1997 Honda CR-V Test Drive

Honda didn’t want to call the CR-V a “mini-ute”, because it was only a tenth of an inch shorter than the Passport and was a full 14 longer than a comparable 4-door Toyota RAV4. Beneath the CR-V’s skin was a long stroke 2.0 liter inline-4 with 130 hp and 135 lb.ft. of torque, put to use by a full time AWD system that used a center clutch pack to apportion power exactly where it was needed. Though not truck based, the CR-V was capable off road, and managed to feel very carlike on the road. Considering that I was the first “real” Honda sport-ute, and that it was offered for less than $20K success was inevitable.