The world’s best-selling SUV — Honda’s CR-V — now has seven seats – and no diesel option

LET’S start with a little quiz.

Question. What is the world’s best-selling SUV?

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Is it A) Qashqai; B) Evoque; C) Sportage; or D) something else.

Well done, Sherlock. The answer is D) something else.

As in Honda CR-V — the car you see in the picture above. An incredible 3.5million sales in five years.

Absolutely nothing to do with looks, it must be said, but everything to do with reliability and space.

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Now Honda is adding a seven-seat option for the first time — and dumping diesel.

In truth, Honda never much liked diesel but all the political claptrap was a good excuse to make the 2018 CR-V petrol-only.

There’s a petrol-electric hybrid coming in 2019.

First impressions. Interior. Yup, it’s big in here, really big, like sitting in a cathedral.

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Clearly styled for lard-arse Yanks. Wide-opening doors, sofa-like seats, bucket-sized storage in the centre console and doors, and big-lettered touchscreen for sausage fingers.

Top models also have head-up display and adaptive cruise control with speed sign recognition, two of my favourite things, but what’s with all that plastic wood trim?

No, Honda, no.

We’ve moved on from the Rover 600.

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The boot is also cavernous. Flip down the seats and it can swallow a mountain bike. The load floor is 1.8metres long.

Now being a young, handsome dad-of-four, you could say that seven-seat space shuttles are my specialist subject.

The second row slides 15cm, which is good, there are USB ports for the kids, also good, and my test car had wipe-clean seats, very good.

But like the Nissan X-Trail, Peugeot 5008 and Land Rover Discovery Sport, the third row is not ideal for the infirm, fully grown or little fat lads, but it’s better to have them than not.

Just remember that when all seven seats are in use, there’s less boot storage than a mouse’s rucksack.

Driving. Ride comfort is good. It feels better damped than the old car. Body roll is controlled, turn-in is improved and the 1.5-litre turbo is quite brisk.

But how it performs up- hill, loaded with kids and family debris, I’m yet to be convinced.

Now you’ve got choices. Six-speed man- ual or CVT auto, front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive.

I’d nudge caravannists towards the AWD manual as that can tow two tonnes. Or wait for the 2-litre hybrid.

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Note. The AWD system disconnects for efficiency when rear-wheel torque is not required, such as motorways. Real-world economy is 35mpg.

I’ve got room for one more question. What is the world’s most sensible SUV?

Is it A) Honda CR-V; B) Honda CR-V; or C) Honda CR-V.

Correct. It’s the car in the big picture.

Audi partner

I had an Audi Q7 once and I hated it.

The fuel bills were ridiculous, the foot brake never released properly and one of my little darlings spilled a drink on the MMI console and fried it.

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The dealer wanted close to £1,000 to repair it. It never got fixed.

I sold it and bought a Renault Grand Scenic which was brilliant – until the digital dashboard died.

Needless to say, I haven’t had much love for Audi’s seven-seat bus until driving one again this past week and now I’m smitten.

Yes, it’s silly money at £58,000, which is twice the price of the Honda CR-V.

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But think of it another way and it’s a bargain-bucket Bentley Bentayga.

Step inside this second-gen Q7 and it’s a real palace of delights.

The build quality is exemplary, the 3D Google mapping pure class and the ride hovercraft-smooth (air suspension). Only with better steering.

Other observations. The tailored seats (grey with silver stitching) look the business and match my favourite tie and the electric tow-bar, electric folding rear seats and super-fast air con all please.

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But perhaps the most impressive thing is the silence. The cabin is so hushed you can hardly hear the 3-litre V6 when you pin it. And I did, often.

Quattro all-wheel-drive, eight-speed tiptronic, 600Nm of torque, this thing is rapid for a big bird and will match a Fiesta ST in a traffic light Grand Prix.

For the record, I averaged 32mpg on a 160-mile journey to the Peak District. Not too shabby.

Audi scrapped the foot brake in the new Q7.

And I didn’t risk taking a drink with me.

I’ll report back on the Q8 soon.

Iron Man machine

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Take off that flying suit onesie, buddy. And that arc reactor ring.

You’re not Tony Stark’s biggest fan – not until you get your red laser gloves on one of these motors...

The Hyundai Kona Iron Man edition, complete with Iron Man mask motifs on the roof, wheels and wings.

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