Driving the new-generation Honda CR-V.

Honda’s CR-V is a car that has gone from strength to strength over its near-20 year existence.

More up market than SUVs from Ford, Nissan or Kia yet not as flashy as those by BMW and Audi, it has remained a firm favourite among Courier Country buyers.

By anyone’s yardstick the CR-V has been a huge success. Honda has shifted 750,000 of them in Europe alone and sales are actually speeding up rather than slowing down.

It has carved out a reputation for safety, reliability, efficiency and practicality.

With such success under its belt, Honda wasn’t about to tear up a winning formula. So there’s no radical redesign – although it’s slightly more than the usual grille, bumpers and lights facelift.

The overall effect is a car that looks sleeker and more modern than the model it replaces.

The 2015 CR-V has evolved, with the old 2.2 litre diesel replaced by a more svelte – yet also more powerful – 1.6 litre unit and an automatic gearbox with no less than nine forward speeds.

The 1.6 litre diesel is available with 120bhp or 160bhp (the higher powered model being the 2.2’s replacement) and a two-litre petrol unit that’s unlikely to be a big seller in the UK. My steed for the week was the more powerful of the two diesel units.

Buyers can go for a six-speed manual but the new automatic is so good I can’t really recommend any other course of action. The old automatic only had five speeds – moving up to nine not only makes changes so smooth as to be almost imperceptible, it also improves economy.

Honda has revamped its intelligent four-wheel drive system and the CR-V automatically distributes power to the wheels that need it most, giving traction when it’s required and going for economy when it’s not.

Fuel efficiency has improved drastically. The old 2.2 litre unit managed 42.8mpg whereas my car returned 55.3mpg.

CR-V ownership starts from around the £22,500 mark for a two-wheel drive petrol model but you’ll need at least another £5,000 for a diesel model with four-wheel drive. My top-spec EX model cost £34,120.

The CR-V has never been particularly sporty to drive and Honda haven’t tried to change that. Nope, the focus here is comfort and it nails that very well indeed. “Cosseting” is the best word to describe ride quality, while wind and road noise are very muted indeed.

Throw it too quickly into a corner and the nose will soon run wide but few owners are going to drive their CR-V like that.

Inside, chrome inlay and high quality materials let you know you’re sitting in something premium. Meanwhile, the dashboard has been redesigned to allow better visibility and access to the seveninch touchscreen displaying the Honda Connect system.

I found this took a bit of getting used to. While rivals like Audi and BMW have simplified their control systems, with most functions operated by a rotary dial, Honda remains convinced a touchscreen and lots of small, fiddly buttons is the way ahead. It’s a small bugbear in an otherwise very fine interior, though.

Space in the front, rear and boot is generous and the panoramic glass roof included on my EX model floods the cabin with light.

The CR-V is a car that’s much improved. Once shy of diesel power, Honda’s new diesel engines are among the best in class. It’s comfortable, roomy, economical and with Honda’s reputation for reliability, it should last and last.

I’m not surprised the CR-V is Europe’s best selling SUV.