   2013 Honda CR-V LX AWD. Click image to enlarge |
But enough about driving, what really attracted me to the CR-V was the interior space. The front seats have proven very comfortable, even with only height, recline and fore-aft adjustability, and I quite like cloth they are covered in. I can’t say much about the rear seat comfort since the two outboard position are permanently occupied by a child seat and infant seat (or at least its base), but I may have sold the CR-V short in previous comments about its width. It is indeed more accommodating between the child seats for a teensy adult or adolescent, if barely. While still a struggle to secure the seatbelt with the seats crowding the middle occupant, once in place it offers at least sufficient hiproom for short trips without being labelled torture. Lengthwise, even with the reverse facing seat there is sufficient room for an adult – plenty of room for my wife, and just barely enough room for me to sit in a normal position, but with knees uncomfortably less than an inch from the glovebox.
Cargo room in the trunk is great, handling the hockey bag mentioned above, with room for stroller, toboggan and more. I’ve yet to transport appliances or furniture, but we’ll see if we can find something that pushes the hauling abilities, and although the rear seats could be easily dropped using the handles at the back of the cargo area, first I would have to remove the child seats, which is not something I like to do. However, previous experience and the 2,000+ L max cargo volume spec means this little ute can become a big hauler.
And while the big things are covered by that big cargo bay (well, technically, they wouldn’t be covered since there is no cargo cover with the LX model), the little things are also taken into consideration. In addition to two wide cupholders below the console mounted shifter, there is also a massive storage bin with a scroll-top cover that could easily hide an iPad, if not a quite a full laptop. It’s also a good size for a bag of your favourite drive-through fast food. That bin is also where the USB port is located (auxiliary and 12V power outlet, too), though I have only used that rarely as the Bluetooth connection sorts out my music needs just fine.
The doors too offer additional storage, with large door pockets that include a bottle holder, plus an extra tray under the door handle that perfectly fits my sunglasses – I actually prefer using this for my sunglasses rather than the roof-console sunglasses holder that also incorporates a nanny mirror. However, the door panel seems somewhat flimsy and loose, and like most of the interior, is all hard plastic, with the exception of the padded door armrest, and a folding middle armrest that I really appreciate — because I am so lazy, I hate having to hold my arms up when driving.
