Well I can understand everyone raving about this car. It has all the boys' toys and after spending 12 grand on a second-hand car there must be some self defence.

Sadly it is not the best car to buy. I has a nice high ride postition so if you have a dodgy back (I have three proplapsed discs)it is easy to get in to. But it has no lumbar support. That's right - they spent money on heated seats but didn't think about your back!

Forget about the reviews claiming to have got 30+mpg. If you do a mix of town and country you might average 25 mpg.

It is best driven on motorways where the 150 bhp comes in to its own, but for general use it is too big. You can seldom park it on the street. If you go to a shopping centre car park you need a big space. If you do get on the street and someone parks behind you then you can't open the back door. "Just open the glass panel" you say? Yeah right but then you can't reach in to get anything!
The front door rattles - the centre trim rattles. Too much engine noise, road noise AND wind noise!
The built in sat nav costs thousands to replace but cannot be removed for safekeeping. It cannot find lots of streets that I can find on my phone.
So there you have it - the CR-V 2.0 petrol automatic is the perfect car if you are a high earner running mostly on long motorways.
For the average guy in the street it is too expensive and too big and not as good as you might have hoped.

8 years ago we bought our first japenese car, a 2n hand honda civic which we kept for 2 years. being delighted with its reliability and needing a tow-car we swapped it for a base model 2nd hand crv which we then owned and used both in the uk and on the continent for 6 yrs piling 60,000 miles on the clock. the car never went wrong apart from a minor problem with the immobilizer which was fitted ( non honda )
we are so impressed with these cars that we have just part exchanged it for a 2005 executive model with all the electric trickery and leather for the right money and are confident this car will serve as well as its two predecessors

I have owned this car for 1 year. I bought it with 44,000 miles on the clock, and I part exchanged it today with 57,000 miles on the clock. I have spent nothing on it. It has always started first time, and it has never let me down. I can honestly say that the Honda CR-V Executive 2.0 is the most reliable car I have ever had in 46 years of driving. That's why I have bought a new one!

It's versatile, with loads of rear space when seats are folded down. It has a superb high driving position, and it gives its passengers a feeling of being safe. It also offers good air conditioning and cheap servicing costs.

I cannot fault it!

Due to the poor traction scrabble I sold the Honda CR-V Executive and bought a RAV4 which has permanent 4WD and does not scrabble!

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.

After 3 mths of intense reserach, I found the Honda CRV Executive 2.0 Auto, the only 4x4 to exceed my procurement criteria including:
Space, Seating Versatility, Performance, Gadgets, Aesthetics, Transmission, Brand, After-care, economy, price, safety, etc.

...also, the DVD satelite nav was a bonus! and don't forget to add rear parking sensors

I have had my CRV for 12 mths and I am thoroughly enjoying it.

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.