C O V E R     S T O R Y

I’m happily single, working and glad to be driving a sedan—so when news of the new CR-V came out, I didn’t really jump for joy.  You see, the first one was a sedate little number.  Compared to the Toyota RAV4, it looked every bit dated and dull.  The dynamics was nothing to praise either; it ran like clockwork, revving and shifting when needed, but nothing more. 

Now, as I find myself shopping for a car, I find the all-new CR-V’s value a too hard to ignore.  For just an asking price of PHP 966,000 you could get an automatic transmission version with a 2.0-liter i-VTEC engine, dual airbags, four-wheel disc with ABS, EBD and Brake Assist—the works!  Heck, Honda has even thrown in an extra bench to bring the seating up to 10 people!  Could this be what I was looking for all along?  Could you (the regular sort of Filipino driver) really ditch the Toyota Corolla Altis or Nissan Exalta Grandeur off the window and go the soft-roader route?  After spending some time with the new CR-V, the answer is more difficult than a simple yes or no. 

Given the fact that the 2002 Honda CR-V is all-new, it’s hard to swallow the fact that this looks too much like the original.  Sure enough, Honda didn’t want to alienate possible buyers as the old one sold millions worldwide, but couldn’t they have come with something more original?  The front is a bastard child of the original CR-V with a touch of the new Civic.  To be positive, at least it looks cleaner than the outgoing model.  It is as if Honda took the genes of all their new cars, put them into a blender, baked it and out came the CR-V. 

However, if I had to take potshots at the CR-V, then I would have to say that I don’t really dig the front end.  It looks like it had been poked in the ass with a pin hence the headlamps’ surprised look.  The extensive black bumper that covers half the front end also gives the impression of it having permanent car bra. 

The side and the rear are generally inoffensive and better to look at than the original.  The back is a mix of old CR-V and its funky little sister, the HRV, and because of this, the 2002 model looks more refreshing and sportier. 

What gives the thumbs up to the new CR-V is the great build from Honda’s Laguna plant.  Despite being locally assembled, the CR-V’s panel gaps shame even the likes of the CBU Toyota RAV4 or Subaru Forester.  Imagine, the panel gap from the bumper to the door is visually similar to the panel gap between the tail lamps to the door—everything is consistent.  Surely, it doesn’t have the authoritative door slam sound, but it has been greatly improved from any Honda launched locally. 

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