Sometimes a car brand should make things easier. New dealerships recently hit and, in doing so, also decided to keep things simple by cutting back on some of the unnecessary trim levels and features that weren’t selling well.
Will this simplification of the CR-V pay off for Honda in the long run? Only time will tell, but for now, here’s everything you need to know about how Honda trimmed the fat surrounding the 2023 CR-V.
the Honda CR-V is only offered in four main trim levels for 2023.
These four trim levels include EX All-Wheel Drive, EX All-Wheel Drive, EX-L All-Wheel Drive, and EX-L All-Wheel Drive. Both EX and EX-L trim levels are powered by a 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that produces around 190 horsepower.
The CR-V EX comes standard with heated seats, automatic power windows for front passengers, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, and a 7-inch infotainment screen. Standard safety features include a rear view camera, forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, blind spot monitoring, lane departure warning and more.
For the 2023 CR-V EX-L trim level, you’ll find all the same features as the EX model with a few additional features including automatic power windows for rear passengers, leather-wrapped steering wheel, power liftgate with programmable height settings, front seats four-way electrically adjustable, leather-trimmed seats and an updated 9-inch infotainment screen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Andriod Auto.
Both the 2023CR-V EX and EX-L are available with two-wheel or four-wheel drive.
Streamline the Honda CR-V
With the sixth generation, we saw a massive drop in available trim levels with just four total offerings (just two if you don’t count all-wheel drive models as trim levels). For the 2022 CR-V, a whopping nine different trim levels were available, and for the 2021 CR-V, customers had to choose one of 10 different models.
Is it better to have a smaller list of trim levels?
There are both positives and negatives when it comes to having such a short list of trim levels for a vehicle. The most obvious disadvantage when it comes to having only two main trim levels is the fact that consumers have to go “all or nothing” with their features included.
Either you have the base model or you have the fully loaded model. For some consumers looking to save money, this could end up making the CR-V a tough choice if the top-of-the-line EX-L trim has a list of features these buyers don’t necessarily need and don’t want to pay for.
However, Honda still had problems when it had 9 and 10 different trim levels to choose from in previous model years. With so many options, many consumers have experienced decision paralysis, where they couldn’t find the exact model they wanted due to so many options available.
At least with , consumers will always be able to find a fully featured model with all the features they might need. Will it work for Honda in the long run? Only time will tell. Perhaps in the future, we will have more automotive companies that will make it easier for them to train as well.
