2005 Honda CR-V SE Sport review from UK and Ireland

Nothing so far, but the car is only a few weeks old.

Traded up to this from a Honda Accord, which had given faultless service.

The CR-V for 2005 (in the UK at least) comes with a number of improvements, for example, revised multi-pod headlamps, additional curtain airbags, 'drive by wire' throttle.

The car has so far proved to be more economical than I feared - expected 25mpg, but getting nearer 28 mpg, in a mix of town/motorway driving.

My kids love the extra space in the back, and shopping trips to the supermarket no longer involve squashed groceries - there is acres of space all round.

The 2.0 litre petrol engine has a lot of metal to shift, but the car still has a good turn of speed. There is an excellent 2.2 litre diesel out in March (as used in the latest Accord) but although mpg and and performance is much improved, for my motoring needs, I could not justify the price premium. Even Honda state that you need to drive in excess of 20,000 miles a year to recoup the higher price tag.

Overall build quality seems fantastic. It seems much better than my old Accord, and that proved very durable. Some of the motoring press say the interior is too dark and plain gloomy. I would admit that it is hardly exciting, but everything is well laid out and very easy to use.

Final selling point for me, is my local Honda dealer. The service they provide is just so much more friendly and efficient than those of other manufacturers that I've tried.