Is the Honda CR-V a woman's vehicle?

cubbieswin

My girlfriend is buying a 2009 Honda CRV EX-L. I really like the car but I've wondered if this car is designed for women and would it be odd for a 6'2" man to own one?

I'm just curious how many men own a CRV. What's your take?

blueiedgod

I own a 2005 CR-V EX with manual. At 6' tall, I am pushing the limit of the seat travel (33-34 inseam). I think this may have been addressed with Gen 3 redesign. There is a ton of cargo room, headroom (even with the sunroof). And it goes to 60 in 8 seconds, which is not to shabby for an SUV, especially for a 4 cylinder one.

To me, any vehicle with automatic transmission is a woman's vehicle. There is just too much disconnect between the driver and vehicle when equipped with a slushbox, or faux manual. 3 pedals is what it is all about.

I am not saying that it is wrong for a man to drive automatic. It is not anymore wrong that a man wearing a dress and make up, which seems to be a common occurence, but it is not for me :P

denver5357

Ha. I knew who this post was from as soon as I read the second paragraph. Your disgust at AT's on these boards is well documented. :surprise:

That aside, I have to say that 8 out of 10 CR-V's I see are driven by women. I like our 2009 CRV, and I have no issues as a man driving it, but women really seem to like it. I read somewhere that Honda's target demo for the CR-V were cool, hip moms and older, empty nesters.

saabgirl

In 2005 my hubby was going to buy a pickup truck, but chose instead a CR-V, since it could haul everything he intended to haul, has awd and a tight turning radius. He says the only think he can't do in a CR-V that he could have done in a pickup is sit on the tailgate and have a beer, He's been congratulating himself for making a rational decision ever since.

Then in '08 our daughter bought the new, cuter version and looks exactly like the little blonde girl in the CR-V teevee ads. Her friends like it so much they ask her to drive when the crew goes gal-ivanting.

I'd say ignore the marketing ninnies and buy what best fits your intended use.

mjoppru

It looks good on you though.

phisher

I drive and love my CRV. I am 6'4" 230 lb and I fit just fine. I love the fact that the CRV s fuel efficient compared to my old 4WD pickup. If you aren't confident enough in your own masculinity then buy something else, but a vehicle doesn't make a person. As far as a car is concerned all they need to do is get you from point A to Point B and bring what ever you might need with you. I have hauled plenty of 2X4's, 2X6' ect. Sheets of sheetrock and plywood, plumbing supplies and my tools in the CRV without a problem. Just make sure she doesn't get a pink one. (Yea I know that color isn't offered.)

kcall2

Interesting question.

I'm 5ft10in, 195 pounds of solid muscle (snigger) and just purchased an EX-L. Had considered a pickup to replace my aging F150, but settled on the Honda.

Odd for a man to drive? I don't think so. Just don't make fun of me, cuz I may hit you with my "man bag".

johnsc

I'm 6'3'' and have much more room than I did in a Chevy 3500 passenger van. I can fit comfortably in all 4 seats. Great mpg. Solid, handles great. I just think women don't need a huge suv or truck that drives like crap just so you can haul a huge boat down to the ramp a few times a year. If you aren't working in construciton you probably don't need much more power and all that extra weight.

sr146260211

Drove a stick for many a year in LA traffic, got real tired of it, and now only drive a Automatic now and enjoying the drive so much better. Like the CR-V as well, and tired of those that think real men only drive a stick. Good grief, get a life would you people.

motoguy128

Just get a black one with black interior and you'll be OK. I'm looking at a CR-V now for my primary vehcile...wife loves her Altima, and the Murano is too pricey... and well... I have my own opinion about boys with big toys that feel a need to drive big SUV or pick-ups.

As for an automatic. On my last car I HAD TO HAVE a manual. After 3 years, I'm tired of it. It was my 3rd car with a manual, and I enjoy it soemtimes, and it's great for trailer towing but I have a 3 mile commute with 7 stop signs and 2 stop lights. It gets a little tedious constantly shifting... and in the snow it get pretty tiring trying to fight wheel spin. And then at freeway speeds, most all automatics these days cruise much quieter and more comfortably.

Nothing wrong with an automatic or a manual. Each have their advantages and disadvantages. But don;t try and tell someone they are better or worse for having one r the other.

On my motorcycle however, I would never want a automatic. But it's a lot less work shifting a motorcycle manually... my current motorycle has wider spaced gearing than my car, so I shift it a lot less.

Oh and "real" men, want a motorcyle with actual performance (something that can stop & turn too)...not just all show and no go. So while I do think cruisers are pretty...stop revving the stupid things and making tons of noise...it looks silly because they are accelerating so slowly. But I will wave as a zip by quietly on my BMW touring bike. Same thing with bif pick-ups with V8's. Yes it makes 200+HP and lots of torque...bu it's carrying 4000+ lbs... so no, it's not really that fast...just loud.

chuckfromli

.........as soon as I saw the title. But, I have conducted my own survey over the past couple of days. Since I am thinking of buying one, I just had to know.

I only looked at recent models, and only 5 or 6, but the ratio was like 4 or 5 men to 1 or 2 women. I think everyone is downsizing and thinking of the days ahead when the O man will put a floor under gasoline prices so they cannot drop below a certain level.

BTW-I have seen bluiedgods CRV that runs 0-60 in 8 seconds flat. He replaced the original tranny with an M-22 rock crusher from a '69 Chevelle SS. Much more manly.

He also has another CRV with a stock engine that runs high 10s in the quarter mile. That one has a 20 speed tranny from a Kenworth.

blueiedgod

It is actually 16 speed from a Mack. Rigging JakeBrake was the toughest part... :P

motoguy128

Thinking about it some more. I think it's a compliment, that woman do like driving hte CR-V. Women are very particular abotut a vehciles styling, wight lines, comfort and how it drives. The fact that it handles like a much smaller vehcile, yet has great visibility without many blind spots, and has a seat and ergonomics that work well for shorter individuals... and low step-in height.

After driving it for a few weeks, I like it better than our Altima. Sitting higher, you can see the corners better so it feels narrower (it's actually 2" wider) and a lot shorter... (it actually is 10" shorter). But I think the turning circle is smaller (shorter wheelbase) yet it doesn't feel clumsy and tipsy like a Yukon, minivan or a Jeep.

Really, it's a great alternative to a minivan if you only need to haul 5 people and a moderate amount of cargo. Much better mileage too!

chuckfromli

I actually had to drive one of those Macks for a while. I was driving for a company that had a nice, late model Nissan cabover boom truck with a sunroof/roof vent thing, a 5 spd. and am/fm. For some reason they wanted to move that truck upstate NY, out of the city.

I had to go upstate and pick up the "other" truck. It was a Mack conventional about 10-15 years old and like 300K plus on it. It had been a tractor and was converted to a dump body. It had an really ugly brown job on it, no seat belts, no radio, and the doors didn't lock.

It was parked on a little hill, on the grass, nose up. I had to get in and pull it out. It had those big mirrors on each fender. When you started it up, everything shook. I think it was the first time I was ever scared of a vehicle! Needless to say, I was really earning my money driving that piece of crap around.

saabgirl

Honda surveyed women who had test driven the old-style, tire on the back door, CR-V and found that women were looking for something wth a little more flair? So the new iteration looks a heckuva lot like the more upscale SUVs, only with a 4-cylinder up front. So, in general, are high-design vehicles women's cars?

My hubby's opinion is that manufacturers have learned that wives have veto power in almost all family car decisions, so the old boxy design is out of favor, even though it has plenty of functionality. He has no explanation for the growing popularity of the grinning cartoon-fish front-end treatment. Also, he doesn't claim that his explanation holds for the Mini, which he regards as a Chick Car, because it's excessively cute.

johnray

I bought this CR-V without any input from my wife, so her supposed "veto" power did not come into it. I decided I liked the CR-V and picked it myself, she never even saw it until she came home from work and it was parked in our driveway. She loves it as much as I do though, but I did get the metallic tea green color because I knew green was her favorite color.

chuckfromli

I bought mine without any input from the ball and chain either. But then ,it's my car, not hers.

It's strictly a practical purchase. I like the look of the Escape more, but not their resale value or reliability.

defielding

Real men drive whatever the H:"@ll they want! Love my 99 CRV, It's tough as nails.

nelson1

I am an older, empty nester, have had lots of cars and trucks. My last car was a Hyundai, Sonata, Limited. That was the noisiest, roughest, least enjoyable car I ever owned. I traded it on a 2014 CRV-EXL w/nav. Now, that is a car, really enjoy driving it, great gas mileage, quiet, responsive, ample power, comfortable seats, great ride. I only have 1100 miles on it, now, but it has been perfect, without a problem. Looking forward to driving this car many more miles.

ohjoe

Although women love them, men like them also. It just happens to be "gal friendly". one reason is the height of the seat at entry into the vehicle. It is not much of hike for the average lady to get in. My wife (5'2") can get in easily. I am 5'10, and easily fit in the car. My friend, who is 6'4" has no trouble driving theirs, even on long trips. I really like the CR-V.

oldbearcat

I bought a CRV in 2010 to mostly drive for business. My wife hates it and refuses to go on long trips in it.

Regards:
Oldbearcat

faldoc

I don't think it's a chick car. Wifey drives a Volvo wagon. This CR-V is my car for hauling all my stuff....