Coming soon to a Honda dealer near you is the completely redesigned 2012 Honda CR-V. This has been one of the best selling compact sport utility vehicles for many years, and this sharp new design is sure to be one of Honda’s best sellers. The CRV is the ‘right-size’ for many folks–not too big and cumbersome but not so small to feel cramped or unsafe. The CR-V has also proven to be a very popular vehicle among outdoor enthusiasts and our ten Rack Attack stores see thousands of CR-V’s each year.
2012 Honda CR-V front view
You’ll probably want a bike rack, ski rack, cargo box, surf rack and canoe or kayak cradles eventually, but for now you may have to hold tight. Thule and Yakima, the leaders in the automobile rack industry, will eventually create a ‘fit’ for the CR-V–but they sometimes take a few months to announce the fit after the vehicle goes on sale to the public. For now, we’ll speculate. The CRV has in the past had either a ‘naked’ (blank) roof, raised rails (first generation), or ‘fixed points’ (2nd and 3rd generation). This CR-V has taken a departure–a more Euro-style ‘flush rail’, something we’ve seen on many European nameplates in recent history. The flush rail is now showing up on Asian and domestic automobiles and offers a low-profile and clean look to the vehicle’s roof.
2012 Honda CR-V rear view
If you look closely, you will notice some small circles in the inboard face of the flush rails. I believe these to be removable plugs that will reveal a ‘pin-hole’ in which a rack clip will fit. We’ve seen this exact design in some Audi and Kia models recently. This type of rack system is great in that nothing touches the painted surface, and the crossbars are relatively easy to remove. The down side I can see is that the bars will be in a fixed position; they probably will have no adjustability. For some folks this may be OK, but if you are a hard-core rack user this may lead to some frustration. I am guessing by the placement of the rear hatch handle that this has a hatchback (remember generation 1 and 2 had rear doors that swung sideways). The fixed crossbar position may cause some cargo boxes, kayaks, or other long loads to interfere with the hatch.
Bottom line, this vehicle will be quite popular and we’ll have a solution for carrying any type of gear. The likely fits will be the Thule Podium or Yakima Whispbar, both of which are excellent products made by the best in the business. Eventually, we’ll have a Class III Curt trailer hitch as well so you could tow or carry a bike rack on the back. Once we see the new 2012 Honda CR-V in our installation garages we’ll be sure to give you an update and post some pictures.
