 2013 Honda CR-V. Click image to enlarge |
Mini-Road Trip, by Jonathan Yarkony
Before handing off the reins to Jeff, we took the CR-V for a short road trip from the GTA out to Picton, Ontario, in Prince Edward County. It’s a little over 200 km each way, and we saw a very efficient 7.5 L/100 km on this almost exclusively highway drive.
Not only was it efficient, it was comfortable. There is a bit of wind noise, and the winter tires are also a touch louder than I’d like, but our road trips are spent talking with the family and singing time, and it was quiet enough that we didn’t need to struggle over the noise.
The ‘mouse-fur’ seats, as Jeff called them, are excellent even on a non-stop two hour drive, and the comfort-oriented suspension make this an excellent cruiser, and the large cargo area was still underwhelmed even when filled with portable crib, stroller and weekend supplies for our family of four, so packing was as easy as tossing in our gear, no thought or planning required.
On the return leg, we luckily spotted (aided by the excellent forward visibility) a serious jam on the 401 before committing to the onramp, so we continued on an Ontario side-road adventure. At this point, I was starting to wish for a trade-off of some of the practicality and efficiency for something that has the capacity to entertain and thrill, or at least stay a little more stable when taking on a twisty road. Between the soft, 17-inch winter tires and comfort-oriented suspension, the body roll quickly curbed any fun I attempted.
  2013 Honda CR-V. Click image to enlarge |
Pricing: 2013 Honda CR-V LX AWD
Base Price (LX AWD): $28,140
Options: none
Freight & PDI: $1,640
A/C Tax: $100
Total: $29,880
Competitors
Chevrolet Equinox
Ford Escape
GMC Terrain
Hyundai Tucson
Kia Sportage
Mazda CX-5
Mitsubishi Outlander
Nissan Rogue
Subaru Forester
Toyota RAV4
Volkswagen Tiguan
Crash test results
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS)
