2007 Honda CR-V

For its 10th year on the market, the CR-V has shed its boxy sport/utility wrappings to reveal its true crossover identity. It's always been car-based, with little off-road capability, but as sales trends move toward smaller, lighter vehicles, the Honda is now free to be itself. The 2007 model looks elongated and squashed down, but the dimensions haven't changed much: It's shorter (by 3.0 inches; the spare's now underneath), wider (1.4 inches), lower (0.1 inch), and rides on a shorter wheelbase (0.2 inch). Also gone is the left-to-right side-swinging cargo door, which forced you to walk into traffic to retrieve groceries. The rear door's now hinged on top.

Last year's 16-valve i-VTEC DOHC four has been upgraded, with 166 horsepower instead of 156, and with one more pound-foot of torque, its peak at a higher rpm. Combine that with the 60 or so pounds the CR-V gained, and it's no surprise it doesn't blow the doors off the competition.

It's tighter in turns and quieter on the highway than in the past. Steering is responsive and linear, and the revised MacPherson-strut front and multilink rear suspension offers a decent balance of agility and comfort, making the CR-V behave like an oversized Accord. As expected, it also comes with plenty of standard safety equipment--the front end uses the ACE body structure, and all trim levels have front, front-side, and dual-row side-curtain airbags, ABS, stability control, brake assist, and a tire-pressure-monitoring system. While pedal feel was good in both preproduction units we drove, the first one's brakes were grabby and engine braking came in too soon, making stops abrupt. The second one's brakes had the right balance of firm response and smooth deceleration. We hope that was the more accurate representative.

The cabin blends Honda's excellent fit and finish with the simple function CR-V owners will want. The fold-and-tumble 40/20/40 rear seat can hold two child seats, or one in the middle that can slide closer to the front row--in case Mom or Dad needs to have a chat with Junior.

Honda has taken the positive attributes that make the CR-V its perennial best-seller and added style, better handling, and a hint of cool. Final pricing hadn't been announced as of press time, but given the automaker's low-$20,000 estimated starting point, it looks like it'll continue to be a great value.