Honda CR-V - 2007 Review

The 2007 Honda CR-V is a fun car to drive and is a solid performer. I've test driven the second generation CR-V which had a fairly rough ride with more road noise. I actually like the idea that Honda no longer is trying to pass this car off as an off-road SUV; it isn't. The 2007 CR-V has a smoother ride with less road noise. It is much more practical than any sedan. The audio options are nearly endless. My favorite option is the memory card reader. I use a compact flash card with a PC card adapter. It's a great way to keep all my mp3's with me. The interface is not as nice as an iPod, but it does the trick. It also has a six disc CD changer, XM radio, an aux jack for an iPod or mp3 player, and an additional CD slot behind the navigation unit. The navigation unit is a great thing to have when going into unfamiliar areas. I like how there is no subscription fee for this (I expected there to be one). Gas mileage is fair. It is better in warm weather. My mileage has been 22/28 mpg typically. The exception has been in temperatures less than freezing when it went to 19/25. It has a "real time" mpg guage and a average mph readout that is very helpful by giving feedback to the driver to help improve driving habits for better mileage. Acceleration is pretty good for a 4-cylinder. Transmission is smooth. Golf clubs just fit in the back except I have to take the driver out of the bag. With the seats folded and tilted forward, I could move small furniture pieces and boxes. I could never do that with my sedan. A light on the dashboard told me my tire pressure was low. I thought that was a nice feature, but I don't know if tire replacement will be more expensive. The all wheel drive is very nice to have if you live where it snows. Actually there isn't much difference compared to front wheel drive in a couple of inches of snow, but when there is five or more inches of snow there is a big difference. I never feel like I am going to get stuck.

The bugs I noticed were not very major. The biggest problem I've had was a rattling I could hear over bumpy surfaces. It turned out to be one of the rear seats. This was fixed once I identified the problem. The memory card audio option takes a few seconds to get going as it loads the data. The voice command is not very good. It gets the command correct about 70 percent of the time. It's easier to just push the buttons.

 Overall a good value for the price and I am happy with my purchase. I have owned it for about 8 months. I recommend this for those looking for a small SUV in the mid 20K price range.