I admit it; I hate the new '07 CR-V

[agentwahine]

I have been a very loyal and avid fan of the CR-V since first getting my little green beauty in the fall of 1999 (her vin # says she's a 2000).
CRooVy and I traveled up and down the California coast happily over the last 7 years, me surfing the various spots and she, I guess enjoying having a little sand in her crevices and racking up highway miles in cruise control. I loved the way I could put down the back seats, put a sleeping pad under my sleeping bag and my dog and I would be quite comfortable camping out in the back. I loved how you could see another first or second generation CR-V on the highway at night in front of you and know right away from the rear spare tire and high placed running lights...it was a CR-V. If the second generation seemed like it was big enough to almost be a medium size SUV, the first generation was just the right size for me.

Well.....Honda really lost me on this one. Like every other CR-V owner, I saw the ads on TV with Elvis belting out "Burning Love" and so I was intrigued of course, curious to see it in the flesh. Immediately my pretentiousness meter went into overdrive. OMG.....they are trying to make it look like a Lexus! Where the hell is the back tire? What did they do with the rear windows and why is it all smushed up in the rear? And lo and behold, the back seats don't lay flat! And how SMALL is it? Compare it to the second generation and even to the first and you'll see. I am heartsick because I SO wanted to like the third edition. Oh well.

Serendipitously, when my family said I needed a new car because I had nearly 200,000 miles on my Honda....I just shrugged....and went down to the Toyota dealership.....to get the new Rav 4.

[AudioGuy93DelSol]

That's life. Unfortunatly car manufacturers don't revolve around each person. It'd be nice though...

[smarties]

It does look very different from the original, which made me fascinated with it. But the interior is so much smaller than it used to be .. reminds me of the Accord sedan, in a way.

[mikept03]

Originally Posted by agentwahine

I have been a very loyal and avid fan of the CR-V since first getting my little green beauty in the fall of 1999 (her vin # says she's a 2000).
CRooVy and I traveled up and down the California coast happily over the last 7 years, me surfing the various spots and she, I guess enjoying having a little sand in her crevices and racking up highway miles in cruise control. I loved the way I could put down the back seats, put a sleeping pad under my sleeping bag and my dog and I would be quite comfortable camping out in the back. I loved how you could see another first or second generation CR-V on the highway at night in front of you and know right away from the rear spare tire and high placed running lights...it was a CR-V. If the second generation seemed like it was big enough to almost be a medium size SUV, the first generation was just the right size for me.

Well.....Honda really lost me on this one. Like every other CR-V owner, I saw the ads on TV with Elvis belting out "Burning Love" and so I was intrigued of course, curious to see it in the flesh. Immediately my pretentiousness meter went into overdrive. OMG.....they are trying to make it look like a Lexus! Where the hell is the back tire? What did they do with the rear windows and why is it all smushed up in the rear? And lo and behold, the back seats don't lay flat! And how SMALL is it? Compare it to the second generation and even to the first and you'll see. I am heartsick because I SO wanted to like the third edition. Oh well.

Serendipitously, when my family said I needed a new car because I had nearly 200,000 miles on my Honda....I just shrugged....and went down to the Toyota dealership.....to get the new Rav 4.

I know exactly what you mean. I drove my grandparents' 98 CR-V through Utah a few summers ago, and took it through some pretty bad dirt roads, and loved almost everything about it, how it drove like a car and got good mileage, but was still somewhat rugged, and I loved being able to just choose a random dirt road just to see where it goes and get away from everyone else in their cars. The seats that folded into a bed and the picnic table were great. I wanted to buy that car off of them but unfortunately it was in an accident and was never quite the same again.

Now I'm looking to buy a new car to replace my 98 Chevy Malibu, and I too was really disappointed in the 07 CR-V. It looks too much like a minivan and they lowered it even more, taking away any ruggedness it had left. And then they come out saying that they're marketing it to women in their 30s. I'm a 22 year old guy, and all I'm looking for is a car that can handle the occasional adventure or camping trip, but be easy to handle at home in the city too.

I guess I've got a tough decision too then, I don't really like the RAV4 either, it just seems to be totally lacking in personality. Now if Honda came out with something like the Element but with four real doors and seating for 5 I'd be so happy.

[00accord44]

Originally Posted by agentwahine

Serendipitously, when my family said I needed a new car because I had nearly 200,000 miles on my Honda....I just shrugged....and went down to the Toyota dealership.....to get the new Rav 4.

Largest word ever to be spelled and used correctly on AF.... congratulations (the former largest word to be spelled and used correctly on AF)