a Honda CR-V – ours was very similar (from archives)
After I got my Beetle, it was not long before my wife needed her own car. She was in America, and wanted what she felt was a “big SUV”, and we settled for a Honda CR-V.
It was a metallic grey four year old model that we bought at Carmax sight unseen.
She drove it much more than I did, but because it was more spacious than the Beetle (which can at best be described as a 2+2 coupe) it was also the car we ended up using for long distance trips when the family was around. Being a Honda, it was reliable (it never let us down) and intelligently designed, but it was also propelled by a engine which was totally out of character for a SUV – at the same time peaky and underpowered – making those trips a bit of a chore.
a big selling point – the rear hatch and door, the picnic table, and lots of space under the floor (from archives)
Derived from the Civic, the CR-V was Honda’s first in house designed cross-over. The engine was a 2L, 16 valve DOHC 4 cylinder unit, producing 126 hp at 5400 rpm and 133 lb⋅ft of torque at 4800 rpm. Yes – 4800 rpm. The car was relatively light at 3,200 lbs, but with a 4 speed auto, the drag of the 4 wheel drive system and the frontal area of a SUV, it was challenged on the freeways, and it really suffered on the highways on long uphill sections. When we were still learning about the car, we pushed it too hard on our way to Charleston, SC, and had to stop on the shoulder of the I20 to let the transmission fluid cool down for a long while – not great, in particular with my in-laws on board.
At least Honda had given a real thought about the practical side of things. The floor of the cargo area was in fact the top of a picnic table, and the tailgate, composed of a vertically-lifting glass hatch and a sideway-opening lower gate was convenient. Thanks to the column shifter, there was no need for a console between the front seats – Honda had installed a little retractable table instead. The build quality was also excellent (except for the black strip surrounding the door windows, which was already peeling), and the service department of our dealer did not have much to do. The most expensive repair was when a plastic shopping bag wrapped itself around the U-joint linking the drive shaft to the rear differential. They had to remove the drive shaft to clean the mess, but it was just labor – no part needed to be changed.
The interior of a CR-V – note the column shifter. Pull the drawer at the bottom of the console and you’ll have access two cupholders. (from archives)
The car was also solid – it was rear-ended once in slow traffic – and not only did the spare wheel absorb the energy of the impact, but it also returned it to the sender with a vengeance – the poor other car (I don’t remember what it was, a Pontiac, maybe) lost its radiator in the process and had to be put on a flat bed.
The only snapshot of our CR-V – it was after the car was rear-ended – no sign of damage.
When a friend proposed to sell us his almost new 2007 Toyota RAV4, we drove it and were mostly impressed by the engine – it was night and day compared to the CR-V. We had driven that car for four years, we were not particularly attached to it, and as the big 100,000 mile service was approaching, we felt it was the right time to let it go. I listed the Honda on CraigsList. I received the first call a few minutes after the ad went on-line, and had a deal. The car was gone a few hours later. The buyer was a prudent father who wanted “a slow car for his young daughter”. After the test drive, he sure knew he had found what he was looking for.
That picnic table is a thoughtful feature. Some friends of mine had one of the same vintage, and I bet they didn’t even know about that. I’m gonna ask them
I didn’t know it was a picnic table the entire time I had my car.
I am not sure that there was ever a moderate-to-large size vehicle with a 4 cylinder engine and a 3 or 4 speed automatic that was pleasant to drive. My 07 Fit with the 5 speed auto was the first 4 cylinder/auto vehicle that did not have me grinding my teeth during every long slog through the gears. One of these with the 5 speed manual would have been a delight.
I still have a minor crush on these, and they are still found on the roads hereabouts from time to time.
I had a 5 speed. It was still underpowered. Like typical Hondas of that era. The gear ratio was relatively high. 5th gear @70mph was 3300 rpm.
I had the original Odyssey with the Accord 4 and a 4 speed auto. It was slow too. I finally made peace with it, and sort of imagined I was driving the modern equivalent of a Fluid Drive Dodge from around 1950, in terms of both speed and durability.
It must have been something to drive with that powertrain on an Odyssey.
Especially with a full load of passengers!!!
I know what you mean about making peace as I have driven my share of 80’s vehicles with HP short of 3 digits.
IIRC, the engine in these had a ridiculously low compression ratio, 8:1 or so, which likely would have taken well to super or turbocharging. That would likely have solved the problem of peaky and underpowered.
Always been a fan of these; compact and handy and durable. Still lots of them here.
My sister had the last year of this bodystyle. It was a silver Special Edition. By the time she was done with it, it still ran fine but was a total rust bucket. I don’t know why Hondas rust so badly, especially the rear wheel arches where it meets the bumper. Every Honda I’ve seen eventually ends up with this issue if you live up north.
My parents still have their ’98 that they bought new. It is a manual, which they had to have shipped from Oklahoma or somewhere because the dealers in KC only stocked the automatic versions. They absolutely love it, and have kept it as a second car, having outlived their 2006 Prius, and now is on retirement duty with a new 2017 Accord as the ‘nice car.’ With 150k miles, it is still in great condition, with only brakes, exhaust a few suspension bits and a clutch done at 130k as major expenses. Everything else was just oil, fluids, timing belt and usual upkeep. They also were sold the extended warranty, which was refunded as it had no issues, and they also got another I think $5000 or so payout from a class action suit against the warranty company. Between that and the hail damage when it was 15 years old which was another $7000 claim that was an economic write off, it has been the only car that paid them back.
Bought a 10 year old 1999 model. Drove it 100k miles with no issues. Rode harder evry year. Sold it when i learned it would need 1500 dollars in suspension rebuild and due for a timing belt Still ran like a top
The bit I remember about the early CR-V was seeing the big hole where the rear differential should have been on two wheel drive versions. Otherwise they seemed like OK cars that I had no real interest in.
I had one of these with the same year and color. Bought it 2nd hand with 140k miles. It had a burnt valve. I took the opportunity to do my first head removal/installation, timing belt and water pump. This engine is prone to have burnt valves if the valves are not adjusted regularly. Otherwise, it is a reliable car.
My wife had a ’99 which featured a bump in compression ratios (from 8.8 to 9.6) and HP (from 126 to 148) and torque. We never used the picnic table but I always thought it was a cool addition. I used to say it reminded me of a lawn tractor – very light and nimble. Ours eventually broke its crankshaft and required an engine replacement – never the same after that and we eventually sold it. Still see them on the road and think they were a smart design. The next generation were even better.
I test drove a ’98 EX with a 5 speed manual. True, the gearing was short to 65 mph was about 3200 rpm. Still, I wish I bought it. Have a ’99 Accord 5MT now. The drawback to the manual transmission CR-Vs is they didn’t have armrests.