OREANDA-NEWS. The boldly restyled 2015 Honda CR-V (http://automobiles.honda.com/cr-v/) compact sport utility vehicle and the class-leading 2015 Honda Odyssey minivan (http://automobiles.honda.com/odyssey/) have been recognized by U.S. News & World Report as 2015 Best Cars for Families. This is the fifth year in a row that the Honda Odyssey has been selected as the Best Minivan for Families.

"Recognition from the Best Cars for Families awards for our top-selling CR-V and Odyssey demonstrates that the Honda brand values align with the needs of family buyers in terms of performance, fuel efficiency and safety performance," said Jeff Conrad, Honda division senior vice president and general manager. "The CR-V and Odyssey were designed to offer the ideal vehicle packaging for transporting families in comfort and style positioning Honda strongly in the competition for family buyers."

The new 2015 Honda CR-V received the most significant mid-model cycle refresh in its history, with a new direct-injected Earth Dreams Technology™ i-VTEC® engine and continuously variable transmission (CVT) to improve performance and fuel efficiency. A new suite of Honda Sensing™ safety and driver-assistive features on the Touring trim, along with significantly enhanced exterior and interior styling, and a long list of new family-friendly standard and available features bring a new level of sophistication to America's top-selling SUV1.

The Odyssey received a multitude of powertrain, styling, interior, feature and safety equipment upgrades for the 2014 model year, including the highly acclaimed in-vehicle vacuum cleaner, the HondaVAC™, featured on the Odyssey Touring Elite. Other upgrades designed to meet the needs of active families included the addition of a standard 6-speed automatic transmission resulting in receipt of class-leading EPA fuel-economy ratings, enhanced safety equipment and connectivity upgrades.