The Honda CR-V 4x4 is very good all round value. I am very pleased with the automatic version, but think Honda should introduce a diesel Automatic. In short, I would highly recommend this vehicle.

I have a 2001 CRV-ES Executive i.e. the top model with the old 2-litre engine. As it's a company car, I opted for a lot of the silly add-ons including a hydraulic bike rack (it lifts the bike onto the roof all by itself), the little fridge for the boot and the little shower for washing your muddy boots. It's my first 4x4 and overall I'm very happy with it. There are acres of space for the passengers although this is at the expense of boot space, which is really quite small for a vehicle of this size.

The equipment levels are great and the whole vehicle just feels very well designed: CD multichanger, boot floor doubles as a picnic table, basket underneath front passenger seat, electric windows and sunroof, remote boot and petrol cap release, front and rear armrests, headlight washers etc. The only less-than-great thing regarding comfort is that while one arm is supported by the plush armrest, the other has to rest on the door handle and it's really uncomfortable - a consideration on a long journey.

Fuel economy isn't great: as of new year 2003 it costs around £45 to fill up with regular unleaded and I get 285-350 miles from that. The majority of my driving is to/from work in the rush hour, mostly on the motorway (although it's crawling most of the way).

The company car tax is a nightmare too - the emissions mean that I pay 31% for the year 2002-2003.

Performance is good - it gets to 60 in around 10 seconds, which is pretty impressive for something this big. A lot of 4x4s come in at around 14-17 secs unless you're talking about the big petrol engined V8s. The engine is smooth, has plenty of power at all speeds and the only noise comes from the tyres. I've cruised at 100mph and it was hardly trying - plenty left in reserve. The body roll is quite noticeable though, and it's best not to attack tight corners too quickly. If the automatic 4WD has kicked in, I didn't notice it!

Reliability-wise - great. Not a single thing has gone wrong in the 18 months I've had it from new.

The Honda CR-V offers excellent car quality versus cost.