Test Drive: Can redone 2012 Honda CR-V hold off new rivals?

NEW YORK -- Honda's overhauled 2012 CR-V is a big improvement. People familiar with previous generations of the small SUV no doubt will embrace it.

But the real question is whether the updates will seem sufficient when the re-engineered Ford Escape hits the market next spring, the new-to-the-line Mazda CX-5 arrives in February and Hyundai's Santa Fe gets a new do next year.

CR-V, Escape and CX-5 all were unveiled at the Los Angeles auto show on Wednesday. Honda hosted journalists at a New York briefing and drive event earlier this month.

In its favor, the CR-V's styling is handsome and gives the impression the vehicle is bigger than it is. It's about an inch shorter than the previous version, but otherwise the same.

The new model's "presence" keeps you from feeling as if you bought the pee-wee model, and instead lets you revel in owning an SUV of apparent substance. Satisfying.

Mileage is up significantly, as much as four miles per gallon better, depending on model and equipment, resulting in a 31-mpg highway rating on the most fuel-efficient version, which looks good in ads. Good mpg gives a patina of social concern and engineering expertise, even if you don't hit the sticker numbers in your driving. (And, of course, Test Drive didn't.)

The interior, previously criticized as plain, even cheap, got enough upgrading to surfaces, layout and trim that it now seems fine. Won't wow you, but isn't a reason not to buy.

Honda did a mostly good job of making it easy and pleasant to use most of the controls and gauges. An exception is the optional navigation system. It's old school, with tiny buttons and a little joystick control. Hard to operate, nigh impossible wearing winter gloves.

The visors don't slide on their rods, making it tough to effectively block the sun from all angles.

The drivetrain is disappointing. Despite better mpg and a little more power, the four-cylinder vibrates a bit at low speed and idle, enough to spark murmurs of dissatisfaction from passengers. The automatic transmission remains a five-speed. Honda says that's sufficient, that a six-speed's not needed, nor is the additional cost.

But there were many times in our drive that the gearbox didn't downshift for needed acceleration, which it might have been able to do with six gear ratios. No matter how good Honda's five-speed becomes, a six-speed with the same level of development would be better.

On the other hand, the optional all-wheel-drive system is nicely upgraded. It no longer needs to wait for the front wheels to lose traction before it begins powering the rear wheels, which should make it more effective on slick pavement.

The higher level of standard equipment should please most buyers. A backup camera, for instance, is standard on all models, at a time some automakers still fail to offer the feature even as an option.

Also standard: USB audio connection, Bluetooth streaming audio and hands-free phone link, Pandora radio and one-latch, easy-folding rear seats. CR-V's tilt-telescope steering column and its front seats have additional room for adjustment. That really improved comfort on a trip from Manhattan to northern Virginia.

The CR-V seemed a generally pleasant, easy-driving, comfortable machine throughout several hundred miles of testing. But something always popped into the mental periphery to slightly undercut the positive impression.

In addition to the fussy-to-operate navigation, the don't-adjust-enough sun visors and the mild but annoying engine vibration:

The doors opened and shut with a down-scale "clack" rather than the soft, reassuring "whump" that some vehicles in this price range manage to achieve.

The electronic throttle control was jerky at low speed, as when trying to ease along from 0 to 15 mph in the inevitable traffic jam around Baltimore and on the Washington, D.C., beltway.

While the 2012 CR-V addresses some sore points with the previous model, we'll wager — based on some gawking and tire-kicking of the Escape and CX-5 at the L.A. show — that a year from now, the CR-V could begin to seem dated again.

•What? Remake of the popular, small, four-door, five-passenger crossover SUV. Front- or all-wheel drive.

•When? On sale Dec. 15.

•Where? Built at East Liberty, Ohio.

•How much? Expect about $21,000 to $31,000. Honda will set prices nearer sale date.

•What makes it go? Honda's familiar 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine, rated 185 horsepower (up 5 hp) at 7,000 rpm, 163 pounds-feet of torque at 4,400 rpm. Five-speed automatic transmission. Updated, optional all-wheel drive system now can begin sending power to all four wheels without waiting for front wheels to slip.

•How big? Close in size to 2011 model. The 2012 is 178.3 inches long, 71.6 in. wide, 65.1 in. tall on a 103.1-in. wheelbase. Weighs 3,365 to 3,554 lbs. (22 to 48 lbs. lighter). Cargo space is 37.2 cubic feet (plus 1.5 cu. ft.) behind rear seat, 70.9 cu. ft. (minus 2 cu. ft.) with seat folded.

•How thirsty? Front-drive rated 23 miles per gallon in town, 31 highway, 26 combined. All-wheel drive rated 22/30/25. Those are up 1 to 4 mpg vs. the 2011.

Loaded AWD test vehicle registered 27.1 mpg (3.69 gallons per 100 miles) in 237 high-speed highway miles and 16 mpg (6.25 gal. per 100 mi.) in suburban driving.

Burns regular, holds 15.3 gal.

•Overall: Big improvement, but good enough to hold off new Ford Escape, Mazda CX-5, Hyundai Santa Fe?