Honda CR-V In Snow & Winter Driving? (Explained)

The Honda CR-V is a perennial bestseller in the United States, which is understandable. After all, it is practical, fuel-efficient, and comfortable.

In this article, we explain how well the Honda CR-V drives in winter conditions.

Here is the short answer to whether the Honda CR-V is good for snow and winter driving:

The CR-V features Honda’s innovative Real-Time All-Wheel Drive system that keeps you safe in slippery conditions. It also comes with Traction Control, Vehicle Stability Assist, and ABS. Thus, you can drive on roads covered in snow, ice, and slush without problems.

Is a Honda CR-V Good in the Snow?

Looking at the Honda CR-V, you may conclude the model will struggle in snow.

However, the CR-V handles and drives well in snow. Check lists of compact SUVs suitable for snow driving, and nine times out of ten, you’ll find the Honda CR-V.

The Honda CR-V’s adeptness at driving in snowy conditions is due to many unique elements.

One is the generous ground clearance available on CR-V models. Those who tackle snowy terrain frequently know that good ground clearance is vital in those conditions.

High ground clearance will allow you to drive across snow-covered roads and avoid getting stuck in snow.

Another is Honda’s Real-Time All-Wheel Drive System. This AWD system can transfer torque to all wheels while driving. Therefore, if your front wheels slip in snow, the rear wheels can propel your car.

2015 – 4th generation Honda CR-V from rear

Overall, the Honda CR-V is recommendable for anyone searching for a compact SUV that can deliver in snow.

Particularly if you have a family, the Honda CR-V can ferry your family on winter trips in safety and comfort.

Also, make sure to have a rubber cover for the trunk. You can check out this product and other popular accessories and equipment for the Honda CR-V here.

What Features Will Improve Winter Driving?

The Honda CR-V’s winter driving prowess results from many factors. Some of them are the features designed to improve traction, control, and safety on winter roads.

Here are some of them:

Real-Time All-Wheel Drive

On winter roads, traction is abysmal, and tires can slip. The Honda CR-V has a Real-Time All-Wheel Drive system that safeguards against tire slipping and greater stability.

The Real-Time AWD system works by sending torque to all four wheels. Having more power equals more traction and fewer chances of tire slipping.

Under normal conditions, the Real-Time AWD sends power only to the front wheels. This helps reduce fuel consumption and decreases ownership costs.

Traction Control

All Honda CR-V models come standard with a Traction Control system. This feature helps your SUV maintain adequate traction while driving.

This is necessary in winter weather, where traction is low.

Traction Control will monitor wheels during operation to detect excessive wheelspin, which is a sign of traction loss. It then bolsters traction by limiting engine power and selectively applying the brakes.

Vehicle Stability Assist

Vehicle Stability Assist is Honda’s variation of the common Electronic Stability Control feature. The VSA is among the most useful features for winter driving for many reasons.

It ensures your car remains stable while cornering on wet roads. VSA can also help your car maintain adequate levels of traction while driving on slippery surfaces such as snow, ice, and slush.

If your vehicle’s stability is threatened or one of your wheels loses traction, the VSA will automatically activate. Immediately, it will choke the engine to reduce vehicle speed and enhance stability. It will also apply brake pressure on individual wheels to prevent slipping and traction loss.

Antilock Braking System

The Antilock Braking System is a popular feature on vehicles designed to facilitate safer braking, especially on wet pavement.

Specifically, ABS prevents wheel lockup caused by hard braking.

ABS uses various sensors to monitor wheel rotational speed as you brake. If a wheel stops rotating under braking, ABS will decrease brake pressure to allow the affected wheel to rotate.

Typically, when your wheels lock at high speeds, you’ll find it hard to maneuver your vehicle–it might even skid. ABS counteract this and enables you to stop safely on winter roads.

Electronic Brake Force Distribution

Like the Antilock Braking System, the Electronic Brake Force Distribution system checks wheel lock under hard braking. While ABS prevents wheel lockup by reducing brake pressure, EBD does something else entirely.

When you apply the brakes, the EBD system will distribute the brake pressure to the wheels based on the weight distribution. This protects your vehicle against wheel lockup.

The CR-V is a front-wheel drive model, which means the front wheels have more weight on them than the rear wheels. Applying the same brake pressure on all wheels will lock up the ones with reduced weight.

With EBD, the chances of this happening on your CR-V are minimal.

Brake Assist

Slippery surfaces in winter equal longer braking times, which means higher accident risk.

The Brake Assist feature on the Honda CR-V reduces braking time and is a useful safeguard against road mishaps in winter.

The Brake Assist feature can detect when you’re trying to make an emergency stop. Then it will increase brake pressure generated when you apply your brakes.

This cuts the time to brake by a significant margin and improves driving safety.

Comfort-Enhancing Features

On select CR-V models, you’ll get features that increase passenger comfort.

These include heated steering wheels, a dual-zone climate control system, and heated front seats.

The heated front seat and heated steering wheel decrease the discomfort that comes with driving in winter weather by keeping you warm.

Similarly, the dual-zone climate control can be tuned to warm up the cabin during drives. This is ideal if you are hauling your family on winter travels.

Also read our article on driving the Ford Edge in snow and winter.

Does a CR-V Have Snow Mode?

The Honda CR-V doesn’t have a Snow Mode feature; at least for now. Nevertheless, the Honda CR-V has other features that help decrease wheelspin and traction loss.

These include the Real-Time AWD system, Vehicle Stability Assist and Traction Control.

Can You Install Additional Snow Gear on CR-V?

You can install snow gear on a CR-V vehicle. Some snow gear you can install on your Honda CR-V include:

• Snow tires
• Snow chains
• Snow socks
• Ice studs

Have an idea of your SUV’s dimensions before shopping for snow gear. If you’ll be buying snow chains, snow socks or ice studs, check your tire size–it is on the tire sidewall.

For snow tires, know your wheel size prior to buying; ill-fitting snow tires can affect handling negatively.

How Much Snow Can a CR-V Handle?

Depending on which CR-V model you get, you’ll get between 7.9 to 8.2 inches of ground clearance. This means you can navigate snowy roads and the white stuff won’t stall your wheels.

Moreover, the Real-Time All-Wheel-Drive system boosts your CR-V’s handling and control when the snow comes fast and thick. Front-wheel-drive is okay, but it won’t perform as well as 4WD in deep snow.

Equipped with the optional Real-Time 4WD, your Honda CR-V should be fine in snow under seven inches. If you get heavier snowfall than this, it’s advisable to avoid driving.

You should also educate yourself on the best years for Honda CR-V.

How Do CR-V Handle Low Winter Temperatures?

As a fuel-injected vehicle, the Honda CR-V has no difficulty running in cold winter conditions.

You don’t need to start it multiple times or warm it up for hours; crank it once and it should start right away. If it doesn’t, then it could be the fault of:

• Minimal battery power
• Worn out battery component
• Electrical parts failure (stator failure, starter solenoid failure, etc.)
• Poor or impure gasoline in engine
• Worn out spark plugs
• Faulty air/fuel filters

Make sure to also read our article on driving the Honda Odyssey in snow and winter.

Can a Honda CR-V Drive on Ice?

With the Real-Time AWD, the Honda CR-V can drive confidently in icy conditions. The regular front-wheel drive CR-V models aren’t that bad for driving on ice, too.

As the engine’s weight is directly over the drive wheels, the car gets greater stability on slick pavement.

You must remember, however, that the Honda CR-V is an SUV, not a sedan or coupe. It has higher-than-average ground clearance, which translates into a higher center of gravity.

This ultimately increases the chances of the CR-V tumbling over on an ice-covered road. As such, you should be careful about driving on ice.

Does the CR-V Have 4WD?

The Honda CR-V doesn’t have 4WD, but has Real-Time 4WD, which is something similar.

This AWD system is “intelligent” because it can detect less-than-ideal road conditions and adjust torque distribution accordingly.

What About Older CR-V Models and Winter Driving?

Older CR-V models, especially those released as from 2005 and later, are suitable for driving in winter.

For the previous models, Antilock Braking System was optional (it became standard in 2005). Similarly, Vehicle Stability Assist became standard in 2005.

Also read our article on driving the Honda Accord in snow and winter.

Do CR-V Need Snow Tires?

Almost every CR-V owner has one advice for better winter driving: get snow tires. Snow tires, which you may know as winter tires, are designed to offer maximum traction and control in winter driving situations.

The stock all-season tires are generally average in wet conditions, and we won’t advise using them in winter. Investing in a set of winter tires may seem expensive, but ultimately, it is worth it.

At the very least, you’ll know that your tires won’t slip or slide off when driving on ice or snow.

Can You Mount A Snow Plow on A CR-V?

Given the CR-V’s small dimensions and lack of true 4WD, we would advise against plowing with it.

If plowing with your CR-V is necessary, consult your mechanic for guidance on what snowplow to buy and how to install it.

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