2020 Honda CR-V vs 2021 Lincoln Corsair

The 2020 Honda CR-V, in its fifth generation, had a design that was both familiar and enjoyable. Its exterior lines were soft and curvy, resembling Honda’s sedan lineup, and it leaned more towards a station wagon look than an SUV. This design made it a modern family transportation staple. However, the interior was a mix of high and low-quality materials. While pricier models featured wood-look trim and leather upholstery, these upscale touches clashed with the low-quality plastics, reminding drivers that even the expensive CR-V was an upgraded commodity car rather than a premium product.

In contrast, the 2021 Lincoln Corsair, introduced as a replacement for the Lincoln MKC, rode on the new C2 platform shared with the Ford Escape. Lincoln succeeded in differentiating the Corsair from its Ford counterpart, unlike General Motors with its Cadillac XT4 and XT5. The Corsair’s design was refined, featuring slab sides, blacked-out rear pillars, and straight belt- and rooflines, making it appear larger than it was. Inside, the Corsair shared design cues with the Aviator and Navigator, including a flowing dash and floating center touchscreen. However, it had more hard-touch materials, and the black leather with dark wood seemed geared towards older buyers, while younger buyers might prefer the lighter palettes with tan leather.

The 2020 Honda CR-V simplified its lineup by replacing the base engine with a 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, producing 190 horsepower and 179 pound-feet of torque, paired with a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT). This powertrain provided a good balance of performance and fuel efficiency. The CR-V’s road manners were excellent, with a car-like demeanor, nimble handling, and minimal body roll. Its low curb weight of 3,337 pounds for the FWD LX model contributed to its agility and fuel economy, with FWD models rated at 30 mpg combined and AWD models at 29 mpg.

The 2021 Lincoln Corsair offered a base 2.0-liter EcoBoost turbocharged four-cylinder engine with 250 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. An optional 2.3-liter EcoBoost engine delivered 295 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque, providing strong acceleration. Both engines were paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission, with the 2.0-liter available in FWD or AWD and the 2.3-liter exclusively in AWD. The Corsair featured unique drive modes like “Conserve” and “Excite,” with the latter akin to Sport mode. The 2.3-liter engine provided brisk acceleration and confident cornering, though there was some body roll. The suspension absorbed potholes well, though road noise was noticeable. The Grand Touring trim added a plug-in hybrid powertrain with a combined 266 horsepower, 28 miles of pure EV driving, and an efficiency rating of 78 MPGe in electric mode.

The 2020 Honda CR-V excelled in interior space and clever storage solutions. Its cabin was roomy, with good head- and legroom in both the driver’s seat and passenger seats. The cargo compartment matched the Volkswagen Tiguan in volume, despite the CR-V being three inches shorter. The center console featured a deep well with a sliding cover, influenced by Honda’s Odyssey minivan, and the rear had a two-position load floor for maximizing cargo space or creating a flat floor with the rear seats folded, providing 75.8 cubic feet of cargo space. The door pockets were also spacious, making the CR-V easy to live with.

The 2021 Lincoln Corsair had a spacious cabin with comfortable seats and plenty of storage space. However, the large lip when stepping in or out of the vehicle was a notable downside, requiring occupants to be cautious. The test model featured reclining and sliding rear seats, providing impressive legroom for a compact SUV. The Corsair offered 27.6 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats and 57.6 cubic feet with the rear seats folded, which was average for the compact luxury SUV segment. A power liftgate was standard, with a hands-free power liftgate available.

The 2020 Honda CR-V showed its age in terms of infotainment. The base LX trim had a 5-inch screen with limited features, while higher trims had a 7-inch touchscreen, which seemed small compared to competitors. The infotainment system lacked hard buttons, making it challenging to operate, and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto were only available with the larger screen. However, the CR-V had plenty of USB ports in the EX trim and above, with two in the front and two high-powered ports in the backseat. The Touring trim added a wireless phone charger.

The 2021 Lincoln Corsair came standard with an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system running the SYNC 3 system, which was easy to use with a logical menu layout. It also included Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The Reserve test model featured optional wireless device charging, a 14-speaker Revel premium audio system, and a head-up display (HUD) with crisp graphics.

The 2020 Honda CR-V included the “Honda Sensing” system as standard, offering forward-collision warning with automatic emergency braking, pedestrian detection, road-departure mitigation, and adaptive cruise control with lane-keeping assist. EX trims and above added blind-spot monitoring and cross-traffic monitoring. The CR-V earned five stars in NHTSA crash tests and a Top Safety Pick designation from IIHS, with the Touring trim’s LED headlights improving nighttime visibility.

The 2021 Lincoln Corsair came standard with forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, pedestrian detection, lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist, automatic high beams, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and rear parking sensors. The test model featured Lincoln CoPilot360 Plus, adding adaptive LED headlights, surround-view parking cameras, front parking sensors, speed-limit sign recognition, stop-and-go adaptive cruise control, reverse automatic braking, and automatic parking assist. The Corsair earned a Top Safety Pick Plus designation from IIHS when equipped with high-feature headlights.