It seems that North Americans just can't get enough compact sport utility vehicles, and one of the most popular entries in the

The ideal city car? Canadians seem to think so, as they've consistently made the CR-V one of Canada's best selling crossovers. (Photo: Simon Hill, Canadian Auto Press)

segment has long been the Honda CR-V, which was introduced in 1997 and is now in its third generation. The CR-V's most recent redesign was for the 2007 model year and it was given a minor facelift in 2010, with the 2011 model carrying over basically unchanged from 2010. But then you could say that it is basically unchanged since 1997 — throughout the CR-V's production Honda has stayed very true to the original concept, and the current model not only looks very similar to the original, but is within a few millimetres of the original in every key dimension.

For this review I was let loose with the keys to a fully-loaded CR-V EX-L with navigation (including backup camera), Bluetooth — the works. Actually, truth be told Honda markets these options as a separate trim level called the EX-L Navi, but apart from the navigation system and Bluetooth there are no options you can add to the EX-L, as everything else comes standard.

Even in the lower trim levels the CR-V is pretty well equipped. In typical Honda practice, all CR-Vs have the full range of safety equipment including antilock brakes with electronic

A good little family hauler that performs well enough on the road too. (Photo: Simon Hill, Canadian Auto Press)

brakeforce distribution, stability assist with traction control, dual front, side and side curtain airbags, active front seat head restraints and a tire pressure monitoring system. The base LX trim even has alloy wheels in the same size as the EX and EX-L (17 inches), just in a different design. It also features air conditioning, cruise control, power locks, power windows, remote entry, heated power side mirrors, a 60/40 split folding rear seat and a 160-watt, 4-speaker audio system with WMA/MP3 compatibility — all the kit you really need for comfortable driving around town.

The EX trim adds a stack of “nice to have” comfort and convenience features including a power moonroof, security alarm, chrome trim highlights, auto on/off headlights, dual-zone climate control, centre console, compass, external temperature indicator, dual-deck rear cargo shelf, variable-speed wipers, power driver's seat and a 6-disc in-dash CD audio system with six speakers, USB audio connector and steering-wheel mounted audio controls.

The EX-L differs from the EX in three key areas: drivetrain, audio and seating: First, the EX-L comes packaged with four-wheel drive (a $2,000 option on the lower trim levels). The EX-L also gets a fine-sounding 270-watt premium audio system with seven speakers (including subwoofer) and XM satellite radio, and the option to include a navigation system with backup camera and Bluetooth wireless telephone interface. Finally, the EX-L gets leather seating surfaces, a leather-wrapped gearshift and steering wheel,

Comfortable leather seats can be had in top-tier EX trim. (Photo: Simon Hill, Canadian Auto Press)

and heated front seats. Unfortunately I wasn't that impressed with the audio interface, which has far too many small, fiddly buttons and required me to take off my gloves to operate it. Another slightly sour note was the noticeable absence of keyless entry and pushbutton start  — these are standard with the Limited trim on archrival Toyota's RAV4, and would seem to me to be de rigueur for an up-market leather-equipped crossover.

These quibbles aside, the interior of the CRV EX-L is a nice place to spend time. Everything is well-fitted, and the materials are good looking (although a lot of them are hard plastic including some surfaces, such as the upper door panels, that are soft-touch in the Civic). Thoughtful details abound, including a spilt glovebox with the USB plug in the smaller upper section — perfect for protecting and hiding your iPod when it is plugged into the system. The seats are quite comfortable (though it would be nice to have memory with the driver's side

Honda packs the top-line CR-V up with some pretty heady equipment. (Photo: Simon Hill, Canadian Auto Press)

power seat), the blue-lit instruments are classy and easy-to-read, and everything falls easily to hand. Overall, the EX-L's cabin hits the "mini luxury" goal dead centre.

On the road, the CR-V's fully independent suspension — with MacPherson struts up front and a multilink rear setup — offers a firm but admirably car-like ride, and when driven normally the power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering delivers crisp, precise handling and a balanced feel. Push the CR-V through the corners, however, and the tall 22/65R17 all-season tires and relatively generous suspension travel conspire to turn everything a little mushy — the CR-V handles well enough for a sport utility vehicle, but it's no sport wagon.

The 2.4L, 16-valve, DOHC i-VTEC inline-4 cylinder engine, which is common across the entire CR-V lineup,

Rear seat room is good for the compact class. (Photo: Simon Hill, Canadian Auto Press)

is hooked up to a 5-speed automatic transmission. This powertrain promises a reasonable compromise between power and economy and for the most part delivers. The engine certainly provides reasonable grunt, and while I admittedly never attempted to storm any mountain passes during my week in the CR-V, I never found myself wanting for power. On the economy side of the coin, the powertrain does a decent job stretching your fuel dollar on the highway, but as with the 4-cylinder Honda Accord I drove recently (which has the same basic engine) the city mileage wasn’t nearly as good as expected, even allowing for the extra idling time and occasionally heavy-footed driving that are part of a car reviewer’s job. Officially, the CR-V has a city/highway rating of 9.8 / 7.1 L/100km in front-wheel drive trim and 10.1 / 7.5 L/100km in 4WD trim.

The "Real Time"

Hard cargo cover doubles as a shelf. (Photo: Simon Hill, Canadian Auto Press)

4WD system available in the CR-V uses dual hydraulic pumps and a multiplate clutch system to automatically feed power to the rear wheels if the front wheels start slipping. As long as the front and rear wheels are spinning at the same rate, the system doesn't engage (and to allow the ABS braking system to work the system also disengages when the brakes are applied). Not surprisingly this means that the 4WD CR-V feels just like a front-wheel drive vehicle in dry conditions. But I got to try the system out when a fast-moving weather system gave our hilly neighbourhood a dump of snow, and can report that it works entirely transparently from the driver's perspective, and provides comfortable sure-footedness when driving in the snow.

Ultimately, the promised surefootedness of 4WD has been a major factor in the SUV segment's success, so while Honda's "Real Time" system

Fold the rear seats forward for sizable stowage. (Photo: Simon Hill, Canadian Auto Press)

isn't really up to off-road use I couldn't imagine buying a CR-V without 4WD.

That means that the suggested retail pricing (not including destination charges) of $26,290 for the LX, $29,490 for the EX and $33,490 for the EX-L really looks more like $28,290, $31,490 and $33,490 to my eyes. With the navigation package our test car came in at $35,590 plus the $1,590 destination fee, for a net total of $37,180. For that money you get a well-proven small SUV backed by a three-year/60,000km limited warranty and five-year/100,000km powertrain warranty and motivated by a light-duty 4WD system that provides a hint of ruggedness and genuine winter surefootedness without too much of a fuel economy penalty. And that's what small SUVs are all about.

Interior

Exterior

Mechanical

Safety

Dimensions

Misc

(J003) Standard Metallic Paint

(J005) Standard Gloss Paint