2023 Honda Breeze is a CR-V with City taillights

Back in August, we were able to get a glimpse of GAC-Honda's slightly different-looking CR-V for the Chinese market called the Breeze. Now that it's officially launched, we got to know more details about the all-new crossover.

The all-new Breeze is offered in both five-seater and seven-seater layouts, much like how Honda Cars Philippines offers the current-generation CR-V in the local market.

Moreover, the redesigned bumpers meant the Breeze is 22mm longer than its twin, the CR-V. In front, the Breeze has a smaller grille, larger bumper intakes, and different-looking LED headlights. GAC-Honda designed the Breeze to give it a more premium look, as the usual black plastic cladding has been painted to match the bodywork.

Meanwhile, the Breeze's rear end sets itself apart from the CR-V with its redesigned tailgate and familiar-looking LED taillights. The light signature combined with the smoked lenses closely resembles that of the City sedan and the BMW 3 series.

The differences disappear once you step inside the Breeze, as the interior is very much carried over from the CR-V and the Civic. GAC-Honda only made a few minor changes to interior trim pieces and choice of upholstery. However, the Breeze one-ups the CR-V in terms of audio equipment, as it has a Bose 12-speaker sound system.

Unlike the USDM CR-V which has a 2.0-liter hybrid variant, the Honda Breeze is only initially available with a 1.5-liter VTEC Turbo engine with 190 PS and 243 Nm of torque. A front-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive variant is being offered, and both are mated to a CVT.

In terms of safety equipment, the Honda Breeze comes with the latest Honda Sensing suite with plenty of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). Those features include the likes of adaptive cruise control with traffic jam assist, lane keep assist with lane departure warning, automatic emergency braking, and rear cross-traffic alert, among others.

The all-new Honda Breeze is going on sale in the Chinese market before the year ends, with pricing to be announced closer to its sale date.

Which look would you rather have for the CR-V in the Philippine market? The Chinese market Breeze or the USDM CR-V? Let us know in the comments.