The all-new crossover hits town tonight in two versions. Here’s why there’s a waiting list for one of them

SINGAPORE — Not one but two new Honda CR-Vs are in Singapore, with customers getting their first view of the cars here tonight.

Honda distributor Kah Motor is importing five-seat and seven-seat versions of the new mid-size crossover, which has been benchmarked against a wide variety of rivals. Honda put the CR-V up against such cars as the BMW X3 and Volkswagen Touran during its development.

Incidentally, the CR-V is 4,591mm long and 1,855mm wide, which gives it a slightly larger footprint than VW’s Tiguan.

The five-seat version costs $145,999 with Certificate Of Entitlement, while the seven-seater model will set you back $161,999.

Both versions of the car are powered by a 193 horsepower 1.5-litre turbo engine; it’s similar to the one in the Civic Turbo but has a larger turbo with a more efficient turbine. The CR-Vs are front wheel-drive, and have a Continuously Variable Transmission.

There’s 113kg of weight difference between the two models (with the five-seat CR-V tipping the scales at 1,527kg), which probably explains why the seven-seater is slower to 100km/h (9.4 seconds vs 9.0) and marginally thirstier (7.3L/100km vs 7.0).

A big chunk of the weight difference between the two cars is likely down to differences in equipment levels.

Apart from a third row of seats, the pricier CR-V comes with six airbags (the five-seat model has just two), parking sensors for front and rear (as opposed to just the rear), Honda’s LaneWatch camera-based blindspot monitor system and a power tailgate.

The seven-seat CR-V also comes with an eight-way power adjustable driver’s seat (four-way for the front passenger), keyless engine starting, and something called Walk Away Auto Lock; park your CR-V, wander off and if you forget to lock the car, it’ll do so by itself.

Needless to say, there are air-con vents for third row passengers, along with a blower control for the folk back there.

The two cars’ bodies are identical, but you can tell them apart by the seven-seat model’s 18-inch wheels (as opposed to 17s) and front fog lights.

Two versions of the car exist because the North America and China markets were keener on a five-seat model, while the rest of the world requested room for seven people, the car’s chief engineer Koji Hirano told CarBuyer.

No fog lamps? That’ll be the five-seat model, then…

Mr Hirano also explained that the CR-V’s development team focused on improving it in three key areas: ride comfort, handling dynamics and cabin space. “We’ve also made the interior more luxurious,” he said.

The cabin design apparently uses contrasting materials and three-dimensional forms to “create a sense of confidence”, according to Honda.

Plenty of emphasis has been placed on cabin storage, too, with room for tablets and drinks bottles given particular attention.

Those are things designed to appeal to the family buyers, and so far the CR-V seems to have gotten off to a promising start. The seven-seat model is actually sold out for now, and fresh buyers will have to wait until February next year for one, said Kah Motor general manager Nicholas Wong at the car’s press launch.

Mr Wong himself is partially responsible for that waiting list. “I’ve been so impressed by the CR-V that I was the first customer to book the car,” he said.