpriced.. now its overpriced and ugly..LOL

  9. honda crv is too much price no value, TATA has better 4×4 vehicle

  10. the new CRV looks like the SSangyong ( hope I got the name right) Rexton which was phased out. Honda designers seem to have run out of ideas and imagination. Churning out this one and the crosstour etc

    This one looks awful than the last one. I owned a 2007 performance was fine but it had design flaw and would always pull over to the left.

    Reliability was excellent and well built as well.

  11. honda crv is for the female people

  12. If you have 100K would you buy a Honda CRV?

    If I have that money I would rather go with a VW GTI than buy a CRV.

  13. The segment this vehicle is aimed at is fst becoming price sensitive… so yes, price does matter.

  14. Its fun watching these jokers protect their beloved Kia and criticize all the other brands of cars..
    ****

    RE: agreed even more fun watching kids make statements out of thin air and then attempt to retract comments like “female people” when they realise they have been totally out classed.

  15. The new Kia Sportage runs faster than CRVs. HONDA is not reliable…they recalled thousands of vehicles….**********

    RE: true about the faster bit sportages are quicker,.. however realibility of hondas is strong although it;s running cost are too high.

    the old kia sportage has done well in terms of reliability according to JD Powell rating but this new sportage only time will tell.

  16. to mrs john

    i wanted to say crv is vary lite and softy so it good for the ladies

  17. How u guys can compare Honda with KIA?
    there alot of honda models which are still running on the roads even after 18 yrs.. What about KIA
    after 5-6 yrs u can see them in a crap yard, Or a person gets fed up by keeping his KIA all the time in a Garage, Thats the reason KIA gives 4-5 yrs free service because they know Customers will come 24 hrs Because the engine got siezed lol

  18. and In terms of sale, Honda is much much better, I bought Honda Accord 3.5 for 115k 2009, and sold it after almost 4 yrs for 80 k, 90,000 km done, But still it looked brand new.
    Right now, I have enough cash, so I am waiting for the new accord 2013 V6.

  19. Hey rhymes…seriously…would you still want your car (whatever brand) after 18 years? and please don’t make stories of 18-yr old hondas.

    The comparison i made with kia sportage was based on price, value for money and looks. performance, resale, reliability is not really that much for the crv.

    so i go with the judges of MEMA to vote the Sportage as the best in class.

    try to race your crv with a sportage. you’ll eat dust. not that they are fast cars.

    just remember the sony vs samsung story.
    what i’m saying is…times change my friend. wake up.

  20. Julio I am awake…
    Kia Still has to do alot to win people hearts.
    Honda is a brand name. I don’t think KIA sportage is that Gawjus in looks at all.
    In looks I do agree honda is suffering right now. But in terms of reliability, resale, and performance honda is much much better.
    And about race, In UAE no one buys KIA for race lol ( haha)
    no doubt KIA is amazing in looks, But When it comes to engine Life then hats off to honda.
    BTW “KIA” is a very ugly name to put on the car, I think BRand name is really really important for the success of the any product.
    They should really change their brand name..

  21. Bro , I am not a hater of KIA, I love KIA CADENZA alot, thats my fav KIA Car. Its just engine wise I think Honda is much reliable.
    That is my opinion , And I respect your opinion too..
    Thanks 🙂

  22. This 2012 model is actually the best looking CRV made by Honda so far.

    It is indeed a good compact SUV for families who want nothing more than getting from point A to B comfortably.

  23. Hey all, what are your thoughts on the Tiguan 2012? Same price range, but more features, & definitely more power (200HP). VW is throwing in other freebies as well – 50k service, insurance & registration etc. What say, people? 🙂

    • Hi Shekar,

      Choosing between the Tiguan & the CRV, I’d say go for the Tiguan considering it also comes with 5 years unlimited mileage warranty and as you say, it will come with added features + free service, registration & insurance. Good Quality + Added value

      Saw a black 2012 CRV on road yesterday, it looks really good.

  24. New Honda CRV is nice looking but the engine and transmission is outdated, plus expensive in UAE. In the US Honda has got a serious fight on its hands at the moment. When the New Ford Escape comes to the UAE you will have a good viable option to a CRV. Regarding the kia sportage – its nice looking but quality of plastics and interior is awful. Interior there is no contest with the quality in Honda…..and then European cars like VW are so far ahead of Japanese regarding interiors.

  25. VW = tranmission issues = FAIL

  26. Why is evervybody always talking about Kia Sportage only…

  27. cause many people like it the first time they saw it. And soon they love owning it cause is cheap, value for money, packed with goodies, good performance, best looking, has many awards, cheap to maintain, 5 year warranty, free insurance..and so on. By the way about the resale…the basic sportage is now 4k more so resale for this car is very good and in demand cause its out of stock.

    • the reason the sportage is out of stock is mainly due to the dealer ordering once every few months and holding off bulk shipments unlike rest of competitors creating artificial increased demand and less supply IMO.
      look at the sportage interiors..pile of plastic junk. i agree it looks nice from outside but doesnt a buyer spend most of his/her inside the vehicle than outside admiring the beauty of the car?
      a complete car is one which looks good/nice from outside and really comforting from the inside. thats when you say its a good looking car. yes the price of the sportage is low but they are also offering you a weaker engine i.e. 2.0 against the more expensive 2.4 99,000 full spec version. i would rather spend that money on the CRV than the sportage.

    • 2.4 6-speed full option Kia Sportage for 84K against CRV 2.4 5-speed basic option for 100K. Nobody in here even commented they like how CRV looks inside and out. Believe me the Sportage is a bit faster than your CRV. and please there is tons of plastic inside the crv

  28. Hello everyone, its individual’s opinion about Honda, Kia,Hyundai etc….even i got my first car i had a same mentality of checking on Japanese car, reliability, resale value etc and i bought a japanese car now 3 years old but done more than 100K kms and couldnt able to sell it for a decent price even though being a Japanese made. Nissan a well known brand for everything was about to get closed during their Datsun period before turning into a sucessfull Nissan.

    Yes Kia and Hyundai was not so sucessful before but when they rebranded themselves we need to acknowledge rather than chewing the same old history.

    To be frank when most of the top motor companies including Toyota, Nissan recalling their products on faulty features,its only Kia and Hyundai who never had a recall history for their products and we need to admit this.

    My friend got a brand new RAV4 which is well known for its price, realibility and brand, but on his 2 day he had a serious a/c problem but the dealer refused to replace the car but asked to leave the car in the garage for free repair…What will u do when ur brand new car a day old was having a serious problem and ur dealer is asking you to leave it in garage for weeks time???

    So give chances to upcoming models do a factful review rather than chewing the old past histories.

    • Hi Shailesh,

      Car Manufacturers recall vehicles not just after an accident or a fault has occurred but also when they suspect a possible failure, identify a defect or a safety hazard. At times, the manufacturers themselves recall these vehicles to correct the problem. If Kia and Hyundai have actually never recalled their vehicles then for me, that’s actually something to worry about. Nobody’s perfect.

  29. I worked in Korea before and I know the korean jobs its ” Quantity not Quality “

  30. As a kia sportage owner (2.0 2011) and now a honda crv owner i can give my thoughts on owning the two cars.
    kia – good looking car, well priced and packed with decent saftey and convienent feature (usb music, parking sensor, sunroof etc) for 73000. i sold it for 60000 after 2 years and 50k on the clock. other than service cost (first 20k free) didnt spend any money on it. now to the reasons why i sold it. engine, not running smooth very rough on idle, black smoke from the exhaust, smell of raw petrol in the cabin, car ignition disabled ( 6 times in 2 years eachntime had to return to dealer for repair. Slooowwwwww dealer service – car would be in dealer 2-3 days for service. cost of service was on par with tyota or honda for smilar vehicle.

    all in all the car served us well but it was hinting at potential issues (engine) and i did not want to take risk with car breaking down with family and kids using it primarily. may be nothing would happen but the comfort factpr just wasnt there.

    honda crv 12 – first of all i agree with the general feedbck it is over priced. by at least 25 percent compared to its competetion. i got the lx model for 99k and even with freebies (parking sensor, bluetooth, tinting) it still misses the sunroof, camera, usb audio and free 20k service form a whopping 28k difference between the sportage. the plus are bigger engine, more rear passenger space, bigger cargo and better fuel efficiency – that are value add for families. i am getting around 100kms per gas fill up more or around 20percent better mileage that roughly translates to about 20aed per fill for an average of 1000 aed per year saving. not much but a saving none the less.

    on the plus side for crv, its a much more smooth engine, hopefully decent reliability (although its us made :p) and decent resale ( although i dont think i will get close to the resale of the sportage) 20% depreciation in 2 years!
    i just feel a whole lot more relaxed with the family using the crv given its proven motor.
    do i feel i have overpaid? depends on what you are looking for…its a family hauler, need the space for the 2 kids and the easy access cargo bay (lowered) makes it easy to load cargo.
    in hindsight i would have been more comfortable with a maximum of 90k for the lx model. hopefully resale will be decent and wont lose too much when we trade up the car in future for a 7 seater.

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