I am pretty confident that 001 was one of the first to call Honda's downfall but it seems to be soaking in across the board with the brand lately, even with products that were perennial winners.
Take, for example, the all-new Odyssey and all-new Civic. Loved by most for their specific strong points, Consumer Reports -- one of Honda's biggest advocates -- turned its back on BOTH products deducing that both missed the mark, essentially.
While Honda's products are considered well-rounded, they're just lacking that extra oomph, if you will.
And according to MSNBC's Dan Carney, that's not changing with the all-new CR-V. Considering this is one of the brand's top selling products, this could mean more pain for the brand. We were expecting the all-new 2012 CR-V to be a move in the right direction but it doesn't look like Honda got the shining star it's used to.
There are other cars that got good gas mileage; others with impressive durability. But none of them captured Honda’s spirit. Their commercials said it all: “Honda: we make it simple.”
Perhaps simplicity is less valued today. Perhaps it is just more challenging to deliver in a tech-centric world. Whatever the obstacles, while Honda’s new 2012 CR-V compact crossover SUV (even the description is inelegant) is a very good family car, it isn’t a special one. There is nothing about this that puts Honda’s clever stamp on it and says, “No other company could, or would, have done this.”
Instead, the CR-V is increasingly undistinguished in an increasingly competitive segment. That doesn’t make it a bad car, just a dull one...
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