2001 - 2006 Honda CR-Vs

icvci · February 2003

http://www.handa-accessories.com/crv/02crvliner.jpg

manhonda.com is another great parts resource. They have every genuine Honda part and accessory plus aftermarket performance stuff. And, they're a Honda dealer. Prices are generally very good too.

beatfarmer · February 2003

My wife has both the double and single stroller loaded into the burb. Feels nice not having those things cluttering up the inside of my 'V. More snow this weekend. mmmm.

tchase1 · February 2003

I'm 6'2" and have a bad knee that I have to stretch out every so often. When sitting in the driver's seat while test-driving the CRV, I liked the higher viewpoint (vs. the OB), but I'm wondering about comfort for extended driving. I have to say, though, that I'm getting tired of not being able to see around all the bigger SUV's and trucks on the road when you're trying to pass. And after driving home in a torrential downpour all the way from Marin Cty (S.F.)to the Will. Valley (12 hrs.)I was blind half the time because of the spray from bigger tires and higher vehicles.

Will the CRV help alleviate that somewhat?

icvci · February 2003

CR-V gives you a great vantage point and drives like a car. I always feel like I'm in a bigger vehicle while driving the V.

Of course the other car is a Civic Hatch so, anything bigger than a shoe feels larger to me.

ateixeira · February 2003

Hmm, I like that liner's shape, it'll even keep your knees clean (if the bumper is dirty).

Doesn't look like it would contain any spills, though. Also doesn't seem like it would cover the extra floor space from moving the rear seats forward (hard to tell for sure). Handa is cheaper than Manchester in this case ($136 vs. $141).

I'd prefer the rubberized one with a lip to contain spills. My Forester came with one standard; for our Legacy we paid about $80 for an OE one.

I'm 5'11" or so, though I usually round up to 6' even. Try the front passenger seat out if you're gonna sit there for long periods, just make sure you can get comfortable.

If you wanna see tight, try a Miata, I had to modify the seat track to fit in it. Still, I wouldn't take it on long trips, it just doesn't have the leg room.

No doubt the CR-V sits higher than an Outback. It's a little higher than the Forester, even. BTW, they just announced the Forester 2.5XT, which will have 210hp and a whopping 235 lb-ft of torque, the most in any sport/cute. They'll arrive in June if you wanted to wait to see those.

-juice

icdchess · February 2003

One dealer told me that Honda is about to start 2.99% financing. Anyone heard if that (or maybe an even lower) financing rate is just beginning or about to start very soon. I am on the verge of getting a CR-V (I'm in New York) and I don't want to pay too much in interest.
Thanks!
Steve

icvci · February 2003

to see 2.9% financing. Peoplefirst.com is offering 3.9% and they are great to work with. I had a check in hand from peoplefirst.com at 4.9% so my Honda dealer matched it.

farhans · February 2003

I am getting 22-23 MPG (with 70% on highway at 60-70 MPH) for my new CR-V LX AWD AT.

Is this OK or is it low ?

varmint · February 2003

Farhans - Depends.

How "new" is your CR-V? Engines take a few thousand miles to break-in. Your mileage may increase over the first 10,000 miles.

Where are you driving? Winter weather typically lowers average fuel economy by 1 or 2 mpg. I average 25-26 during the summer and 23-24 during the dead of winter. The cold air, different formula fuel, and longer warm up times all contribute to lower mpg.

farhans · February 2003

Only 700 Mile on my CR-V.

I am driving in New Jersey

Thanks

ateixeira · February 2003

Check this out:

http://cartalk.cars.com/Survey/Results/Repair-Costs/rc-top-bot.ht- ml

Go to 1998, CR-V is rated as having the highest repair costs in the entire survey? I checked other years and it doesn't seem to appear, was that model year any worse than the others? It wasn't the first year of production.

I was checking Miatas since I'm considering a '99, but that also rates poorly in the survey. But other year Miatas make the top 10 lowest repair costs. In this case, '99 was the first model year.

-juice

theracoon · February 2003

Go to 1998, CR-V is rated as having the highest repair costs in the entire survey? I checked other years and it doesn't seem to appear, was that model year any worse than the others? It wasn't the first year of production.

The problem appears to be the way the survey was conducted. It's a self selected population, which means the population surveyed are those people who found the survey on the website and decided to respond, which doesn't make for a valid statistical population.

If you look at the actual reported costs charts, there are no responses for 1998 CR-Vs in the following categories: brake, exhaust, cooling system, air conditioning, electrical, suspension/steering, automatic transmission, or manual transmission.

In the Engine category it says 60% of the 1998 CR-V owners responded that they had engine work done. The average cost of maintenance for those responses was $1520. Sounds like one person had an engine problem not covered by warranty and has therefore skewed the results.

There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics - Disraeli as (mis)quoted by Mark Twain.

gatorgreg · February 2003

Hey all, the 4th Annual Big CR-V Scrub is TOMORROW! The meet is at 11:00 am Saturday (2/15) at the Caddyshack in St. Augustine, FL. The Caddyshack is located in the World Golf Village just off I-95. After lunch we'll be convoying over to South St. Augustine Beach for some beach driving! Forecast for tomorrow has been bumped up to 76 deg with 0% chance of rain, so it should be a great day!

insur_suvs · February 2003

2002Hondas: Can you post a picture how the DVD looks in your "V". I have an 03 EX and would love to have one (I don't think the 9" TV/DVD combo we have for trips fits in my new "V", fits fine in my wife's Explorer). Where did you place the actual player? What brand is the monitor and player? How about cost (if you don't mind)? Your insight would be most helpful! Thanks!!

joey2brix · February 2003

Be wary of some of these online polls (even Edmunds) The other day under owner reviews for the Pilot, someone with a Pasport(the Isuzu rebadge) was giving a bad review on the wrong model page.

ateixeira · February 2003

racoon: I think they shouldn't even post results unless they have a big enough sample to actually mean something. Maybe at least 10 owners?

They reamed the '99 Miata, which is a model I'm considering upgrading to.

-juice

theracoon · February 2003

I think they shouldn't even post results unless they have a big enough sample to actually mean something. Maybe at least 10 owners?

Which is why I rely more on the reliability data published by Consumer Reports. When they don't have enough data to provide a rating they don't.

JM2C

BTW...they rate the Miata as "exceptional" in reliability. Have fun!

sb55 · February 2003

A dealer in NY has an '02 Canadian CR-V. It has heated leather seats, body colored bumpers, and a few other changes from the US models. The price will be about the same as a new US '03 model. Does anybody know how this model will do in the US?

stever · February 2003

The "official" Honda warranty most likely won't be honoured, and there may be some other pitfalls to watch out for:

Two Idahoans find Canadian car not worth price

What You Need to Know About Canadian Cars in the U.S.

Insurance may also be an issue:

insur_suvs "is it possible to buy a CR-V from Japan?" Feb 14, 2003 11:50pm

Steve, Host

sb55 · February 2003

Steve,
Thanks for the links.

kwh · February 2003

Have any of you guys ever removed the spare tire? How much trouble was it? Does it just slide right off? The reason I am asking is I saw a bike rack in a shop the other day that attached to back of vehicles with the external spare tire. You have to leave the tire at home or throw it in the back and then put the bike rack where the tire was. Anybody ever used one of these or removed spare tire? Thanks.

theracoon · February 2003

Have any of you guys ever removed the spare tire? How much trouble was it? Does it just slide right off?

I've had to use my spare twice (darned nails!). Undo the bolts and lift the tire off. Not a big deal. Getting the spare tire cover back on and aligned correctly is the hard part.

The reason I am asking is I saw a bike rack in a shop the other day that attached to back of vehicles with the external spare tire. You have to leave the tire at home or throw it in the back and then put the bike rack where the tire was. Anybody ever used one of these or removed spare tire?

I've seen 2 kinds of spare tire bike racks. One has brackets and straps that mount to the tire itself. Here's an example of one over-the-tire model:

The other kind has a plate with a post that sticks out that bolts to the same bolts as the spare tire, but then you can mount the spare tire over it. An example of the plate mount kind:

varmint · February 2003

KWH - I've had to use the spare several times (my wife thinks I've been cursed by the flat tire gods). It bolts onto the back using the same lug nuts that attach it to the axle. Removing it is quite easy, thanks to it's location. It's much easier than digging through your cargo area, or underneath the car.

The tire is full-sized and comes with the same rim used for the other tires. If you have an LX, you get a steel rim. Buy an EX and your spare rides on an alloy rim just like the other four.

bob346 · February 2003

Can anyone tell me how the 4 wheel drive works, my wife was pulling in our driveway and i noticed that the driver side wheel was spinning and the passenger rear wheel was spinning not the other 2 wheels, this is somewhat confusing as we don,t know if this normal or is this abnormal, i thought all 4 wheels would spin if they were spinning in snow? reply would be greatly appreciated BOB 346

kwh · February 2003

Racoon,- I had never seen a bike rack like those two, very interesting. Varmit, I haven't had to change a flat tire in years, but we both know what would happen the first time I drove off and left the spare in the carport.
Many thanks to you both! I'm still hoping to buy a V this summer.

theresep · February 2003

I would appreciate feedback regarding likes/dislikes, pros/cons of the two interior colors of black vs. saddle. Some first hand experience would be helpful to me before I buy. Thanks.

robmarch · February 2003

since there are open differentials on the front and rear, on slippery surfaces, it's possible for one front wheel and one rear wheel to spin.

carsaremylife · February 2003

the reason all four weals aren't spinning is because its designed so it only kicks in when it senses slippige even though you were in snow it may not have dected it yet

robmarch · February 2003

if one front wheel and one rear wheel were spinning, then the center differential was activated.

varmint · February 2003

LOL. Actually, there is no center differential. I'm not laughing at you Rob, it's just funny how gosh-darned complicated these AWD systems can be.

Bob346 - What happened is normal.

4X4 and AWD systems do not power all four wheels. Well... they do... but not in all circumstances. A typical system will send power to both the front and rear axle.

Each axle has a differential that sends power to the wheels (think posi-traction). The differential also allows one wheel on the axle to spin faster or slower than the other. If this did not happen, the car would not turn very well.

A side affect to this is the fact that a free spinning wheel will get all the power. The wheel with the least resistance will get all the power. If one wheel is spinning, power is sent to it and not the one that has traction. Your wife had this happen on both the front and rear axles.

There are ways to prevent this. One is a locked differential. These should only be used when driving on slippery surfaces and are most common in off-road vehicles (modified Jeeps). Another is a limited slip differential. These allow only a certain amount of power to leak out the sides, not all of it. Hence the term "limited slip".

The CR-V does not have either of these. In fact, most small SUVs do not. The Subaru Forester is the exception. Soob offers a limited slip on their top line model.

ateixeira · February 2003

Yep, RT4WD will engage the rear axle when the it detects slippage in the front axle, but each axle itself is unmanaged.

So within each axle, power will take the path of least resistance, think of it that way. If one side is on ice, that tire will spin and get all the power, while the other basically sits there.

But you do have that same situation on two axles, so at least two tires will get some power.

A couple of things Honda could do:

* add traction control
* add a limited-slip differential (torsen or viscous)

-juice

Edit: varmint beat me to it. Forester does get a LSD on the rear axle on XS and XS premium models. The XT (turbo) also gets it. RAV4 has the option, I think Liberty too.

varmint · February 2003

"A couple of things Honda could do:

* add traction control
* add a limited-slip differential (torsen or viscous)"

They already have a third option with the VTM4 system used in the Pilot and MDX. It's a clutch pack which creates something similar to a locker. It locks the two half shafts together. It automatically engages and disengages just like the rear diff in the RT4WD set-up. Therefore it's safe for use on dry roads.

Forgot about the RAV4. Thanks.

ateixeira · February 2003

Correct me if I'm wrong, but VTM-4 is a little more sophisticated in that it sends power to each rear wheel individually. That means at least 3 wheels get some power (vs. 2 for RT4WD).

I think simple traction control is the cheapest solution, I'm surprised noone offers it in this class. You can get traction+stability control in a basic Ford Focus.

-juice

varmint · February 2003

Yes, that pretty much what I meant. VTM4 has a clutch pack ahead of the rear axle. This controls front to back power. Then there are clutch packs which lock the half shafts together, controlling side to side power in the rear axle.

Ditto on traction control. It works well enough on my wife's TL.

ateixeira · February 2003

True, in effect you have at least 2 tires getting some power, just like a CR-V. But with far less clearance, and on tires that aren't as far apart.

How much did you folks get? We're past 2 feet in our DC suburb!

-juice

bmuu · February 2003

We've had our CR-V for a couple of months and love it ... by far the best value in the SUV class. But we need to contain our 90 lb. Weimeraner in the back. Does anyone have a recommendation for the best pet barrier among the different models? Does Honda sell or suggest one over others?

varmint · February 2003

I saw that. We got somewhere between 24" and 27" in my area. Tuesday morning the roads were actually quite clear. The hardest part was getting out of our driveway!

ateixeira · February 2003

They didn't get to our street until Tuesday, but I'd been out for some fun. :-)

We had a 626 and a Corolla get stuck basically right in front of my house, what were they thinking?

-juice

robmarch · February 2003

100% correct. I'm just to the point that I often say "center differential" instead of "viscous multiplate clutch" or whatever the CRV is technically.

clownpuncher24 · February 2003

We only had 12.5 inches around in Ohio. Had fun driving through it though. Not many of the streets were plowed when Monday came along.

diploid · February 2003

In NJ, they only plowed enough so for one car to drive through in the smaller streets. Otherwise, the mounds of snow would require everyone to drive around with flag poles on their cars, which I hear they actually do in Minnesota.

gapdragon · February 2003

I am thinking about upgrading the tires and wheels on my CRV to an 17" or 18" wheel and tire to match. Has onyone done this to recommend the maximum?

Thanks.

John

domettg · February 2003

I know it's still early in the model year but has anyone heard about any changes for 2004? It will be the third year for this generation CR-V and Honda and Toyota usually do some kind of a mid life kicker around the 3rd year.

joey2brix · February 2003

The only changes on the CRV generation I: Interior cloth and the motor was slightly worked to get a few more HP's out of it because all the reviews said the CRV was under powered (very true).
Probably the bumpers will get body colored as some say is available in Canada.

coosamtn · February 2003

joey, are you saying that the 04's will get changes for the interior cloth? I sure hope so ... because, one would already be in my (wifes) driveway except for that odd looking pattern in their sadle cloth.

jfavour · February 2003

I have lived in Minnesota (Twin Cities) for many years and have never heard of any requirement of flag poles during the winter. We don't usually get so much snow that you can't see around corners. It happens on occasion, but not often. My spouse is from a more rural area in northwestern Minnesota and they aren't required there either. The most concessions you will see here is people tying red ribbon on their radio antennae. Minnesota is not Siberia. In fact, we probably have less snow on the ground now than you all do on the east coast. The difference is that our snow will likely stay around until late March or early April. I personally am a bit jealous of all the snow you have been getting. I love the big storms like that. (It makes it more fun when you have a snow blower, like many Minnesotans do, and don't have to be concerned about shovelling out).

ateixeira · February 2003

Stock size is 205/70R15, so a "Plus One" would be a 215/60R16 on a 16" alloy.

But here's the thing - you don't want to increase unsprung weight too much, else you'll end up with a stiff ride that bounds up and down. The spring rates are set according to the stock unsprung weight.

So forget about 18"s. They'll weight several pounds more than the OE factory alloys, and easily overwhelm your suspension. Unless you go with aftermarket springs with a higher spring rate.

17"s, maybe, but even that is a stretch. A Plus Two would take you to size 215/55R17. Those would be some pricey but sweet tires. But that tiny sidewall would mean a stiff ride, and don't even think about going off road with those tires.

But I dunno, the CR-V isn't tuned to be sporting, seems like the wrong vehicle to start with if the goal is ultimate handling. A WRX wagon would be better suited, or maybe a Protoge5 or Matrix.

-juice

joey2brix · February 2003

Oh, I feel your pain. What made you get that saddle interior? We can only hope they drop that color soon.

varmint · February 2003

The gen 1 CR-V was upgraded in '99 with the mods mentioned above, but that was actually the 4th year of production. The CR-V was available elsewhere in 1996. Also the painted bumpers (SE model) came out in 2000.

For 2004, we might see a new exterior color and a few minor tweaks.

beatfarmer · February 2003

I've got to dig out the 'V after work today. I drove it on Sunday when er had a little over a foot on the ground. I parked it in the driveway and put my Suburban in front of it. I got the burb out on Tuesday. Tried to move the 'V yesterday and just spun the tires.

On top of that, the rain gutter on the back of my house (snd story) fell off under the weight of the ice and snow. I'm all snowed out.

2001 - 2006 Honda CR-Vs

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