Honda UK has ended what it calls its dignified silence on the 4x4 debate after calls for the vehicles to carry a health warning.

The Swindon-built Honda CR-V is classed as a ‘small off-roader’ and so under the policy advocated last week by the New Economics Foundation, would need to carry the health warning, since it says all 4x4s are significantly more polluting and dangerous to pedestrians than other vehicles.

Honda points out that Euro NCAP lists only a handful of cars that attain three stars for pedestrian safety, the CR-V being one of them – safer than over 90% of all vehicles.

Honda adds that the 2.0 SE petrol CR-V has a lower CO2 emission and a better mpg. than a 2.0 Vauxhall Vectra Elite (215 vs 221), while its forthcoming diesel CR-V has a CO2 figure lower than some vehicles two sizes below – (eg a Nissan Almera 1.8 SE).