OK... we get these sorts of threads often.
Fact is.... this is a poster child example of a discussion topic where "your results may vary" or better yet "your mileage may vary". Reason: every driver has a different foot for the accelerator, and some do not actually adjust to the vehicle but instead demand the vehicle adjust to them. A great example with the 1.5T engine is that it likes to be pushed off the stop at an intersection to get it to 25+ mph as quickly as possible.. which is where you enter the strong torque curve of the engine.
It is torque that powers the CVT.. not fuel per se.... and in the low torque zone of the 1.5T..... it will not only feel sluggish, it will consume more fuel for the same result in the drive train. Once I learned to drive aggressively from a stop up to 25+ mph.. and then ease way back on the fuel as the rich torque is delivered to the CVT.. I found 2-3 mpg improvement just doing that.. while changing no other driving conditions.
If you are a mostly short trip in town driver, with low miles per year on average... then don't expect to see average fuel economy readouts much above low 20s (even with the accelerate from a stop tip above). Gen5 CRVs are incredibly fuel efficient, but they actually appear to be at their worst in frequent stop and go traffic, lot of stop lights, etc.
Easy to verify if your vehicle is working normally in terms of fuel economy --> fill the tank and take a full tank road trip at highway speeds and then see what the result for that tank is.
Overall suggestion for owners: Learn to use your instantaneous mpg graph available on your instrument panel to learn where the sweet spots are for your CRV in terms of fuel economy vs performance. Hop on the gas during in town driving when you are at a stop.. and once you get above 25 mph... you can ease way back on the fuel and the vehicle will still continue to increase speed modestly until you reach the final speed for the road.. and you will see the instant mpg bar sitting between 35-45 mpg as you let off the fuel at cruising speed. It really is all the stops and gos that eat fuel in this power train.