We borrowed a 2004 CRV for a trip to California last year and were so impressed we bought one. It provides a nice balance between size, performance, practicality and economy. It has lots of storage and thoughtful (typically Honda) features. We easily fit four people and luggage in there for a two week long road trip.

Handling and power are good, but certainly not sports car level. The car is sluggish at low RPMs but once you are rolling accelerates smartly and will pull up to redline if you keep your foot in it. Also not bad off the line if it's fairly level.

I think this car was designed mostly with a mom and kids in mind as everything seems to be reduced in size compared to an American made version of this type of car. Entry and egress is very easy due to the height of the floor and nice wide front doors. Rear seat room is great for kids but a little tight for adults unless the front seats are well forward, but thankfully the rear seats do recline.

The engine is the same as the 4 cylinder found in the Accord and is reasonably quiet and smooth, except for some vibration at idle. I get about 21 MPG on average.

Now the less good: stock tires (Bridgestone HT's) are not good in the rain and are a bit noisy. The interior is noisy and sounds in the interior from small rattles are amplified by all the hard surfaces inside. Road noise is pretty pronounced but switching to different tires will help some. This is no well-padded SUV.

The AWD on these cars only works when wheel slip occurs on the front axles and there is no way to turn it off. It is a well thought out system but not made for off roading and will overheat and shut down if used extensively. It's really to help you get going again on slippery roads

The four speed transmission on these has a big gap between 2nd and third gear and will do some hunting back and forth climbing steep or long grades at some speeds.There is a lot of body roll and the suspension is stiff and jouncy over bumps.

Lastly if you are large the seat backs in the front will be too narrow for you. I'm lucky as they fit me perfectly holding me firmly in place if I get over enthusiastic in corners.

Some of these concerns, most notably the trannys have been addressed by the newest model, the 2005. It gets a five-speed auto, 16-inch wheels, stability control, available leather, and other niceties. Price is only slightly higher compared to the new prices on the 2004s.

Unless you can get a pretty substantial discount on a used 04 CRV I'd go with the 2005. One final thing: watch out for that rear cargo door. If it's not open all the way or you're parked on a slope it can close on you and it HURTS.
Amount Paid (US$): 20373.00
Condition: New
Model Year: 2004
Model and Options: Honda CRV EX