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Honda Ireland has confirmed that the new CR-V Hybrid will have a list price of €39,500 when it goes on sale in early 2019. Knock €1,500 off that thanks to the VRT reduction granted to hybrid cars and you end up with a starting price of €38,000.
The CR-V Hybrid will come in both front-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive versions. Having been put through the new, more strict WLTP-style NEDC-2 economy and emissions tests, the front-driver returned with an emissions rating of 120g/km and official fuel consumption of 5.3 litres per 100km (that's 53mpg). The four-wheel-drive version scored 126g/km of emissions, and 5.5 litres per 100km economy (or 51mpg).
Both models use the same 2.0-litre iVTEC petrol engine, which, when combined with the hybrid bit, provides a combined 184hp and 314Nm of torque. Interestingly, the CR-V doesn't get a CVT. In fact, it doesn't get a gearbox at all. Instead there's a single-speed fixed gear to transmit power, and the electric motor does the job that a normal gearbox would do. Honda claims that this results in much smoother power transmission, and that the car will be so refined that drivers will struggle to tell when the engine is running or not, even when it's restarting from a stop/start cycle in traffic.
The setup should mean that the CR-V runs on pure-electric power for around half the time when you're driving it in town, and around one-third of the time when you're running at higher speeds. According to Honda, a lot of work has been put into making sure that this is a hybrid that will deliver strong real-world economy on long motorway runs - not always the case with some rival models.
John Saunders, Sales and Marketing Director for Universal Honda Ltd, said: "This is really exciting time for Honda as the arrival of the CR-V Hybrid marks the beginning of Honda's commitment to an electric future in Europe with a specific aim to have electrified powertrains in two thirds of European cars sold by 2025. We are delighted to be introducing this highly anticipated hybrid powertrain into our Honda network nationwide and for our customers to experience the seamless and engaging driving experience combining sporty performance with high economy and low emissions. We firmly believe the all new CR-V Hybrid will be a 'Real-World' alternative for diesel in the large SUV segment."