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1997-2001 Honda CR-V Pre-Owned

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Mathieu St-Pierre
My first SUV
On the road
Although relatively light, the CR-V's 126 hp were barely sufficient to get a move-on. When loaded with the crew and equipment, lane changes and passing movements needed to be calculated. The extra grunt as of 1999 brought up the Honda's performance to an acceptable level.

The CR-V acts surefooted and typically stable. At first, the driver may feel concerned about the Honda's drive as it is relatively tall and narrow. The CR-V's Civic platform coupled to a sophisticated suspension setup quickly dissolves this fear.

The AWD system is more of an added bonus than a real tool for those that may venture off the beaten path. Because the front wheels must spin prior to the rear wheels coming into action, there is a vaguely annoying delay before forward motion is restored when driving in heavy snow for example.

Safety
The CR-V has standard dual front air bags, ABS brakes and seatbelt pre-tensionners. The NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) awarded the SUV 4 out of 5 stars (a good result) for the driver and 5 out of 5 stars (a perfect result) in frontal impacts. It also received 5 out of 5 stars for both front and rear passengers in lateral impacts. The IIHS (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety) rated it "Marginal" in its category.

Conclusion
As one of the originals, the CR-V is still one of the best. This is reflected in the truck's high resale value even in a model that is very nearly 10 years old. As with just about every other vehicle in all other categories, the redesigned 2002 CR-V grew in size and in power. Even so, the 1997 to 2001 CR-V is one of those great buys on the used car market especially for a budding family looking for economical, reliable and versatile transportation.

Good stuff:

Reliability
Interior volume

Not so good stuff:
Delayed AWD
Could use more power

Tested model:
2001 Honda CR-V GT with 64,000 km

Problem areas:
Front disc brakes

Competitors of the day:
Suzuki Vitara / Geo-Chevrolet Tracker
Toyota RAV4
Subaru Forester
Ford Escape / Mazda Tribute
photo:Philippe Champoux
2001 Honda CR-V
honda cr-v 2001
2001 Honda CR-V
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Mathieu St-Pierre
Mathieu St-Pierre
Automotive expert
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