2.2 EXEC

Nice allrounder

Honda CRV is a good allround car that is easy to drive, comfortable, strong and has several practical solutions for storing things.

Comfort/practicality:

Good supportive seats in front, the back seats is a bit flat making it easy to climb in and out, but not very supportive in curves. The rear seats can be tilted, so finding a comfortable position is quite easy. Dual climate control, but no adjustable air vents for the back seats in standard trim.
Armrests in front seats is standard equipment. Strangely there is no cooling in the glovebox wich can be found in the cheaper civic. Wind noise is well insulated, but sadly the diesel unit is quite intrusive in high revs, and the characteristic turbo whine can be tiresome for some folks. When the engine reaches working temperature the noise nearly disappeares.
There are plenty of storage rooms in the CRV, and the loading bay is quite big. The back seats can be pushed forward, making the load bay even bigger. Towing weight of the diesel CRV is 2000kg.

Handlig/performance:

The CRV handles impressive! The big, heavy car is very stable in curves and there is suprisingly litte body roll.The CRV is no offroader, but it's very agile and good to drive during the winter season. Here in Norway we have plenty of snow, and i have never had any difficulties getting to work in the morning. It does have front wheel drive in normal conditions, but when the front wheels starts to spin, the rear axle is connected to the gearbox. It works pretty well, and makes the CRV less fuel hungry. The towing weight for the diesel CRV is 2000kg.
The 2.2 ICTDI is strong and fits the CRV pretty well. However the fuel figures is less impressive, and does not match the numbers Honda claims. You have to be VERY gentle on the accelerator to reach the official figures, however on longer journeys it stays around 0.6l .

Reliability/quality:

So far i have not had any major mechanical, or electrical problems with the CRV, but the shock absorber cuffs needs to be replaced. I have owned both accord and civic, i don't expect the CRV to be any worse.
On the other hand, what really surprises me is the VERY poor quality of the materials used in the interior. The plastic surfaces gets VERY easily scratched, you have to be REALLY careful to not ruin the inside of this car. Strange when you think of the purpose of the vehicle. It seems like Honda decided to save money choosing cheap plastics. But the car seems to be very well screwed together, there is little rattle to be heard.

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