10 Biggest News Stories of the Month: Honda CR-V Spanks Cybertruck, Dunks on Defender

When automakers announce pricing for the latest model year of a vehicle still in the same generation as the previous model year, often the updates are subtle, if even existent. We try to help car shoppers take the guesswork out of that equation by considering what’s changed from one year to the next and comparing that with any price increase, then making an educated recommendation as to which model year prospective buyers should choose: the newest model for a new-car MSRP? Or the outgoing model at previous-year prices and potential dealer discounts? In the case of the Honda CR-V — featured in our most popular article of November — Cars.com reviewer Fred Meier recommended the latter.

Related: 10 Biggest 2019 L.A. Auto Show Stories: Land Rover Defender Dominates, Mustang Mach-E Mops Up

That is, unless you’re shopping for the CR-V’s base LX trim, in which case the new model year’s standardization of the Honda Sensing suite of safety and driver-assistance tech, as well as the addition of the turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine from the lineup’s higher trim levels, justifies the $600 price hike. The 2020 CR-V starts at $26,145, including a $1,095 destination charge.

“For a small price increase, the 2020 LX has critical safety tech, as well as a more satisfying powertrain that also gets higher gas mileage,” Meier writes. “You’ll also have to get a 2020 if you want a hybrid; CR-V’s first hybrid version is due to roll out early next year.”

Despite making a big splash in both the news media at large and the hallowed pages of Cars.com, the heavily hyped Tesla Cybertruck — the luxury electric automaker’s first foray into America’s juggernaut pickup truck market — could only manage a second-place haul. Still, reader interest in our Brian Normile’s overview of the theatrically futuristic-looking Tesla pickup was nothing to scoff at (unlike when the Cybertruck’s so-called armor glass shattered during an ill-advised metal-ball-hurling demonstration).

The Cybertruck still handily defeated stories about a popular pair of all-new models unveiled at the 2019 Los Angeles Auto Show in November: Cars.com reviewer Aaron Bragman’s first impressions of the 2020 Land Rover Defender, the brand’s resurrected-in-the-U.S. off-road SUV, and our Kelsey Mays’ video overview of the 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E, the electric SUV with a muscle-car marque, landed at Nos. 4 and 5, respectively.

Rounding out the top five was our monthly rundown of the best deals shoppers can get on a new car, at No. 3. November’s attractively incentivized automobiles included the Jeep Compass, Hyundai Sonata, Kia Sportage and Chevrolet Traverse, among others, but stay tuned for the December deals edition for what discounts are out there now.

A quick-hit rundown of our likes and dislikes about the 2020 Toyota Camry, a roundup of pickup truck news and explainers on different aspects of car leasing await in the second half — so be sure not to bolt after intermission. Here are the top 10 stories Cars.com readers couldn’t get enough of in the past month:

1. Honda CR-V: Which Should You Buy, 2019 or 2020?

2. Tesla Cybertruck: Impressive Specs, Killer Price, Polarizing Looks

3. What’s the Best New-Car Deal for November 2019?

4. 2020 Land Rover Defender: Has the Jeep Wrangler Met Its Match?

5. 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E Video: Electric SUV With Pony Car Spirit

6. Black Friday New-Car Deals: 16 Cars With ’19 Discounts

7. How to Get Out of a Car Lease

8. 2020 Toyota Corolla: 9 Things We Like (and 3 Not So Much)

9. All the Pickup Truck News: Hyundai Santa Cruz Cruises In, Tesla Cybertruck Approaches and More

10. How Does Leasing a Car Work?

Cars.com’s Editorial department is your source for automotive news and reviews. In line with Cars.com’s long-standing ethics policy, editors and reviewers don’t accept gifts or free trips from automakers. The Editorial department is independent of Cars.com’s advertising, sales and sponsored content departments.