Honda CR-V Review: Real User Comments on the New CRV

Most of the reviews on the Honda CR-V are written by car guys who write reviews on cars for a living. That’s fine. I’ve read them and I’m sure you’ve read them. They talk about engines and seat configurations and basically rehash all the stuff in the Honda CRV Specification Sheet and the stuff you can find on the Honda website. I thought it would be novel to write a review of the car based on watching my partner, Jackie, drive the car for a weekend.

To start, I should let you know that the car in question was a brand new 2007 CR-V EX-L that my parents just purchased. Originally my father was leaning towards a Jeep Liberty, but I suggested he check out the CRV and the Toyota RAV4, too. He was smart enough to order the Consumers Report on the Liberty and he promptly dismissed that vehicle based on their recommendations.

You should also note that Jackie’s parents have a second generation 2002 CR-V, so she is very familiar with the CRV line. She also drives a Volvo 850 Turbo and has owned a 1990 Civic wagon econobox. She’s short, about 5’2”, and a safe, conservative driver.

Now that you know some background, I’ll walk you through the highlights of her weekend.

Honda CR-V Initial Impressions

My parents drove the car to my place and were sitting in the driveway waiting for us to arrive. As we came around the corner, she made a comment about those people that were blocking our driveway and suggested that I was going to have to tell them to move. I pointed out that it was actually my parents parked there, and it took her about 30 seconds to realize it was them in the new CR-V. Honestly, she was expecting something that looked like her parent’s boxy, spare tire-toting, mini SUV. Astonished, she said it didn’t even look like a CRV. It was the first new CR-V I had seen and it looked nothing like those of yore.

The CR-V In The Drivers Seat

Jackie was excited about driving the car. She is short and her main problem with the Volvo 850 Turbo is that she feels like she couldn’t see over the hood (I’m not saying that a comparison between the Volvo 850 Turbo and the CR-V is the point here, because it’s not. The point is that her frame of reference is driving the 850 Turbo). One of her favorite parts of this car was that she“felt like she was sitting up high and could see everything.” She described it as looking out the windshield as if there was no hood. And with the exception of the door pillar she didn’t notice any blind spots. I was watching from the drivers seat and it appeared as if she could adjust the cockpit to fit her body comfortably. I should also point out that the cockpit was more than comfortable for my six foot frame. Overall, with respect to visibility, Jackie compared the car to her Honda Civic Wagon – a go cart surrounded by glass.

Honda CR-V Thoughts on Performance and Handling

I’m not going to quote specs on the horsepower of the CR-V, other than to say it is a 4-cylinder matched to an automatic transmission. Jackie did notice the lack of turbo in the CRV (and about 80 hp compared to what she is currently driving), but still thought that it had adequate power to pass things on the highway and acceptable acceleration. I agreed with this assessment, both when she was driving and when I was. The tradeoff, of course, is that with the Honda CR-V you’re getting solid mpg and the peace of mind of driving an environmentally friendly ULEV, Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle. She also found the cabin quiet.

We didn’t test the “4-Wheel Drive” on the CR-V (although this model was equipped with it). My understanding is that it actually All Wheel Drive (AWD) and that the drive train automatically pushes power to the wheels that need it. The user never actually “shifts the car into 4WD” like on the Toyota RAV4. As Jackie’s partner, I actually prefer this for her, because she doesn’t need to remember when to put it in 4WD and won’t be calling me asking me if she should be in 4WD or 2WD. The car figures it out. The most “off-roading” that she would ever use this car for is on dirt roads and snow – nothing hard core.

Honda CR-V The New Pull-Up Rear Hatch

Gone is that stupid spare tire and swing out rear door. My partner seemed to like this new 2007 feature the most. Not only did it completely change the appearance of the car, but functionally, the door is less obtrusive. My parents did the “Honda CR-V vs Toyota RAV4″ pre-purchase comparison, and the new CRV hatch design sealed the deal for the Honda. It seemed to be a universal, because I had the same impressions. I should also point out that if you use a rear hitch mount bike rack, you won’t have to deal with the spare like on the older CRV models (and the RAV4).

Honda CR-V : The Exterior Styling

Getting rid of the spare tire left room to modify the rear of the car. The front has a new aggressive nose design. We saw two older CRV’s today and Jackie was still commenting on how the new model looks nothing like them.

Honda CR-V : The Interior Touches

This model was appointed with leather seats and seat heat. Jackie and her butt were spoiled by the seat heat in her Volvo. Even though it was a warm day, she still used it on the CR-V. Three times she commented on how much she liked the gearshift on the dash below the radio. She felt this was much better than the old CRV setups. The emergency brake has also been moved to the driver’s foot well and is foot (leg?) activated, which left room for a “walk through” between the seats. Although the fold-down armrest on both front seats is minimalists, we both liked it. The front seats were comfortable and as previously stated possessed adequate adjustments for both of us. The final touches were the easy to read gauges, an ipod input jack, and a well thought-out console.

Honda CR-V : Her Overall Thoughts

We thought if we kept referring to the CRV as “our car,” my parents wouldn’t notice our pronoun switching technique and remember that they actually intended to give us our (their?) car. Alas, that strategy didn’t work and away the went with the CR-V the next day.

Jackie kept saying that she wanted one. She’s really not one of those women who are always talking about getting new cars (she’s driving a 1994 model right now), so it’s clarely a hit with her. If you’re looking for one of the “smaller” SUV’s that can both fit (and impress) a short woman and a tall man, the Honda CRV is probably for you.

Honda CR-V : The Next Step ….. Buying One

You’re probably guessing our next purchase is going to be a New Honda CR-V. If anybody out there is reading this, and wants to make us a good deal on one, let me know. Send me your best price! In the meantime, we’ll save some money for a down payment. If you have any comments or personal experiences (reviews whatever) about the CRV, feel free to discuss your experiences below.