Honda is a company that continues to do the unthinkable. It began by making motorcycle engines in war-torn Japan in 1946, then graduated to Formula One automobile competition in the mid-1960s before finally introducing its first successful American model, the Civic, in 1973. Now, as the year 2000 looms before us and everyone is convinced Armageddon will strike, Honda is preparing its own Y2K problem, but one that only current sports car manufacturers have to worry about, with its S2000 roadster. A 240-horsepower screamer that will feature one of the highest horsepower-per-liter outputs of any engine sold in America.
In the midst of millennial crossovers and sports car introductions, Honda has also managed to produce the best-selling imported truck in America. During the month of January 1999, the CR-V outsold every non-domestic truck by a wide margin. In fact, the domestically produced Toyota Tacoma only beat the CR-V in total truck unit sales from a Japanese or European automaker. The figures become even more dramatic when you compare CR-V sales to vehicles within its own class. Kia Sportage and Toyota RAV4 sales were roughly half that of the Honda, with Suzuki's Grand Vitara and Chevrolet's Tracker scoring about 20 percent of total CR-V sales.
Because of its Civic-based platform and car-like characteristics, it could be argued that the CR-V is no more a truck than the Spice Girls are a musical group. But, unlike the bewildering success of those British bimbos, Honda's CR-V boasts a strong foundation rooted in quality and talent. The Civic is one of the best subcompacts available on planet Earth, and was thus the perfect candidate for mini-ute conversion. Getting into the CR-V is easy, with its relatively low step-in height, but the exterior door handles on our test model did seem overly stiff and required a strong pull to "pop" the doors open. Once inside, it's all Honda, with logically placed controls and a clear, straightforward gauge cluster. While the cloth seats provided excellent support and had an almost plush feel, dash and door panel surfaces felt either too rubbery or too plasticky, even for a vehicle in this price range.
Our only major complaint was a lack of armrests for the front passengers. A call to Honda confirmed that only the automatics come with a standard driver's armrest, meaning no driver armrests are available for manual transmission models (like our test model). This is unacceptable in a utility vehicle with high, upright seating because the center console is too low for useful arm support. In the CR-V's case, the center console is actually just a cupholder tray that folds up to allow for easy passage between the front and rear seats, an innovative design we'd like to see on more sport-utes. However, we still think a driver needs proper arm support, and for more than just comfort reasons. The combination of sitting in a relatively high interior position, in a relatively high profile vehicle, naturally contributes to a feeling of instability. If the vehicle tends to lean when going around corners, as most sport-utes do, this further adds to the "teetering" effect felt by most drivers. An armrest not only supports the driver's arm, but also gives him of feeling of being held in place while perched far above the ground.
One final ergonomic question came up during our test period. What's with the placement of the power window switches? They've gone from being door mounted on most older cars to center console mounted on many newer cars. A situation that is confusing enough for people used to one location or the other. Now, Honda has stuck the CR-V's window switches on the lower dash, just to the left of the steering column? Huh? They are lighted this year, which makes locating them at night much easier, but this is one of those things that will require new owners to get familiar with, yet shouldn't be too big of a deal once they're accustomed to it. We just hope no other Honda models (or any other manufacturer's vehicles, for that matter) decide to adopt this location for possible window switch placement in the future. Just as the location of fuel-filler doors or wiper controls can prove irksome for families with more than one car, an increase in the "creative" placement of window switches is not something we want to see throughout the auto industry.
But all of the above complaints are nit picks of an otherwise stellar vehicle. Once the doors are shut (with an impressive and gratifying "thunk," by the way) and the 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine is brought to life, it's tough to find anything wrong with Honda's cute-ute. The engine got a 20-horsepower boost this year, which puts it ahead of the RAV4 and Tracker in terms of peak output, and the four-wheel double-wishbone suspension is a direct carryover from the Civic on which the CR-V is based. Combined with its responsive steering and excellent brakes, the CR-V is one of the "sportiest" sport-utes you can buy. On-road driving traits are superb, with only the raised perspective and increased lean through corners to differentiate it from its Civic heritage. Tire drone and wind noise got a bit excessive at highway speeds, but no worse than any other mini-ute.
Off-road performance is similarly notable, at least for a vehicle in this class. No, you won't experience Land Cruiser-like confidence with the little Honda, but we did run it through a stream and up a couple of steep inclines during our brief off-pavement excursion. The increased horsepower was much appreciated and kept us moving over a wobbly, shifting rock bed without ever looking back. The same suspension movement that allowed the CR-V to lean through canyon corners kept it from punishing us when traversing rough terrain. Honda's Real Time four-wheel-drive system worked seamlessly, kicking in when necessary, with no buttons to push or hubs to lock.
If you're heading off road with several friends to find that perfect picnic spot, the CR-V will easily haul five adults in comfort. The rear seat offers plenty of room and support, plus grab handles to assist in entry/egress and a set of adjustable cupholders built into the rear door panels. Behind the second seat is a useful storage area and, located in a storage bin under the cargo area floor, you'll find an ice bucket and four legs that, when combined with the cargo floor cover, double as a picnic table. For even more utility, you can fold the rear seats down to get a total of 67.2 cubic feet of cargo capacity. The CR-V's rear door uses an unconventional two-piece design that has the upper glass hinged at the top and the lower tailgate hinged at the side. Like the aforementioned window switch design, this can lead to confusion at first, but is simple enough to operate after a few tries.
Our EX model came equipped with ABS, a CD player and alloy wheels. The LX model comes with none of these features, but both models have air conditioning, cruise control, power windows, power locks and a rear window wiper with defogger.
While some fear the approaching millennia and what it may bring, many believe the first signs of the Apocalypse came last year, when truck sales topped car sales for the first time since World War II. If you haven't driven a modern sport utility, especially one like the CR-V, the concept of normal, everyday people buying trucks (in whatever form they take) instead of cars has probably left you confused and maybe even a little disturbed. But if you can spare the time, take a ride to your local Honda dealer and test drive a CR-V. You'll soon discover that you have nothing to fear from tall, all-wheel-drive Civics. In fact, if you need a competent, well-built people mover that can handle inclement weather for around 20 grand, you might even cross over and become one of "them" yourself.
