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2007 Honda CR-V Crossover Review : Road Test, Specs, Photos The Honda CR-V Crossover Kicks it Up a Notch for 2007

by Jeff Voth

A day at the airport usually means standing in long line ups at security, bottomless cups of coffee while waiting for delayed flights and numerous trips to the washroom to make space for the next jolt of java.

2007 Honda CR-V Crossover Review : Exterior :  Road Test, Specs, Photos

On this day, however, a trip to the airport meant lining up to drive the latest batch of compact-sized SUV’s through a series of precisely spaced pylons on water drenched runways. Overhead, it was the pilots turn to wait for clearance to land, a nice twist of fate given my last two flights to various destinations in North America.

The much anticipated 2007 Honda CR-V would be the focus of our attention as it is now available in dealerships across the country.

Since 1997, Honda has sold an impressive number of CR-V's in North America. Globally, it represents the largest and most widely distributed vehicle Honda makes. In other words, the new CR-V is a critical vehicle for Honda and the engineers and marketing executives were well represented at the launch event.

Honda is known for producing well engineered vehicles and the 2007 CR-V is certainly no exception. The new CR-V is available in 2WD and 4WD and in three trim levels; LX, EX and EX-L.

Honda is also a company with a reputation for being conservative when it comes to exterior appearance and the new CR-V tends to follow this track as well. That said, seeing and driving the vehicle side-by-side with the current generation Toyota RAV4, Hyundai Tucson and Ford Escape, the '07 Honda CR-V was the best look-ing compact SUV in the bunch, the RAV4 running a close second.

Under the hood resides a familiar 2.4-L, DOHC i-VTEC 4-cylinder engine that now delivers 166 hp @ 5800 rpm and 161 lbs.-ft of torque @ 4200 rpm. This represents a 10 horsepower improvement over the 2006 model, while torque remains virtually unchanged.

Powerful is a word I use carefully when describing a 4-cylinder engine, but in this case it suits perfectly. Punch it and the Honda CR-V surges ahead, continuing to pull hard as speeds exceed triple digits. As you would expect from a small engine, noise is an issue. But the engineers at Honda have done a superb job of isolating the passenger cabin, keeping outside distractions to a minimum.

It seems the days of buying a Honda CR-V with a manual transmission are officially in the past. New for 2007, a 5-speed automatic transmission is now offered as standard equipment.

Some may question whether this strategy of simplification is an oversight on the part of Honda? The company line disputes this of course and previous buying trends seem to back up their decision to eliminate the manual transmission from the model line-up.

2007 Honda CR-V Crossover Review : Road Test, Specs, Photos

A five passenger compact SUV, the 2007 Honda CR-V features unit-body construction with independent MacPherson Strut front and Multi-Link rear suspension. A front-wheel drive vehicle in base form, many buyers will choose to upgrade to Honda’s superb RealTime 4WD, though few are likely to explore the limits of its off-road capabilities. Standard wheel sizes are 17” with all-season tires.

Brakes are four-wheel disc with four-wheel ABS, EBD, (electronic brakeforce distribution) and Brake Assist. Traction Control and Tire Pressure Monitoring are included as well.

On the road, the 2007 Honda CR-V drives very much like a Honda Accord. Shorter in both length and height than its predecessor and featuring a reduced wheelbase, the width is slightly increased as is the front and rear track. A five percent lower center of gravity further improves the driving dynamics.

The result is a car-like ride on all but the most uneven road surfaces. Lower skid plates add a rugged flare to the bottom half of the vehicle, but the overall look is that of a civilized SUV for the “cool moms and dads” of the world.

Speaking of cool, the new CR-V provides one of the smartest rear seat configurations available in a 5-passenger vehicle. The 60/40 split, fold and tumble rear seats are comfortable, spacious and slide forward and backward for increased rear seat room. Place a child seat in the back and the option of sliding the rear seat forward makes a whole lot of sense. The rear seatbacks also feature a 40/20/40 split design for center pass-through of long items.

New for 2007, the spare tire is now hidden beneath the vehicle and a light-weight top-hinged rear tailgate replaces the side-hinged design of the previous generation CR-V. Rear doors open to almost 90° and the step-in height is reduced a significant 1.3 inches making access to the back seat simple.

The rear trunk area offers a dual-deck cargo shelf allowing for two levels of storage. This provides the perfect solution for storing a folded stroller underneath, while placing up to 20 lbs. of smaller items on the top shelf.

2007 Honda CR-V Crossover Review : Interior : Road Test, Specs, Photos

Passenger cabin amenities have improved and now include a tilt/telescope steering wheel, wider front seats and an instrument panel center-mounted shifter. Overall materials have been upgraded and safety features include side curtain airbags and front side airbags.

Audio sound quality is also significantly improved, the base system now providing 160 watts of power, while the top line EX-L Navi offers an eardrum-blowing 270 watt, seven speaker audio extravaganza.

Honda projects strong sales for the 2007 CR-V in North America. Given that the current SUV/CUV market is expected to increase by up to 15% by 2011, it seems a reasonable target to achieve.

As a company, Honda continues to soar to greater heights by offering consumers well designed quality vehicles at fair market prices. Now if they could just do something about airport wait times, I would be truly ecstatic.


2007 Honda CR-V
Description:
Mid-size CUV
Wheel Base:

103.1 in.

Overall Length:

177.9 in.

Transmission:

5-speed Automatic

Steering:

Power assisted rack and pinion

Braking:

Four-wheel disc, ABS, EBD, Brake Assist

Airbags:

2 (front), 2 (front side) 2 side curtain

Fuel Economy:

2WD: 23/30 mpg
4WD: 22/28 mpg

MSRP:

$20,600- $28,000