Overview & Reviews

When the original Honda CR-V debuted in the late 1990s, its mission was simple: to offer a distinct alternative to more mainstream mid- and full-size large SUVs. With its car-based design, economical four-cylinder engine and sedanlike ride and handling, the CR-V was an instant hit. Priced competitively and offering plenty of passenger room and cargo capacity for most people's needs, the Honda CR-V has long enjoyed strong sales numbers and much loyalty from consumers.

Today, the compact- or small-SUV segment has grown to include more than a dozen different models, with varying philosophies of what constitutes the perfect blend of size, power and capability. While some models offer more powerful upgrade engines and others can deliver true off-road capability, the Honda CR-V remains focused on its more practical aspirations. True to form, it is one of the best choices available in the all-important areas of being both easy to drive and family-friendly.

Current Honda CR-V
The Honda CR-V is offered in familiar LX, EX and EX-L trim levels. Even the LX comes pretty well equipped, while the EX and EX-L get additional convenience and luxury features. The EX-L is also eligible for either a navigation system or a rear-seat entertainment system. You can't get the navigation and the DVD systems together, however.

Powering all CR-Vs is a 2.4-liter inline four-cylinder engine that's good for 185 horsepower and 163 pound-feet of torque, mated to a five-speed transmission. On all models, front-wheel drive is standard and all-wheel drive is optional.

The newest Honda CR-V's list of merits is a long one. Its interior is intelligently thought out and boasts strong fit and finish. Its ride is more comfortable and quieter than before, and handling and steering remain high points. Its major shortcoming concerns passing power in certain circumstances. We've found the CR-V's acceleration peppy enough around town, but somewhat sluggish during merging and passing maneuvers on gradients. However, as long as your beaten path doesn't include many steep roads or overly heavy loads, the Honda CR-V should provide all the room, refinement and performance you will ever need.

Used Honda CR-Vs
The current, fourth-generation CR-V was redesigned for 2012. Changes were of the more evolutionary sort, as its size, basic interior packaging and engine were similar to the previous model. Key alterations included a quieter and more comfortable ride, additional features and a backseat that flipped down from levers in the trunk.

The third generation of the Honda CR-V was produced from 2007-'11. Compared to the previous-generation CR-V, this one had few key improvements, including a new liftgate (instead of the previous side-mounted door with an outside-mounted spare tire), improved handling and steering, and the option for a navigation system for the first time.

Trim levels included the traditional LX and EX, plus the EX-L -- the L signifying leather upholstery (along with heated front seats). CR-Vs from 2007-'09 made 166 hp versus 180 hp for the following two years. A five-speed automatic transmission was standard across the board, and all trims could be had with either front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. Those looking for maximum luxury in a CR-V should know that the EX-L gained a power driver seat, automatic climate control and a premium stereo for 2008. An SE trim level, which slotted between the traditional LX and EX trims, was made for just the final year of this generation.

In reviews, we've found this CR-V to be a very well-rounded model. High points included a comfortable and sensible interior, top crash test scores and agile handling. Elevated amounts of road noise might be a problem for some shoppers, as would be the engine's modest power, but overall this CR-V should be a great choice for a used small crossover SUV.

Produced from 2002-'06, the second-generation CR-V boasted a number of improvements compared to the original CR-V, including more power, more interior room and improved passenger protection. It was available in base LX or uplevel EX trim. The EX had more features, as well as standard antilock brakes and side airbags for the entire run (the LX didn't get them as standard until 2005), so picking an EX might be a wise idea. Notably, stability control and side and side curtain airbags became standard across the lineup in '05. The Special Edition model, available only in 2005 and '06, included exterior styling tweaks, a hard spare tire cover and heated leather seats and mirrors.

Power came from a 2.4-liter four cylinder rated at 160 hp, though this number dropped to 156 hp in 2006 due to a revised rating procedure. The LX had standard front-wheel drive and optional all-wheel drive, while the EX was AWD-only until 2006, when a FWD version was also made available. Both LX and EX initially came standard with a five-speed manual transmission, but from 2005 onward the manual was limited to the EX. The other transmission, an automatic, had four speeds until 2005, when it was upgraded to five.

In reviews, our editors lauded the second-generation CR-V's comfortable ride and refined powertrains, though the significant road noise at speed was deemed regrettable. Some of us found the four-cylinder a bit meek, but its smooth power delivery and reasonable efficiency were mentioned as admirable traits. All in all, the second-generation CR-V was roundly praised when new and remains a solid choice on the used-car market.

The original first-generation Honda CR-V compact SUV was produced from 1997-2001. It was priced competitively and offered more passenger room and cargo capacity than its peers. A manual transmission was added in 1998, and a welcome 20-hp boost the following year gave it a new output of 146 hp. In 2000, a leather-trimmed SE (Special Edition) model was added to lead the model lineup.

User Reviews:

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  Best Car I have Ever Owned! - 2003 Honda CR-V
  By Chris - November 4 - 11:14 pm

  My 2003 CRV EX with over 242,000 miles has been the absolute BEST car I have ever owned in terms or reliability, minimal repairs and overall performance in all weather conditions. The only complaint I have is the driver side door lock actuator which needed replacement and apparently has been an issue with this year Honda. However, when I decided to buy a new car for business needs, I choose another CRV without hesitation.

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  Honda is the Best! Get a CRV! - 2013 Honda CR-V
  By Kayla Holler - October 27 - 11:03 am

  It is beautiful, fun to drive, had good traction in rain and highway speeds+ and always looked beautiful. The seats and interior were easy to clean and always looked great on my 2013 CRV. The back seat is super spacious and so is the rear cargo area. I looked at all other small suvs and they never had as much room inside, especially in the back seat and cargo area. The only complaint I have is the road noise was louder than in a car. I was told that smaller SUVs are like that. Im not sure I believe that, but in spite of the noise which is worse if the road is rough and at highway speeds and if your car needs an alignment, I could still enjoy my music from the fabulous USB plugins. I just loaded up a flash drive and plugged it in. Sounded great. I looked at newer models though, and we bought a new Civic and the newer models have a touch screen for music controls which I hate. The knob you could turn to quickly scroll through songs and albums worked much easier. The touch screen is a pain for finding anything and not getting sidetracked by accidentally touching the wrong spot. My CRV was a gorgeous blue called Mountain Air. I dont know why Honda doesnt make more cars in this color and make the Acura SUVs in that color. The newer CRV has a redesigned front which I do not like as well as the 2013 model and possibly the 2014. It is more of a snub-nosed look I find ugly. The interior is uglier, too, with more of a very dark charcoal kind of color with beige. I know that color is harder to keep clean because we have it on our new Civic. All dust shows all the time. The touch screen is more of a pain on the Civic to clean, too. Our 2013 CRV was easy to clean and always looked great. We got a super trade-in value for it because it still looked like new. Ive never missed a car so much or regretted trading one more. Id buy it back in a second. I have always owned American-made brands and always had problems with them, windows quit working, air conditioners quit, handles fall off, the vent louvres break, quit working, they just are not that dependable. Then, we bought an older, 1998 Honda Odyssey with high miles and to my surprise, everything worked! I could immediately see the difference in quality materials and design. Everything was quality built, no thin, cheap plastic like on my GM or Ford cars. I loved it. It drove and rode like a smooth-riding car, unlike a previous Pontiac van we owned which was more like a truck and soon had no working AC or windows. Fun in our 100+ summers. After owning the Odyssey, I decided the next vehicles would be Hondas. They are so ridiculously dependable. All reviews agree. Never go back to American made crap. Our friends work for a dealership that has GM and Ford and Chrysler. They get new vehicles every couple of years and we watch as they always have to have their new vehicles in the shop for ridiculous little things that dont work or quit working within weeks of getting their brand new vehicle. That doesnt happen with Honda. I value the five-star crash test rating (youd be horrified if you knew what the other makers ratings are....try one star front crash rating on Nissan Rogue for instance...and I value the dependability of Honda most of all. I hate breakdowns. With all the other old cars I have owned, I am practically an expert on what car noises, symptoms usually mean, but dont have to worry with a Honda. My other car, a 2003 Buick LeSabre Custome Celebration model with alll the bells and whistles for that year, has had problems with AC quitting, then mysteriously working again and lights not working, lots of fuse replacements, etc. Not fun. Get a Honda.

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  Saved My Life - 2012 Honda CR-V
  By a nn - October 25 - 9:55 pm

  This car was smashed by a truck and totalled. And I lived.

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  Great SUV for a growing Family - 2015 Honda CR-V
  By Dave - October 20 - 2:54 pm

  My wife and i bought a 2015 CRV back in May 2015 and it has been a great SUV. My wife at the time was pregnant and could not get in and out of our midsize Mercury Milan. We looked at the Toyota Rav4 and Volvo XC60 as well. When we looked at the Honda my wife drove and we both loved the seating position of the front seats and the rear seat room. The CRV had more room then the other 2 in rear and frontal room. It as well overall scored higher in the crash tests then the Toyota. I love how the seats fold flat easily and how easy a stroller and car seat go into this vehicle. My wife as well is beyond pleased and very much enjoys this car. Definitely worth the money

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  Repeated CR-V Purchaser! - 2015 Honda CR-V
  By UET - October 17 - 8:18 pm

  I had purchased a 2009 Honda CRV in November 2008 and loved everything about this affordable and low maintenance SUV. Thus, when it was totaled in May 2015 with 113000 miles on it, I decided to purchase the same SUV. Improvements are: Fuel efficiency is amazing (25mpg/city and up to 29 mpg/highway), rear seat space is bigger, touch screen with blue tooth, back up camera etc is nice and it has a sporty and improved exterior (front and rear). Downside: Significant vibration while idling in gear - I had read the reviews but was familiar with this issue from my previous vehicle but if anything, it is more pronounced with this newer version. However, since it is not a maintenance concern, I can live with this only flaw. I am also missing the hard shelf for the cargo storage and the AUX cord plug. Overall, it remains a great SUV with sufficient space,top notch safety features, and easy handling. This vehicle definitely holds its value and remains a great purchase!

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  love it! - 2015 Honda CR-V
  By Emilie - October 14 - 3:48 pm

  I love this car!

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  Best car ever - 2002 Honda CR-V
  By teresa - October 12 - 6:37 pm

  This has been the best car ever. I bought mine new many years ago, and have always loved this car. It has needed extraordinarily little maintenance over all these years, and still runs beautifully - I am even on the original clutch. Great Car!!!!!

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  Great little ride! - 2015 Honda CR-V
  By Fran - October 6 - 3:23 pm

  What a great SUV.....handles well, good fuel economy, easy to enter and exit, turning radius is amazing, roomy and great styling. Love the ease of getting in and out of this car. Honda has also done a lot to quiet the road noise since I bought my 2008 Accord. Driving this vehicle is a dream.....no blind spots and the camera for backup and right turns is outstanding. The passenger space is wonderful.....my grandkids love the extra space for their backpacks. Trunk/cargo is wonderful and the auto feature to put the seats down works great. My only issue is working the entertainment system.....Im pretty computer literate but it takes a while to get this system right and the manual is a little short on explanation. I would recommend to anyone to get your price through the internet first and then go in and see if you can get any extras.

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  I bought my CRV in February 1997 - 1997 Honda CR-V
  By Happy CRV Owner - September 27 - 8:54 am

  I bought my CRV with 13 miles on the odometer. Today my vehicle has approximately 264,000 miles. Maintenance costs have been minimal. I completely forgot to change the timing belt until the car had 175k miles on it. The mechanic later showed me the timing belt and said it was in incredibly good shape for having weathered that many miles. The only major repair I have had to speak of is replacing the radiator. I live in a cold weather climate and never have to worry about ice and snow. The AWD kicks in when needed and I just plow on and get to my destination. The car is 18 years old and I can honestly say it drives the same way today as when I first bought it in 97.

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  After 3.5 years, finally realized I like this car - 2012 Honda CR-V
  By Michelle - September 26 - 8:41 am

  I had a Mazda CX-7 prior to this purchase and had SO many mechanical issues. They all seemed to happen right after I went over 60k, so they werent covered by the warranty, go figure. I was anxiously waiting for the 2012 Honda CR-V to come out so I could get rid of it and say hello to reliability! I bought the CR-V in January 2012 and have just finally realized that I REALLY like it. Took me long enough! Coming from a turbo-charged engine, it was somewhat disappointing to drive at first. Very little pickup and I felt like I couldnt even get out of the way. Had to adjust driving style, but I just kept reminding myself that I no longer had to worry about it not starting or breaking down on the side of the road...trade-offs. I had Bose speakers in the CX-7, and the sound system was also less than par comparatively, although decent for what it is. The bluetooth was a nice new addition and the back-up camera is awesome. I had the battery issue everyone else seems to have, but it never completely died on me. It took a while to turn over a few times, which worried me because of the CX-7 fiasco, but it always started. We make periodic long drives so maybe the battery was able to get a good charge then? When I took it to the dealership for regular maintenance last winter, they told me I needed to replace the battery because the charge was really low. I didnt replace it b/c I thought they were just trying to upsell me something I didnt need. I mean really, who needs to replace the battery after only 2.5 years and 40k miles?! I wasnt aware of the battery issue 2012 CR-Vs were having at the time... At my last oil change they did a software update to fix the issue. I havent had any problems, but then again, its summer, I guess well what happens as it gets cold again. That brings me to the AWD...or rather, the RWD, since thats what it feels like. I havent gotten stuck in the snow yet, hopefully never will, but when driving in the snow it feels like the rear-end wants to come around and its a little scary having to compensate. And, DO NOT drive it in sand...we DID get stuck in sand, even after letting air out of the tires. We finally had to almost completely deflate them before we got traction and were able to get out. Overall, this is not an AWD vehicle, I tried. :) If you want that, I suggest buying something known for that, just be prepared for the gas mileage to adjust accordingly. The cargo space with the seats folded down is incredible. My family moved this past summer and I was able to do much of the small stuff on short trips. It fit so much stuff that I was more concerned about the weight limits than I was on the space available. Overall, this is perfect for what we need and the gas mileage is pretty good. On long trips we get 30-31 mpg and city I get about 24-25. Just whats advertised. I plan to keep it at least until our 10-year old starts driving...she can take it and then I will probably get something with real AWD capability and low gas mileage. :) Hope this review helps in the decision making!