In 2012 my life was still in the middle of a long stream of changes. The last (and certainly the most happiest event I’ve lived) was the birth of my only daughter. At that time me and my wife had been driving a 2009 VW Voyage Comfortline (see COAL here), a car that turned out to be way below my expectations, especially in terms of quality. So, then with a bigger family, we started wondering if that was something to be changed in the car department. The chosen vehicle was probably the best I’ve ever owned, and the first and only with a number of features, including being familiar to the North American public.
Reward four years, a friend who lived far away went to our town just to pick up a brand new 2008 Honda CR-V EX-L, fully loaded, for his mother. We run on it and fell in love with it. Two years ahead some close friends bought a used 2010 Honda CR-V EX-L, also fully loaded. We run and drove it a few times and guess what, we fell in love with it too.
At the time it seamed really unlikely that we would be able to buy one car like that. To me it was not only a matter of lack of economic capability but also one of being a somewhat superfluous good (relative to our standards of living).
Around that time I miscalculated a number of variables related to family income prospects. In other, straight words, I became an irrational optimistic about our future earnings, which inevitably delivered to some unsustainable consumption decisions. Then we got to know the CR-V purchased in 2008 by that friend’s mother was for sale. I changed my mind a bit about what was superfluous and considered that to be a excellent car for our family, particularly due to the huge amounts of space, lots of safety features and, of course, Honda quality construction. So I researched the market for a a number of important variables like chronic pitfalls (none!), consumption (not economic but tolerable), and some others, and decided that we should buy it.
The Mk3 Honda CR-V was launched in 2007. As some of you gear heads probably know, in USA, Canada, Mexico and presumably other markets it was available with the 2.4 l (code K24Z) 4 cylinder rated for 166 hp. But in Brazil the only engine was the 2.0 l (code R20A2) 4 cylinder rated for 150 hp, in order to avoid higher taxes on engines with displacement above 2.0l.
We got a good deal on the the friend’s mother CR-V, which had four years of use but only around 30 thousand miles and was in good shape (she had no kids and no pets). It was a gray 2008 EX-L AWD fully loaded (for Brazil specs), with a handful of airbags, ABS, EBD, ESP, power sunroof, black leather seats, automatic transmission (all of them first time for both me and my wife) and many other minor comfort features. Not that I cared about it but in Brazil they only had manual and not power adjustable seats, which in USA is probably fairly common for family mid priced cars.
I’ve driven other automatic transmission cars, but had never owned one. I must confess it is really nice for comfort and everyday town traffic, but my personal taste is still more on the manual transmission side. Even then, if I was to buy another CR-V or similar vehicle I’d certainly prefer an automatic, I think it feels just perfect on it.
For us, ever restricted to small sedans and hatchbacks, the CR-V was just about huge inside, with real 5 seating capacity and a huge trunk, not to talk about the flexibility to fold 1/3 and 2/3 rear seats. The front seats were huge too, at least compared to what we were used to. Being a big fan of pickup trucks, I felt very well sitting a little higher than on regular cars and not having to craw to get in to it or pick the million things on the rear seats children are used to leave behind at any time. I used to like the pass through front console-dash arrangement (Honda must have found not many people liked it, because the Mk4 CR-V had a regular console, fully integrated to the dash).
On our judgment the car was very nice to drive on good highways, which is the kind we generally ride on. We were surprised to it’s stability on curves and well behaved manners on short corrections. We took several rain storms on highways and felt very secure in it, only reducing speed because of precaution. But because of the not so good on torque 2.0l engine, hilly roads are clearly not that easy, especially if there’s slow traffic to takeover. Oh yes, the VTEC sound is awesome!
In town, at least in São Paulo, which is has many hills, narrow streets and too much traffic, the CR-V can feel a bit awkward to drive in the beginning, but is just a matter of learning about it’s true dimensions. To be fair, it’s not a long vehicle at all, with 177.9 in, not too much more than the 166,5 in of my ex-VW Voyage. Of course the big distinctions to our former small cars are on width (71.6 in) and height (66.1 in). Anyway, size is a pretty much a relative thing, as these crossovers are just regular sized cars (maybe even below average?) in USA but clearly above normal in Brazil.
I must emphasize we had zero breakdowns or failures of any kind on the CR-V during our ownership. But then why it’s not our current car? The answer is not exactly on the car it self but on economic context.
Unfortunately gas costs became too high for us when other expenses pilled up and our family income went backwards. Also knowing regular maintenance costs were coming right ahead, including new tires and parts which are imported (read expensive in Brazil), I had to capitulate and sell it. Me and my wife sure miss our first and only Honda. My daughter miss it too, in her case because of the sunroof.
We bought a ’98 CRV a few months ago as a third car for the kids to use to get around town and to part time jobs and so on. Flat out amazing how solid and well-built they are. Paid $1000 for it, put another $1000 into it and so far we’ve gotten 2000 trouble-free miles out of it. Though the gas mileage is terrible for such a small car, I will say that…
Those sold very well here in the US. We test drove a 2006 CR-V (the outgoing prior generation) and did not feel that it really added anything significant over the Fit (Jazz outside the US) that we had already driven. The interior room was only marginally more and the fuel mileage would be worse. Plus it was more expensive. This version was showing up in showrooms just as our Fit finally arrived in late 2006.
I liked this one a lot better than the Gen2 we had driven (at least to look at it). I would certainly consider one if I were looking for a car in the segment.
My wife is currently on her third CR-V. The first being a 2003 purchased used. The latter two were purchased new, a 2010 and a 2014. All three were EX models with AWD and cloth interior. All three had the 2.4L engine and automatic.
What can I say? There’s a lot to like about an AWD CR-V! They’re versatile for hauling all kinds of stuff and somewhat fun to drive — sure footed in rain & snow.
I consider our ’14 EX to be “peak CR-V.” All of the features we want (smooth shifting & willing 5-speed automatic, alloy rims, moon roof) with nothing we don’t. (CVT, turbo)
To my thinking, the newest generation has jumped the shark in terms of price vs features. The moon roof is only available on EX and higher, but those only come with tiny 4 cylinder engines (turbocharged) touch screen audio and IMHO too many electronic safety gizmos that are bound to be problematic, sooner or later.
We could get most of what we want in an LX but would have to give up the moon roof, privacy tinted glass and pay approximately the same money as we did for our current ’14. Since that one has less than 20 thousand miles, we’ll probably hang on to it for a while longer.
My wife and I jumped on a manual 2006 CR-V (2nd gen) when it came up at CarMax and have put 70K on it in eight years. Aside from the clearcoat on the hood coming off, we’ve had no problems with it since we bought it. Having driven a 3rd gen 2009 model, we’re happier with ours. The 2009 had none of the features ours came with standard, even though it was the same base model and the drive felt sluggish in comparison. I wish they still offered manuals.
My wife has her second (2015) EX-L CR-V and “loves” it. To me it is a mediocre handling slug that drinks to much gas, and the brakes don’t inspire lot’s of confidence compared to my Accord. To each his own!
I am a Honda (2 and 4 wheeled) fan, but SUVs in general do nothing for me. Therefore she drives her CR-V, and I my Accord Sport SE; so we are both happy with what we have!! DFO
We had a 2002 CR-V and then a 2011 CR-V, both EX models. We traded the 2002 for the 2011, and then I traded in the 2011 so I could take advantage of a special lease program through Acura where I work. I regret selling that 2011. My biggest complaint with both of them was that the gas mileage was only fair considering they were 4-cylinder vehicles. I think the 2011 was very sluggish, too. If I had to merge out into moving traffic on the expressway, I had to floor it to get it to move. I also think the driver’s seat was very cheap and uncomfortable, unlike the many other Hondas I’ve owned. But overall my wife and I liked our CR-V, so much so that eventually another one may end up in our driveway, more than likely a 2014 EX-L model with navigation. That is the one I want next time – please – no turbos and no CVT’s, thank you very much.
In terms of styling, the CRV design evolution is a good example of starting strong and getting softer with every generation, going from near mil-spec in 1995 — plain, straightforward, all character lines parallel with the pavement — through successive rethinking, each more like a Buick (or something) than the last. I haven’t driven any of these, so I can only comment on what I see on the street . . .
Anyone else notice the resemblance between the front end of this generation of CR-V and the 1961 Desoto?
Wow. Paging George Jetson or Stephen King…
There you go. I rest my case . . . !
My mother got a gently used ’13 a few years ago to replace her ’08 Kia Sportage. The Kia went to my sister in a quick game of “shuffle-cars” after her Focus bit the dust. The CR-V gets better MPG than anything she had before (mostly minivans) and has a lot of cargo room and a good sitting position. Features-wise, it’s nothing special, but it’s certainly better-equipped than the Kia was. To a family used to full-size pickups and minivans, anything better than 25 MPG is considered great, and she regularly sees 30. But at the same time, I’ve found it to be no slouch when pushed on the highway. There’s more top-end power than I’m used to.