2019 Honda CR-V

EX is the volume trim for 2019 and carries the 1.5L turbo four standard across EX and above; only base LX uses the lower-output 2.4L.

Broad flat torque curve typical of a small turbo four; peak figure is modest for the compact SUV class.

Car and Driver's instrumented test of the 2019 CR-V Touring AWD recorded 7.5 s to 60 mph, quicker than the segment-typical CVT-compact SUV pace.

The 1.5L turbo is smooth around town but exhibits noticeable low-rpm turbo lag and four-cylinder drone under hard acceleration, a common complaint in period reviews of this generation.

The CVT is tuned to avoid obvious hunting and pairs well electronically with the turbo engine at part throttle, though it produces the characteristic CVT drone and some hesitation under hard acceleration.

Honda's published towing figure for the 2019 CR-V, unchanged across trims and FWD/AWD configurations.

Real Time AWD with Intelligent Control is optional on LX/EX/EX-L and standard on Touring, proactively sending torque rearward under acceleration, but it remains a basic front-biased system with no low-range, locking differential, or terrain-mode suite.

Unibody crossover with modest ground clearance and no off-road hardware, skid plates, or dedicated off-road trim; built for pavement and light gravel, not trails.

2019 offers only gasoline power — a 2.4L naturally aspirated four on LX and a 1.5L turbo four on EX and above — with no electrified option; the CR-V Hybrid did not arrive until the 2020 model year.

EPA rating for the gas 1.5L turbo AWD configuration (EX volume trim), the scored powertrain class; FWD rates 1 MPG higher and the base LX's 2.4L is 1–2 MPG lower.

EPA city rating for the gas 1.5L turbo AWD configuration.

EPA highway rating for the gas 1.5L turbo AWD configuration.

EPA-published total range figure for the gas 1.5L turbo AWD configuration on the 14.0-gallon fuel tank.

EPA annual fuel cost estimate at 15,000 mi/yr for the gas 1.5L turbo AWD configuration.

Runs on regular unleaded across all 2019 CR-V trims and both engine options, with no premium recommendation.

NHTSA fully tested the 5th-generation CR-V for MY2019 and awarded the top overall rating.

IIHS crashworthiness is Good across small-overlap front (both sides), moderate-overlap front, original-side, roof strength and head restraints, with the updated/stricter side test rated Acceptable. The CR-V earned a 2019 Top Safety Pick, but IIHS notes that award applies only with the Touring trim's LED headlights and Honda Sensing — the EX/EX-L volume trims carry Marginal-rated headlights, so the award doesn't extend to the vehicle as most commonly sold.

Honda Sensing (CMBS automatic braking, Road Departure Mitigation, adaptive cruise with low-speed follow, and lane keeping assist) is standard starting at the EX trim — the CR-V's volume seller (Honda cited ~81% of 2018 CR-V sales as Sensing-equipped) — but is NOT standard on the base LX. Blind-spot monitoring/LaneWatch and rear cross-traffic alert are reserved for EX-L and Touring, so the core suite is broad on the volume trim but blind-spot/cross-traffic coverage is not.

With Honda Sensing's Collision Mitigation Braking System, IIHS rated the CR-V Superior for vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention and Superior for daytime pedestrian crash prevention — the top tier in both tests available at the time. Nighttime pedestrian testing was not yet part of IIHS's protocol for this model year, so that dimension is unverified.

The volume EX trim has no blind-spot or cross-traffic system at all. Honda LaneWatch — a passenger-side-only camera activated by the turn signal, not a radar-based blind-spot monitor — arrives at EX-L. True Blind Spot Information (radar, both sides) paired with rear cross-traffic monitoring is exclusive to the top Touring trim. Coverage is thin and heavily trim-gated.

Honda Sensing's Lane Keeping Assist System nudges the car back toward lane center and includes Road Departure Mitigation, but period reviews describe this generation's system as reactive and prone to mild ping-ponging within the lane rather than smooth, confident centering — functional but unrefined next to contemporary rivals.

Adaptive Cruise Control with Low-Speed Follow operates down to a full stop and resumes, standard on EX and above. It is a capable system for the era but is not integrated with lane centering into a combined highway-assist mode — the two systems (ACC and LKAS) work independently rather than as one coordinated function.

No hands-free highway driving system is offered on any 2019 CR-V trim; Honda Sensing's ACC and LKAS both require the driver's hands on the wheel at all times.

IIHS rated the halogen projector headlights on LX, EX and EX-L — the volume trims — Marginal; only the Touring trim's LED headlights with high-beam assist reach Acceptable. No trim achieves a Good rating.

The 5th-gen CR-V is consistently praised in period reviews for a tall greenhouse, low beltline and large windows giving good forward and side sightlines for a compact crossover; rear-quarter visibility is average, with the standard backup camera compensating for the blind spots that exist.

The CR-V seats 5, so this item applies. IIHS ease-of-use testing gave the CR-V an overall Acceptable grade: lower anchors are accessible but sit behind narrow leather slits that require some digging and wiggling to latch bulkier convertible-seat connectors, and the center-position tether anchor is mounted on the cargo-area ceiling, which can obstruct rear visibility once used.

2019 CR-V is a strict 2-row, 5-passenger compact SUV across all trims (LX, EX, EX-L, Touring); no 3-row option offered.

Moonroof is standard from EX up (the volume trim), which reduces front headroom versus the moonroof-delete LX.

Consistent across trims per Honda's published cabin dimensions for the 2019 CR-V.

Second-row headroom benefits from the CR-V's tall, upright greenhouse typical of the segment leader.

Among the roomiest rear seats in the compact SUV class, a long-standing CR-V strength carried into the 5th-generation redesign.

The 2019 CR-V is a strict 2-row, 5-passenger vehicle with no third row offered on any trim.

Standard behind-second-row cargo volume for the 2019 CR-V, consistent across trims.

Maximum cargo volume with the 60/40 split rear seats folded flat.

Reviewers consistently praise the CR-V's deep, configurable center console tray, large door pockets, and underfloor cargo storage as standout for the class, though it lacks a true 'giga console' or onboard household power.

Front and rear seats are well regarded for everyday comfort and support, though not singled out as segment-best long-haul thrones.

Reviewers describe a 'luxury-grade ride' that absorbs broken pavement well even on 18-inch wheels, with a modest tradeoff in firmness on rough city streets.

Generally competent noise isolation for the class, but the 1.5L turbo-four is audible under hard acceleration; no specific acoustic-glass or ANC features cited for 2019.

Heated front seats standard from EX up, but no ventilated seats on any 2019 trim and heated steering wheel is a dealer/port accessory rather than standard equipment.

Entry LX 2WD trim MSRP plus Honda's 2019 destination charge, shown for reference only.

EX AWD is the historical volume trim for the CR-V, pairing the standard 1.5L turbo with AWD and Honda Sensing without jumping to leather-trimmed EX-L pricing.

CarEdge's 5-year maintenance-and-repair estimate for the CR-V nameplate is well below the compact-SUV average; figure is model-level rather than 2019-specific, consistent with the CR-V's strong reliability reputation.

iSeeCars market-data analysis shows the CR-V retaining substantially more value than both the compact-SUV segment and overall SUV averages at the 5-year mark.

Standard Honda new-vehicle limited warranty for the 2019 model year.

Standard Honda powertrain limited warranty for the 2019 CR-V's gas powertrain.

The 2019 CR-V predates Honda Service Pass (introduced for 2023-model-year vehicles), so there is no included scheduled maintenance — owners get only the standard 3-year/36,000-mile roadside assistance bundled with the warranty and a free basic HondaLink tier, placing it below rivals with multi-year complimentary maintenance.

$29,645 volume-trim price minus its estimated resale value after 5 years (65% retained, or about $19,269) leaves about $10,376 in depreciation. Add the projected $2,425 in 5-year maintenance and repairs, and owning this vehicle for 5 years costs about $12,801 in total.

Mixed-to-good signals: Consumer Reports rated the 2019 CR-V's predicted reliability 3.5/5 (slightly above average) with a 4/5 electronics sub-score, an improvement over the troubled 2017-18 launch years of this generation, while J.D. Power's 2019 Vehicle Dependability Study placed Honda brand-wide below the industry average. The 1.5L turbo's oil-dilution defect (see 6.1.4) still weighs on owner-reported scores for this specific powertrain.

Honda's standing diverges by source in this period: Consumer Reports brand rankings consistently place Honda in the top five for used/long-term reliability, while J.D. Power's Vehicle Dependability Study ranked Honda roughly 18th among mainstream brands (around 139 problems per 100 vehicles) for the relevant study years — a mid-pack, not top-tier, standing by that measure.

The 2019 CR-V carries 8 NHTSA recalls/campaigns across its life (airbag-related campaigns, a fuel tank weld concern, forward collision/AEB software issues) plus a non-recall "product update" campaign for 1.5T engine oil dilution — software and some hardware changes were built into 2019+ production from the factory, and dilution complaints are markedly less common than on 2017-18 cars, but the underlying issue and its PR/legal fallout (class actions referencing CR-V/Civic/Accord 1.5T oil dilution) still shadow this generation's record.

The 2019 CR-V's sole engine is Honda's 1.5L turbocharged direct-injection four (L15B7) paired with a CVT. This specific engine family is the one implicated in the widely documented 2017-18 oil-dilution problem (fuel leaking past injectors and contaminating oil, worst in cold climates on short trips); 2019 models benefit from revised PCM calibration and injector changes that reduce — but per owner reports do not fully eliminate — the issue. The CVT itself has a reasonably clean track record, but the turbo engine's unresolved reputation keeps this below a "proven, high-mileage" score.

This generation (launched 2017, carried into 2019 largely unchanged) was widely praised for a meaningful materials step up from its predecessor: soft-touch plastics across the dash and extending to the door tops, cloth inserts in every door, and a sculpted dashboard that reads upscale for the compact-SUV class, per contemporary reviews.

Reviewers described the 2019 CR-V as well-built with convincing panel/trim quality and no notable rattle or assembly complaints in period road tests; this sits comfortably in the solid-assembly band typical of mainstream Honda products of this era, short of class-leading luxury-tier initial-quality scores.

Honda operates one of the largest, most geographically dense dealer networks in the US (well over 1,000 franchises nationwide) with mature CR-V-specific parts and technician familiarity given the model's decades-long volume-seller status; service satisfaction surveys of the era place Honda in the solid-mid-pack range among mainstream brands rather than at the very top.

RepairPal data for the CR-V generation puts average annual repair/maintenance cost well below both the compact-SUV segment average ($521) and the all-vehicle average ($652) — around $250-$410/year depending on model year — reflecting cheap, abundant OEM and aftermarket parts and the huge independent-shop familiarity that comes with one of America's highest-volume nameplates.

Standard 7-inch Display Audio touchscreen on EX/EX-L/Touring, the volume configuration; LX gets a smaller 5-inch unit.

Honda's Display Audio system is functional with a physical volume knob restored after Civic-era criticism, but reviewers still describe occasional lag and a dated interface compared to rivals.

Wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard on EX and above, but no 2019 CR-V trim offers wireless phone projection — Honda did not add it to the CR-V until the 2023 model year.

The volume EX trim has no embedded navigation (Honda Satellite-Linked Navigation is optional on EX-L and standard only on Touring) and voice recognition is basic, so most owners rely on phone-projection voice assistants instead.

The volume EX trim carries a standard (non-premium) speaker setup; the upgraded 9-speaker, 330-watt system with subwoofer is reserved for the Touring trim.

The 2019 CR-V uses analog speedometer/tachometer gauges with a small multi-information TFT display (Driver Information Interface) between them rather than a full configurable digital cluster.

No meaningful over-the-air update capability existed on the 2019 CR-V's infotainment or vehicle software; map/system updates required a dealer visit or USB download.

The HondaLink app supports remote start (extendable 10-minute sessions), lock/unlock, and vehicle locator, but lacks a digital key and some functions moved behind a paid subscription in later years.

Two front USB ports (one data/one charge-only) plus two rear charge-only USB ports and a 12V outlet are standard, but there is no wireless charging pad on any 2019 trim.

Smart Entry proximity access with push-button start and Walk Away Auto Lock is standard on EX and above (the volume trim), though there is no phone-as-key capability.

A multi-angle rearview camera (normal/wide/top-down views) with dynamic guidelines and a rear cross-traffic monitor come on EX and above, but there is no surround-view 360 camera or front parking sensors on any 2019 trim.

No head-up display was offered on any 2019 CR-V trim.

Wide rear door openings, best-in-class rear legroom (40.4 in), standard LATCH anchors, and a low, flat cargo floor make car-seat installation and stroller loading easy; the lack of a true hands-free power liftgate on lower trims is a minor compromise.

5-star NHTSA overall rating and IIHS Top Safety Pick (with LED headlights and Honda Sensing); Honda Sensing's full ADAS suite is standard from EX up, but the cheapest LX trim lacks it, so the most affordable configuration has a real safety-tech gap.

Comfortable, spacious rear seat and a composed ride suit multi-hour trips, but rear amenities are thin on the volume EX trim (no rear climate vents are notable, no rear entertainment) and 39.2 cu ft cargo with seats up is adequate rather than generous for a loaded family trip.

Light, well-weighted steering, a smooth CVT, and good outward visibility make the CR-V an easy, low-fatigue daily driver, widely cited as a class strength.

29 MPG combined (AWD 1.5T) is competitive for the compact SUV class, keeping fuel costs reasonable for daily commuting, though it trails the segment's hybrid options.

A compact footprint (180.6 in long) and a reasonable 37.4-ft turning circle, aided by the standard multi-angle rearview camera, make the CR-V easy to park and maneuver; the absence of front parking sensors or a 360 camera caps it short of class-leading.

A modest 1,500 lb maximum tow rating and no payload/bed capability mean the CR-V is not meaningfully work-capable; it is a crossover, not a work vehicle.

Honda's broad reliability reputation suggests the CR-V would hold up to moderate abuse, but it is not marketed or built for fleet/work duty and has no reinforced or washable-interior options.

No onboard power inverter, no bed/cargo tie-down work package, and no upfit ecosystem; genuine Honda roof rails are a limited-capacity (165 lb) accessory rather than a real work-rack system.

A compliant highway ride, quiet-enough cabin, and Honda Sensing adaptive cruise (EX and above) ease long trips, with a roughly 400-mile highway range on the 14-gallon tank at 33 MPG highway, though seat comfort is good rather than exceptional.

Available Real Time AWD and 8.2 in of ground clearance (AWD) support light gravel-road and trailhead use, but the CR-V has no low-range, terrain modes, or serious off-road hardware.

60/40 split-folding rear seats and a generous 75.8 cu ft max cargo volume handle typical gear well, and roof rails are available for bulkier loads, though the rails themselves carry only a modest 165 lb capacity.

The CR-V 'cuts cleanly into corners and is nimble around town' with composed body control for the class, though it is not a segment-leading dynamic performer.

Dual-pinion variable-ratio electric steering is light and precise at low speed and gains natural weight at highway speed, a genuine strength, though FWD models can tug slightly under acceleration.

No major braking complaints surfaced in contemporaneous reviews; pedal feel and stopping power are described as adequate and unremarkable for the class.

The 1.5L turbo-four paired with a CVT is generally smooth in daily driving, but reviewers note some turbo lag off the line and typical CVT droning under hard acceleration.

Engine noise becomes noticeable under hard acceleration or when climbing, a commonly cited CR-V criticism, though it is inoffensive at cruise.

A moderate turning diameter for the compact SUV class, aiding low-speed maneuverability.

Good outward visibility, a commanding-but-not-too-tall seating position, and a logically laid-out dash with restored physical controls (volume knob) make the CR-V easy to get comfortable in.

Reviewers consistently conclude the CR-V is pleasant and competent but that 'no configuration is especially rewarding to drive' — appliance-like rather than engaging.

Honda Sensing (collision mitigation braking, road departure mitigation, adaptive cruise, lane keeping assist) is standard on every 2019 CR-V trim including the base LX, a full ADAS suite several rivals still charged extra for or reserved for upper trims in 2019.

Standard turbocharged 1.5L across EX and above, class-leading cargo room, and standard driver-assist tech add up to solid content for the money, though the CR-V doesn't undercut rivals on price the way a true bargain pick would.

Four well-spaced trims (LX, EX, EX-L, Touring), each offered with front-wheel or all-wheel drive, span $24,350–$34,150 MSRP — a reasonable ladder from value-focused to loaded, though there's no hybrid or off-road-oriented variant yet in 2019.

The CR-V posted record US sales of 384,168 units in 2019, a 1.4% increase over 2018, and extended its 21-year run as America's best-selling CUV nameplate even though Toyota RAV4 edged it for the single-year compact-SUV sales crown.

Honda carries a strong mainstream reputation for reliability and resale built over decades, with a loyal owner base, though it lacks the aspirational pull of a luxury or performance brand.

Record demand meant the 2019 CR-V rarely needed heavy incentives to move; buyer forum reports describe only modest dealer discounts off MSRP rather than the aggressive cash-back or APR offers seen on slower-selling rivals.

2019 is the third model year of the fifth generation (introduced for MY2017) and a carry-over year with no sheet-metal or powertrain changes — current and competitive, but two years from its next mid-cycle refresh for 2020.

The 2019 CR-V swept the year's major comparison tests and buying-guide awards: Motor Trend's 9-vehicle compact-SUV comparison test winner, Edmunds' inaugural 2019 Editors' Choice 'Best SUV,' Kelley Blue Book's 2019 Compact SUV Best Buy, and a third straight U.S. News Best Cars for the Money award.