Touring Through Japan

Posts Tagged ‘Honda Civic’

The Honda CR-V was first released in 1996 and was an offshoot from demands for a medium-sized sports utility van from owners of the Honda Civic.  Not known to many is the meaning of CR-V and it actually a hot topic that has been debated since 1996. Those looking for the used Honda CR-V for sale have been known to call it “Compact Recreational Vehicle” while some have fondly called it “Comfortable Runabout Vehicle” instead. It’s really not a serious debate, just a bit of trivia for potential buyers of the used Honda CR-V for sale.

Since 1996, the CR-V has gone through several changes and generations. The timeline of the 3 generations are as follows:
From 1996 to 2001 is the time range of the first generation. This first model has one trim level, the LX while its engine is similar to that of the 1.8 Integra. The chassis is termed as a uni-body with a 4 wheel double wishbone suspension. It has the picnic table and you can fold the rear seats to more storage space. There are two kinds of grille design for this generation: the US black plastic and the chrome grille.
From 2002 to 2006, Honda released the second generation and was an offshoot of the 7th generation Honda Civic. The chassis was improved and had more bending rigidity while suspension was upgraded th the MacPherson struts and rear double wishbone. This model garnered Small SUV awards for the years 2002 and 2003.
From 2007 and up to today is the third generation CR-V and it has the latest K-series of Honda with a 2.4 liter, 4 cylinder engine. The US version no longer carries the manual transmission although it’s very popular in other countries.  Some of the notable changes are the placement of the spare tire and the lower chassis. It is also wider but shorter. In addition, there is a center rear seat which can be used as a pass-through.