What's all this about?

This is our first look at the Honda CR-V MkV, coming in 2018. And besides that, this Frankfurt Motor Show star also previews the first electrified drivetrain the Japanese manufacturer has put into one of its SUVs.

And what is it calling this Frankfurt debut?

Rather obviously, the Honda CR-V Hybrid Prototype. It features Honda's Intelligent Multi-Mode Drive, or i-MMD for short, which means it has a pair of electric motors and a 2.0-litre i-VTEC Atkinson cycle four-cylinder petrol engine. One of the e-motors is for propulsion, the other is an electric generator. The i-VTEC does some running of the CR-V's wheels but spends a lot of its time generating charge for the battery pack, allowing the e-motor to do the donkey work. Honda says it can drive in three modes, which are EV Drive, Hybrid Drive and Engine Drive, and we reckon you can pretty much work out which particular drive unit is responsible for which.

But the bodywork shows what the 2018 CR-V will look like in general?

Yup. Thinner A-pillars and larger wheels and tyres are said by Honda to give the SUV a sportier look, enhanced by the fact it is longer, wider and taller than the outgoing CR-V. It's built on the global compact car platform used by the tenth-generation Civic and features the 'wing face' design theme of current Honda models, as well as some sharp-looking rear light clusters. All in all, it's a handsome thing.

Do we know of any other engines for the CR-V?

Yes, the addition of the hybrid model means there will be no 1.6-litre diesel this time around, while the 182hp 1.5-litre VTEC Turbo four-pot from the Civic will be ported over. This can be paired to a six-speed manual or a continuously variable transmission (CVT). From experience of the Civic, we'd recommend the former. Following its Frankfurt debut, the CR-V MkV should hit European showrooms during the first half of 2018.

Matt Robinson - 5 Sep 2017