Review and photos by Jonathan Yarkony
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2013 Honda CR-V
I enter this Long-Term Test with mixed feelings of anticipation and trepidation. I fully recognize the quality, capability, and appeal of this vehicle. It is a 2013 Autos.ca Top Pick. It won our first CUV Comparison Test. Heck, I even scored it as the winner on my ballots even though I didn’t, well, like it.
You see, there is more to evaluating cars than whether we simply like something, especially in our structured comparison tests. And I can fully acknowledge that my like-blocker is a singular, personal discomfiture at the pitch and moan of the engine and impatience whenever I start driving hard or try to cruise at the rather high highway speeds the GTA is known for. This car simply does not like to go fast. Or perhaps, I simply do not like the way it sounds when I make it go fast. This may seem trivial to some of you, but it is a big deal for me.
   2013 Honda CR-V. Click image to enlarge. |
Despite all its qualities, discovering that it does not, in fact, feel underpowered relative to the competition (CX-5, Rogue, Santa Fe Sport 2.4, Equinox V6) in our comparison tests and at AJAC’s TestFest was a revelation after feeling like it struggled when first driving it.
And in recent months, I’ve discovered (or forced upon myself more like it) the relaxing joys of going slow. I keep telling myself: “Hey, this ain’t so bad…” and it is paying off in my first week with the CR-V. Not only is the fuel consumption promisingly low, but I arrive at work with less stress and reach our destinations with less hate-filled aggression.
Now that our therapy session is over, let me tell you a little about this car. You may not believe it, but what Honda arranged for us was essentially a base model, the LX, with the only option being AWD, a feature that is nice to have, but probably unnecessary for my suburban to city-outskirts office commute and our almost exclusively in-town routine. Hey, you try to get out of town with a three-year-old and an infant in tow. I’d rather sleep thank you very much.
