I've long considered reviewing my 1999 Honda CR-V, but only when invited by Wolfman309 to participate in this write-off in memory of the highly regarded Epinionator, Roadiem, did I finally muster up enough courage to enter the testosterone-dominated category of Automobiles. It actually wasn't long after I discovered Mike's writing that I learned that there would be no more of it, but I was immediately drawn to his down to earth approach that incorporated practicality, wit, and personality into some very informative and useful reviews. From what I read on his profile page and in his reviews, Mike was a man sure of himself and comfortable with who he was, an expert in regard to automobiles, a lover of music, and a father. Not only that, but he was hooked on phonics and from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. As a former part-time Yooper myself, this was a man I thought I might have enjoyed getting to know, and I'm sorry I never really had that opportunity.


Why the CR-V?

When we learned that I was expecting our second child, it quickly became apparent that our old car would need to be replaced. A snazzy little red Saturn SC-2, it had been trustworthy and fun to drive, but one child and all his equipment was already straining its limits (not to mention my back, getting my 90th-percentile 6-month-old in and out of his back seat car seat). Ruling out a sedan as too stodgy and a minivan as too cumbersome and sedan-like, my husband and I quickly narrowed the choices to the Subaru Forrester, the Subaru Legacy Outback, and the Honda CR-V. Our primary criteria were as follows:

~ Must be small enough to comfortably fit into the parking spaces of a downtown parking garage without constantly being subjected to battering and bumping by neighboring vehicles. As we live in an apartment in an urban setting, we must garage our car a few blocks away from home.

~ Must be spacious enough inside to accommodate a 6'+ husband, a 5'8" wife (with a big attitude), and two young children (only 19 1/2 months apart) with their lunar module sized car seats. Of primary importance: leg and head room for the driver (usually my husband on long car trips), leg room in the back seat (usually for me, as my husband's too much of a wimp to be the kids' servant on long car trips), and enough cargo area to house all our stuff on cross-country journeys to visit the grandparents.

~ Must fit the budget. After a lengthy financial analysis, we'd decided that we wanted to pay less than $20,000 if possible.

~ Must get decent enough mileage so as not to break the bank after we'd actually purchased the car and had to live with it.

~ Must be reliable enough that I'd feel comfortable driving for extended periods alone with just the two kids. AAA membership and a cell phone are insurance for the worst emergencies.

~ Must be powerful enough to carry us all (plus our gear) without limping up hills and spluttering through the mountains of Pennsylvania (an obvious obstacle on the route from the Northeast to the Midwest, where my family lives).

Having test-driven all three models on our short list, it was fairly simple to rule out the two Subarus. The Forrester was seriously lacking in back seat room, plus it was rather loud and felt almost Jeep-like in its rough ride. The Legacy Outback was appealing and spacious, plus we could mimic the Australian accent of the then current ad's star all day long, but it was more in the $25,000 price range and fairly hot at the moment, so we didn't expect to get any great deals on it. Not to mention that it's a station wagon, and having grown up in the sixties and seventies, we considered station wagons to be our parents' cars, not ours. (Sure, Euro wagons are cool, but once you've driven a mammoth silver Volare, it changes your life forever. Yes, I know, we're in denial about being middle-aged.)

So it became very clear that the Honda CR-V would be the vehicle for us. We shopped around at a couple of dealers, found our choice of car (my husband's choice of green, since I'd gotten to choose red for the Saturn last time*), and negotiated a decent deal. Because we wanted to maximize the power on a 4-cylinder engine that we thought would be just barely sufficient to handle itself plus all of us and our gear, we opted for the 5-speed, which was a little hard to find. Trying to stay within the budget, we chose the LX with 4WD rather than the more elaborate EX trim model, but added keyless entry and a roof rack to sweeten the deal.

The Mom's Guide (or How the CR-V Works as a 2-Child Car)

The big question when it comes to a mom's perspective is, of course, how two car seats factor into the equation. In the CR-V, not only are the car seats easy to install (temporarily, for there's no built-in tether system), but the kids are easy to install once the seats are in. Because the vehicle is high enough off the ground, I don't have to bend over to place the little ones in their seats and then secure them in place. And if push came to shove, a third child wouldn't have to be sent back to the stork. More than once, I've squeezed in a third car seat to accommodate a friend's child, and I'm fairly sure I would still be able to pass safety inspections by the state police. Further, although it's not exactly a ride in one of my dad's old Lincolns, riding in the backseat between the two car seats is possible as an adult. I've even ridden in the far back cargo area in order to accommodate three adults and two kids, but don't report that to any safety inspectors, please.

As for long car trips, the CR-V is just adequate for all our gear on a cross-country two-week trip. Utilizing the floor space underneath the car seats as well as the back cargo area, I can usually manage to cram in the following:

~ 4 suitcases and 1 duffel bag
~ 2 portacribs
~ laptop computer, video camera, digital camera (each in their own separate cases, obviously)
~ diaper bag, snack bag, backseat toy bag
~ a medium-sized cooler or a vat of Christmas presents
~ various and sundry child-related items, such as a couple of MagnaDoodles, a whole host of Thomas the Tank Engine books and cassette tapes, a bunch of Matchbox cars, and a handful of baby dolls with enough outfit changes for a Miss America pageant

That said, we sometimes hear our CR-V quietly chanting, "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can" while chugging up steeper hills fully loaded.

There's ample space in the front seat and between the two front seats for reaching around to hand the kids snacks or to retrieve lost toys. The small table (for want of a better word) with built-in cup holders between the two front seats can even be collapsed so as to enable easier movement from front to back, but we rarely do so since we always have so much stuff in, around, and on top of this area.

A Few More Notes Also From a Mom's Perspective:

~ Map drawer under front passenger seat is a nice touch: big enough for several maps, plus cassettes and various other nick-nacks.

~ Glove compartment is a bit on the small side.

~ Optional roof rack is useful, but even with our Thule rooftop carrier, we can only put 75 lbs. of gear up top because that's Honda's maximum recommended weight. Thus, we end up carrying our Peg Perego Tender double stroller up there and little else on long trips.

~ The widely advertised collapsible picnic table that pulls out of the floor of the cargo area is a bit gimmicky, but potentially useful if you don't have the car loaded with gear. To date, we've never used it, finding it easier just to find a picnic table in a park or rest area (or spread out a blanket since the kids don't usually sit for very long anyway).

~ Cupholders available for both front and rear passengers.

~ Child safety locks are easy to use.

~ The stereo system and speakers that come with the CR-V are seriously lacking if you're used to any kind of quality. Even coming from our Saturn SC-2 with enhanced stereo system, when we first turned on the radio in the CR-V, we laughed and shrieked, "Is this some kind of joke?"

~ Major peeve: The automatic door lock is only accessible from the driver's seat. The front seat passenger, therefore, cannot unlock any doors but his own (or her own, as the case may be), and must patiently sit and wait for the driver to get around to unlocking all the doors so the kids can be released from their restraints.

Overall Assessment:

For our purposes, the 1999 Honda CR-V was an excellent choice. Used mostly for grocery runs and other infrequent errands, plus occasional very long trips (1700+ miles), it performs beautifully and has been completely reliable. In the two years that we've owned it, I can't recall a single service need other than regularly scheduled maintenance. Gas mileage is decent, comfort is more than satisfactory, and the vehicle has enough style that I can continue disbelieving that I've hit middle age. This vehicle deserves a full five stars.

Useful Stats: 1999 Honda CR-V:

Engine Size:

Size, liter/cubic inch: 2/0/122
Horsepower @ rpm: 146@5400
Torque (lbs./ft.) @ rpm: 133@4300

EPA city/highway mpg:

5-speed manual: 22/25
4-speed OD automatic: 22/25
15.3 gallon fuel tank

Dimensions and Weight:

Length: 178 in.
Width: 69 in.
Wheelbase: 103 in.
Curb weight: 3155 lb.
Percent weight, front/rear: 55/45

Standard Equipment:

LX: 2.0-liter dohc 4-cylinder engine, 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic transmission, driver- and passenger- side air bags, air conditioning, interior air filter, rear heat ducts, variable-assist power steering, tilt steering column, cruise control, reclining front bucket seats with driver-seat height adjustment, split folding and reclining 50/50 rear bench seat, cupholders, power mirrors, power windows, power door locks, tachometer, AM/FM radio, digital clock, rear defogger, intermittent rear wiper/washer, visor mirrors, map lights, remote fuel filler/hatch release, lift-out folding picnic table, auxiliary power outlets, solar-control tinted glass, rear mud guards, outside spare-tire carrier with cover, 205/70R15 tires. 4WD models add: automatic 4-wheel drive. EX adds: automatic 4-wheel drive, anti-lock brakes, CD player, remote keyless entry, alloy wheels.


* Don't forget, this is a girl's review, so the least you can do is let me mention the car's color in passing.

The other participants in the Roadiem Write-Off include the following: bjcuevas, naphtalia, seether166, sherrylee, mattjoe, viper1963, gollygumdrops, noniaBidnis, nightshade_01, obnox, hawkseafan, yyvonne, diverpam, t-hall, mtuairau, jennifa, pperky1954, hnnygrlca, rcknrbn3, midoyle, charlenep, lattechick, garfield12, bgoodday, chrisceb, alwaysstubborn, nwinston, hirohito99, sweetcece, theworm, ginahill, jpmcgurk, tiffer0220, juliette, elorraine, imames, pipet, sparkospunky, disartain, linda527, lisa_j, lgcurcio, kristinafh, tgreenway, pambo, friskycelery, i_culookn, todd, teddiec, darbywalters, wolfman309, emeleel, joubert, technologyrep, gamblinfamily, smithswoodside, daturawest, angelmommy, liberator76, hadassahchana,
lark729_89, missy32, blonbabydawn, bryrose, merlot,
ladyvamp.



Amount Paid (US$): 18,980
Condition: New
Model Year: 1999
Model and Options: LX 5-speed with 4WD, plus roof rack, keyless entry, mats, cargo mat