Test drive Honda CR-V 2002-2004 SUV

Ladies - by "Hondas"

What is more important for the new Honda CR-V beautiful walk or obstacle run?

Tell me, dear reader: would you evaluate the skill of tennis player by his ability to climb the rocks? Of course not. And why, I ask myself, we often judge the cars as if any new model is simply obliged to combine all possible advantages? Dynamics and spaciousness, patency and comfort and still desirable low price and chic finish. Is it not reasonable and this is my last rhetorical question to agree with Mr. Putkov that it is impossible to embrace the immense, and each machine should be capable of exactly what is intended for? Such a unpretentious thought occurred to me when I sadly watched my brothers automobile journalists mocking Honda CR-V. For some reason, the organizers of the test drive pulled out this beauty from the city-preigorod, where she would live happily ever after, and placed in the extreme conditions of the Dmitrov auto polish, where it was saved only by a miracle. Probably, I thought, it was done specifically, so that each of us could finally understand: the horse and trembling doe are good separately, and if they cross them, some kind of Przhevalsky horse will come out. If such a calculation was made very subtly.

The automobile landfill in Dmitrov is dangerous, especially for an unprepared person. There are also complex areas that, running ahead, I will say, Honda withstood with dignity. And yet she looked like a beautiful civilized girl who fell into the hands of the natives of the poorly studied Indonesian island. It’s good that this story has a happy ending.

Okay, I start the engine, listen and hear almost nothing quietly, like in a desert without wind. CR-V is still equipped with only one power unit with a volume of 2 liters and a capacity of 150 hp, which is 3 hp. More than the previous version of the model. I started with a car equipped with a 5-speed mechanical checkpoint. I go to the first special vehicle with long straight, snakes and various types of coatings. It makes it possible to make a first impression of a car.

The first thing I note the soft clutch pedal is poorly informative, however, with a short course. I would like to be wider. But the woman will have to be just right. And in city traffic jams the leg will not get tired. I do not dare to judge whether it is good or bad. It all depends on what you require from the car. I’m going in a straight line -confident, without sharp pickups. For this, special thanks to the branded system for changing the phases of gas distribution I-VTEC. The aggressive driver will be boring, but the calm about the best and did not dream.

But here is a snake in front. The steering wheel, which was at first quite light, as if it was poured with lead in the first turn, passed at speed. Feedback is felt, but I would like it to be more expressed. And again, a girl or a person who does not want to constantly develop muscles, the excessive severity of the steering wheel is useless. The same with the suspension. CR-V is noticeably rolling in steep turns. This is bad if you buy a carpentin driving car or for the same Dmitrov training ground. And it is very good if you value comfort and operate the car mainly in urban conditions. Here, for example, the asphalt ended under the wheels, and I went to the so -called Brussels pavement. Unexpected stones, if you ride on them in a sports car, will deliver a lot of unpleasant sensations. And on Honda another thing is shaking, of course, but not too much, a bottle of mineral water will not slip out of the hands.

Everything said for CR-V with a mechanical box is correct for the version with a machine gun. From my point of view, it is the automatic transmission that is very suitable for the new CR-V. Especially considering that this car ceases to be a purely male vehicle and more, perhaps, is focused on women.

The second part of the test took place on a special highway imitating the mountain roads, ascents, steep turns. Here, CR-V with a machine gun clearly lost a version with a mechanical gearbox. The accelerator pedal is already in the floor, but there is no quick reaction. That is, for the conquest of the peaks, the mechanics should be preferred, for urban traffic jams, the automatic transmission, automatic transmission. At the Dmitrov hill, the full -wheel drive system fully manifested itself. It should be noted that on the Honda CR-V, as well as on most compact SUVs of competitors, only when slipping the front wheels are connected. In fact, this means that the demolition of the front axis was barely outlined, the rear wheels correct the position. Unless, of course, the speed is not too high. Otherwise, the car will begin to slide in all four wheels out of turn, which, in principle, is characteristic of all all -wheel drive cars. Meanwhile, an experienced driver can control the car without any problems and in such a situation. The beginner will certainly click on the brake, which should not be done. But even in this case, I think, nothing terrible should happen, the ABS and EBD are insured. The brakes, by the way, are very effective.

As for the off -road qualities of the machine, it was not possible to check them in practice. And is it necessary? Honda CR-V is, in general, to a greater extent a passenger car, not a jeep, it is good on it in the city or on trips to a picnic, and not to hunt.

It is good that during a test drive, those who wanted to drive along the same route on the old CR-V were given to those who wish. So on the mountain area the previous version behaved, I risk noticing, more collected. Here the steering wheel is more informative, and smaller rolls. But the new, undoubtedly, is more comfortable, not to mention the appearance and stylish salon.

Champagne to designers!

They can afford to raise glasses with a full basis: the car, as they say, was a success. Designers created a car from scratch, without turning to previous developments. Therefore, CR-V is not so similar to its predecessor. The highlight, as usual, is in details: the front headlights float on the hood and look as if playfully, as they look at an sometimes liberated beauty; The original grille of the radiator and the characteristic stamping on the hood emphasize independence, and the rear lights stretched along the side racks look like Casual fashionable clothes. The spare wheel is still located outside the new wide bumper, and is closed by an original plastic cap with the inscription Honda. If you look at CR-V in the profile, the increased doorways will certainly pay attention to themselves. The only thing that does not harmonize too much with the exquisite appearance of the novelty is the exhaust system. She is perhaps too visible. On the other hand, this was done intentionally to achieve a flat floor in the cabin, without characteristic tunnels, and the latter was always proud of.

The interior can be described in two words: magnificent and original. The quality of the finish is beyond praise, even black plastic looks ten thousand dollars, besides, it is pleasant to the touch. There is no hint of cheapness. The salon is designed in such a way that there is a feeling that you are not in a jeep, albeit compact, but in an expensive European sedan. What is the handle of the parking brake, permitted to the right of the steering wheel, directly on the central panel! To use it, you need to pull the lever, and click on the chrome button on it to remove the parking brake. I had never seen anything like this before.

The handle of a mechanical checkpoint is located in a familiar place, which can not be said about CR-V with an automatic gearbox. Its lever is located in the immediate vicinity of the instrument shield, on the right side. Moreover, he is so miniature and his move is so thin and small that I involuntarily thought that he demanded careful, female treatment. In the upper part of the instrument panel, an audio system with a compact drive player was located. It sounds good, although it all depends on the configuration that the buyer chooses. Under it is a special compartment for small luggage and knobs of microclimate control in the cabin. The air conditioner is included in the basic CR-V, and climate control is offered as an option.

Thanks to the flat floor, the driver and passenger does not share the tunnel. Instead, there is a miniature table with two cup holders. And there are a great many different boxes, recesses and pockets for small things. For example, there is a compartment for glasses in the ceiling and a special retractable pallet placed in the lower part of the front seats.

Despite the compactness of the car, the rear passengers have plenty of space space. And to get ahead with maximum convenience and is not at all difficult. The seats of the driver and the front passenger have a full set of necessary adjustments, including the possibility of moving up and down. The lamb is also adjusted both vertically and horizontally. In a word, it will be convenient for both a strong man and a fragile lady.

The luggage compartment is quite capacious and also equipped with special boxes and pockets for luggage. The rear seats fold in parts. And the door, which opens to the right, provides excellent access to the baggage.

Calculation for stable demand

Honda CR-V has long won a good reputation in Russia and, one might say, is in stable demand. It is hardly a stylish new version that men will cool, but the model is quite capable of expanding the circle of customers due to the female half of humanity.

Among the main competitors of Toyota Rav4, Land Rover Freelander and Mitsubishi Pajero Pinin. However, Honda has an expressive design. And the price does not look sky -high from 30 thousand dollars for a version with a mechanical gearbox, in a rather rich configuration. In addition to the already listed, the base includes electrically controlled glass and heated mirrors, the brake force distribution system (EBD), four airbags, a central castle and an immobilizer.

Andrey Osipov
 

Source: Newspaper "Automobile Izvestia" [No. 8 (11), 2002]