A recent article in the Wall St. Journal announced that the Honda CR-V is the best selling SUV in America. That's no surprise to us, we've sold hundreds because of the handling, comfort, fuel economy and space the CR-V offers. Customers of all walks of life agree:
Deb Nison is a data warehouse developer in Portland, Ore., who likes to go snowboarding on nearby Mt. Hood. Once upon a time, she drove a Chevy TrailBlazer, and later a Subaru Forester. Today, she owns a 2007 Honda CR-V.
"I like the way it handles," she says. She appreciates feeling "ridiculously safe" in a vehicle with standard head protecting airbags. And for an SUV, she says, it gets "decent mileage" -- about 23 miles per gallon so far around town.
Ms. Nison is just one reason why the Honda CR-V is, as of June 30, America's best-selling sport-utility vehicle. The CR-V's rise, and the parallel collapse in demand for "real" SUVs like the TrailBlazer and the one-time King of SUVs, the Ford Explorer, reveal a lot about why the American auto industry is in the shape it's in right now.
Our favorite part of the article talks about the near meteoric sales growth of the CR-V when compared to the decline in sales of larger SUVs such as Hummers and Explorers:
In the late 1990s, the CR-V sold modestly compared to the mighty Explorer. In 1997, Honda sold just shy of 67,000. By 2000, sales had risen to just over 118,000. In other words, barely half of one Explorer assembly plant's annual production. The Explorer, and the even larger SUVs such as the Hummer H2 that built on its success, were the T-Rexes of the American road. The Honda CR-V was the furtive mammal, scurrying to stay out of harm's way.
Did somebody say, asteroid?
The 2007 models are the third generation of the CR-V, and made it a safer, more stylish and comfortable vehicle:
Generation III, launched in 2007, combines an efficient interior package, five-star front and side crash-test ratings, AND styling that is sportier on the outside, and clever and uncluttered on the inside. One other wise choice Honda made was to keep the CR-V a four-cylinder model, with highway fuel economy rated at 30 mpg for two-wheel-drive models, 28 for the all-wheel drive. On the road, the CR-V is quiet, and at just over 3,500 pounds, it is less ponderous and easier to maneuver than a standard SUV. It also does better on the government rollover test, scoring four stars to an Explorer's three.
If you're in the market for an SUV, we invite you to come check out the CR-V at Honda North. We'll be happy to show you why the CR-V is America's best selling SUV, and offer you a great deal on one as well! Click here to see our real-time inventory of new Honda cars and trucks.