Great clearance from the road, smooth "car-like" drive, easy to get in and out of, tinted windows in rear area, cd/cassette player combination, great golden exterior color, comfortable leather seating, sturdy no-fuss design and layout, good ventilation and cross breeze when the windows are down.

Front floor heat ducts are too small and cannot reach driver and passenger seat levels. Would prefer vertical hatch and hidden storage option for spare tire. Would have purchased seat heaters if available as an option, Need more options for windshield wiper speed levels than three. My 1993 trade-in car had a full range of intervals available in the very slow to somewhat slow intervals. Needs passenger seat arm rest.

I would whole heartedly recommend the HONDA CRV SE 2000 to anyone who is looking for a high quality and affordable SUV. Earlier reviews are frustrated by the CRV limitations, but do not mention the $12,000 to 13,000 savings of the CRV versus luxury SUV's. The CRV surpasses its competition (Jeep Cherokee, Toyota RAV, Kia, Chevy Tracker) in size, quality interior and exterior construction, comfortable ride and good gas mileage. To be fair the CRV should not be compared luxury SUV's because of the large cost variance. I conducted a thorough car search in the summer and fall of 2000 before purchasing the CRV and have not regretted my decision. I just love my new CRV!!

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Cherokee, Toyota Rav, Kia Sportage, Chevy Tracker

This is a solid little SUV. It is maintenance free driving other than the usual stuff--oil changes, etc. Love the overall look and feel of the car. Pretty comfortable. Like the pop-up thing in the middle of the two front seats.

People can sit here and nitpick all day because everyone is different, but here goes:
1) the cup-holders are pitiful. There are enough, but they are so shallow that if you make a sharp turn, expect a spill. don't even try to hold a baby bottle in one!
2) no passenger arm rest. I laughed at this one when I read the reviews before I got the car, and you know what? It is pretty irritating to have every passenger ask "Where's my arm rest?" and have to explain!!
3) the transmission really does shift constantly--at first I thought something must be wrong with it, but that's how it is. And I really can't complain too much about that, because it doesn't cause any problem--the car is pretty good on gas.
4) before I had an aftermarket alarm with RKE installed, it was a real pain to get in and out of the car with my kid, because the only way to lock the whole car is to lock the driver's door from the outside with the key. Also related to this point, there is no locker/unlocker button on the passenger side inside the car. Strange.

It's a wonderful car for busy and active folks who cannot be inconvenienced with having maintenance and repair issues leaving them without a car for days on end. If you want quality, it is here. If you want luxury, I think you need to look elsewhere. This is a very inexpensive SUV, and luckily you don't get what you pay for--you get much more. You get peace of mind. If you can swing it, go for the EX for the little added extras. They would be nice to have. When I'm done with the lease here, I'd like to look into the SUV's made by BMW, Mercedes, and Lexus just for a little quieter ride and more luxury.

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Had a Toyota RAV-4 from '96 to '99 and it was a comparable car, but it was smaller interior. Might have liked the Toyota's engine and tranny better. Also unfortunately had a Dodge Grand Caravan--I don't even want to think about that disaster.

Just wanted to say, "I'm baaackkk!" See my earlier post on 12/7 about my first CR-V, sent to car heaven on 11/5 after a 40 mph close encounter with a parked Taurus. Been shopping on-line, newspaper ads, and area car lots almost daily since then. Got another LX with only 28K miles. Stay tuned (green like the first one).

I was surprised to find it only had an AM/FM without cassette or CD. Will install new CD later. Dealer-installed alarm, keyless entry not activated right, will take in this weekend. Cracked driver's side visor window.

This is the second CR-V we've owned in a year and only because the other one is no longer of this earth. I expect good things from this "cute ute," and why not, it's a Honda!

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If it does as well as our first ('97) CR-V did in the 11 mos. we owned it, it's a keeper.

Good looks, 25 mpg on regular, roomy back seats, carlike ride, outstanding reliability, dual air bags, cruise at 70 mph all day long.

Odd placement of window controls, could use a bit more horsepower.

When I bought this little "cute ute" for my daughter, I didn't even know what a CR-V was. But it was a Honda, and next to a Toyota, these things are some of the best automotive products going. In the 11 months we had this car before my kids totalled it out (40 mph into a parked Taurus), it was superb: 25 mpg at 70+ mph on family vacations hauling four and luggage, flawless daily reliability, great back seat room, good sound system, great AC, perfect college-work commuter for daughter, and it really is cute. On November 5, 2000, the two air bags deployed and saved my daughters from serious injury...or worse. Would I recommend this car? I'm already looking for another CR-V as a replacement and have a line on another '97 (with CD) for $11,900 this weekend! (BTW, regarding value, my insurance company paid enough to cancel out my loan and leave me an extra $1,000+.)

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No other "cute ute" products. Have a '93 Toyota Camry XLE that is flawless, an '81 Toyota 4X4 shortbed pickup that is bulletproof (but rides like a cement truck on pavement), and a '73 Triumph GT6 sportscar that is California smog exempt and still turns teenagers' heads.

Reliability
Cargo space
Fuel economy for an SUV
Winter driving capability
Back seat room
Cruise all day long at 75 mph

Window switch position
Sound system terrible. And the early cars like ours came only with a radio. Cassette was not standard, so we paid to put in an aftermarket am/fm/cassette.
Not enough power
A little noisy on the open road
Oil filter location and dipstick needs to go into a dark little area

Decent car for my wife to use on a daily basis.
Looks ok and runs without a fuss
Holding it's value reasonable well
Bought one of the first one's sold in the area, and thought there'd be problems. But so far (knock wood) it's never failed us.
Fabric interior is holding up ok, but I think it will look worn sooner than past cars with fabric seats.

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I owned the Canadian Acura EL, which had similar rated horsepower but with a VTEC engine. The CRV beats the pants off the Acura - the VTEC engine did not compensate for same engine displacement (1.6 litre). I am very happy withe CRV engine - sufficient power without paying a fortune in gas. The fit and finish are excellent. I've owned 4 Acura's and 2 Honda's and I plan to stay with the Honda family.

Sound system - the Acura has a vastly superior sound system so Honda does have the capability to put something decent in the CRV...

I paid $26,350 CDN for the EX with tinted windows. With 5.8% financing from Honda Canada, this is a good deal. I've purchased all my Acura's and this Honda from Acura Gabriel in Montreal Canada, even though I live near Toronto. I've always been happy with their prices and service.

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Reliability (over one year - still perfect)
Handling (like a car)
Fuel Economy (this is not a V8 SUV)
Interior Space (passenger and cargo)
Real Time 4WD (works like a charm)

Gear Hunting (while in cruise control)
Exterior Door Handles (seem a bit stiff)
Oil Filter (pain in the neck to access)

This is not a truck. Comparisons should only be made with Rav 4, Grand Vitara, Tracker, Tribute, Sportage and the like.

If you will be venturing off the commonly paved road on a somewhat regular basis and need more ruggedness or will be towing something greater than a snowmoblie or personal water craft, then a Cherokee, Explorer or Pathfinder would be better suited.

If you're looking for the added safety of 4WD in a "truck-like" vehicle and things like handling, fuel economy and reliability are high on your list of priorities, then the CRV is an excellent option. I can say without reservation that you can't go wrong with the CRV.

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The CR-V is versatile. It's really a station wagon with 8 inches of ground clearance and all-wheel drive for nasty weather. It's capable of mild off-roading, but no big rocks since there's no skid plate or low-range gearing. It has: decent handling, cute looks (subjective), Honda quality and reliability (nice seating materials, plastics), good room for a small family, should have great resale, very nice paint job (mine's dark blue) for this price point. I've been pleased overall with mine ... 18,000 uneventful miles.

The 146 HP four-banger has decent power, but I would not purchase this car if you live a mountainous area. The autobox is constantly gear hunting and downshifting, and when it does, it really makes a ruckus! I recently took a trip through the mountains and it was driving me nuts. Honda should pay more attention to sound insulation -- at 70 mph, the wind and tire noise is tiring on a long trip. Obviously, the vehicle would benefit tremendously from a small V6 for more refined power delivery. But Honda wants to keep it affordable, so I doubt that will happen. But as 4 cylinders go, it's quite smooth. Minor annoyances: Had to pay 80 bucks for a passenger-side arm rest (C'mon, Honda); strange steering wheel angle, adjustments don't help; utterly terrible factory sound system (Honda's always been behind competitors in this area); $400 for a roof rack was a bit steep; and again, too much road and wind noise.

Paid $21,200 (added the roof rack). For the money, it's tough to beat this little vehicle. Only real competition in my opinion may be the new Rav-4 (old one was no competition), or the Subaru Forrester. But the Sube is much more expensive and ugly as sin. I plan on keeping mine for another year or two then making the big jump to an Acura MDX. The CR-V is my third Honda and I'll stay in the family.

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First SUV.

Versatility,interior room(rear seat leg room dwarfs the competition), Honda reliability,fuel economy,comfort level on long trips

Mid-range torque,placement of power window controls,indicators on dash signaling if a door is ajar(we have this feature on our Accord and miss it on the CRV)

We just love our CRV. It's a great cross-country hauler as we've traveled to Wisconsin,Niagara Falls,South Carolina and all kind of moderate trips around the NJ-DE-PA-NY-MD area. We currently have 50,000 trouble-free miles on our 98" LX and it continues to impress. It's not fatiguing on long excursions like our Accord and the visibility and height are a big advantage. We recently drove up to Niagara Falls and we averaged 27 mpg going up and 28.5 mpg on the way back...at that involved driving through the Pocono Mountains. My wife and I go to quite a few rock concerts and the CRV is a perfect companion as we tailgate before the show. I upgraded the entire sound system(new head unit,speakers,and two amps installed under the front seats to power the main speakers and the two 6.5" Bazooka tubes mounted under the picnic table)...it ROCKS! The CRV is nicely-engineered,comfortable,reliable and practical SUV. It's also a Honda which means high resale value when and if you decide totrade it in. Personally, I plan to keep this fine SUV until the wheels fall off...LOL. You REALLY can't go wrong with the CRV unless you need to do some towing. Otherwise, they've got a winner.

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Nothing, except owning Hondas for the last 16 years. My 88" Honda Accord is still running like a champ at the 211,000 mile mark.

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Take a look at some of the other way more expensive vehicles weaknesses, such as the Grand Cherokee, Blazer, expensive vehicles like those and check out the problems that they've had. MAJOR problems with engines, brakes, transmissions, and lots of other expensive things within six months after pulling off the lot on some of the vehicles. Some of these things are unbelievable...
Now look over the CRV weaknesses....wow, guess it could be lots worse for us, huh? But lets just hope that Honda lives up to its reputation as to why we have these vehicles. So far, so good with mine not having to go to the shop department for other than oil changes/checkups and my one recall that I got..

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