Today’s guest post is by Grace Duffy— tech writer, mom blogger, and real housewife of Silicon Valley. Grace spreads her special brand of wit and charm on her personal blog, FormerlyGracie.com, and is a contributor for a number of other parenting and tech sites.
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| 2012 Honda CR-V |
Last week, a redesigned, all new Honda 2012 CR-V was debuted at the L.A. Auto Show. A few weeks prior, I was invited by Honda to the gorgeous Park Hyatt Aviera in Carlsbad, California on a covert mission to test drive this fabulous new car for myself.
No Tweeting. No Facebook. No blog posts until it could be unveiled to the public! In other words, pure agony… So it is with much suppressed excitement that I share with you what an honor and a thrill it was to be a part of this event!
If you know someone who drives a CR-V, I’m not surprised. It’s been the best-selling SUV in America since 2007. Last year alone, Honda sold over 200,000 of them and there is a reason for that. Stylish, casual yet elegant, and dependable, the CR-V goes from day to evening as effortlessly as a little black dress. Honda had a tough job in making an excellent car even better. Yet, they did!
The latest evolution of the CR-V features a more dynamic and sophisticated exterior, spacious interior, and smoother ride. It boasts a 2.4-liter i-VTEC 4-cylinder engine with 185 horsepower, top-of-class EPA-estimated fuel economy is rated at 23/31/26 mpg city/highway/combined (depending on how you drive) and Easy Fold-Down 60/40 Split Rear Seat. Honda has also added an easy-to-use and flexible cargo area and made the CR-V more effective at mitigating a crash.
While safety crash tests have not yet been done with the new CR-V, Honda’s R&D engineers expect it to achieve the difficult 5-star rating under the new federal government tests, as both the company’s Accord sedan and Odyssey minivan did earlier this year.
While these features are certainly amazing, what really caught my eye was the tech, of course!
Tech Features in the newly redesigned Honda CR-V:
Tech Features in the newly redesigned Honda CR-V:
Eco Assist™ and ECON Mode
Fuel economy and environmental concerns are high on consumers’ priorities these days, and Honda responded with its Eco Assist™ and ECON mode.
Every CR-V model will be equipped with the Eco Assist™. These are lights on the instrument panel that indicate to the driver when the vehicle is being operated in an efficient style via “green” visual cues surrounding the speedometer. When the lights turn white, that signifies an inefficient driving style is in effect and the driver is “coached” into better driving.
A selectable ECON Mode alters operating characteristics of the vehicle to support an efficient driving style with a press of a button. When activated, several of the vehicle’s operating features are altered to contribute to better fuel economy. For example, the climate control fans are gradually lowered and interior lights are dimmed.
Integrated Navi Display, Rear-Entertainment System (RES), and intelligent Multi-Information Display (i-MID)
The dashboard comes equipped with two screens– on top the full-color intelligent Multi-Information Display (i-MID) and below, the Integrated Navi display. This allows for convenient, line-of sight access to vehicle, navigation, and entertainment information. The systems are intuitive and easy to use, even when first using the vehicle.
The Rear-Entertainment System (RES) can be found behind the front seats and comes equipped with a 7-inch wide-screen LCD display. The audio can either be played over the CR-V’s audio system or through a set of wireless headphones, so the driver can listen to something completely different. The DVD player can be found in the center console, where it can be controlled one of three ways: remote control, audio-system controls, or through the unit itself.
The i-MID comes standard on all CR-V models. Whereas the Navi and the RES either/or options on the EX-L.
Bluetooth® HandsFreeLink®phone interface and Steering Wheel Mounted Controls
Hands-free Bluetooth® with steering wheel mounted controls comes standard on all models and makes it possible for the driver to make or answer calls without removing their hands from right where they belong, at 10 and 2 o’clock.
Pressing the “pick up” button on the steering wheel answers the call and mutes the audio system, as the call is heard through the vehicle’s speakers. An overhead microphone picks up the driver’s voice, while minimizing background noise.
Numbers with voice tag can be stored in the system’s memory, while new numbers can be dialed by speaking the number. All of this information is automatically imported and logged on your phone’s call history, ensuring that you never lose a contact or a call.
This system is only compatible with Bluetooth®- enabled cellphones with the Hands-Free Profile. A list of compatible smartphones can be found HandsFreeLink.com. You can pair up to five different compatible models with your 2012 CR-V.
Pandora Integration and SMS Text Messaging Function with Smartphones
While USB-connectivity for entertainment and devices is expected in most new vehicles, in a first for Honda, all new CR-V models have been designed to provide an interface for Pandora Internet Radio. Users can chose from and create up to 100 personalized Internet radio stations, as they would through their computer, with the free Pandora app.
Another standard feature in all CR-V models is the SMS Text Messaging Function that reads incoming texts over the audio system, and allows the driver to respond with any of the six factory “quick standard replies” such as “I’m running late” or “Talk to you later. I’m driving”. Safe and smart, to further eliminate driver distraction, incoming messages are not displayed unless the transmission is in “Park”.
For now, the full Pandora integration is only available for iPhone and the text-message technology is limited to Blackberry and Android smartphones. The voice-controlled navigation option is the same unit the manufacturer offers across all models, but Honda indicated that major updates to this system will be announced in the near future, as technology advances.
Multi-angle Rearview Camera with Guidelines
The wide-view rearview camera safety feature was once just an option, but now comes standard on all models of the CR-V. Visible on the intelligent Multi-Information Display (i-MID), the camera shows what is immediately behind a vehicle about to back up — such as a pole, another car, or a dumpster… not that I’ve ever hit one (Yes, I have.) Guidelines help drivers gauge how close they are to an object and a dotted line indicates how much clearance you have to open the trunk.
The 2012 Honda CR-V will be available for purchase on December 15, 2011 at a suggest price range from $21,000-$30,000. Manufactured at the Honda Auto Plant in East Liberty, Ohio, Honda expects to produce over 200,000 units over the next year.
Disclosure: I was a guest of Honda for their CR-V press event in Carlsbad, California. Honda provided travel arrangements and accommodations. Although I was not required to write about the event, I was more than happy to do so. All opinions are my own and no compensation was received. Images courtesy of Honda.
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Original post by Tech Savvy Mama
©2012
I just bought a 2012 Honda CRV and love it!! The only thing that I am disappointed with is that the SMS Text Messaging Function does not work with Iphones. This is surprising to me since the iPhone is suppose to “do it all”! Hopefully, they will come out with an app or software update to make that function work. Otherwise, I love my CRV!
Great job on the blog! Very informative! It definitely confirmed my findings of this one unusable feature.