1998 Honda CR-V EX review from North America

Squeal from the rear differential when the AWD system kicked in. Changed differential fluid and noise went away.

After my 1995 Ford Mustang GT started to fall apart I got a good deal on a 1998 Honda CR-V to fill the gap till I could afford another vehicle more suited to my needs and wants.

I don't have a family and don't routinely haul friends around so I didn't really need the seating. I did make use of the cargo space on a few occasions for some furniture shopping and was surprised to fit a rather large bookcase into the back with half sticking out through the pop up glass hatch.

I took it off the road a couple of times and was impressed by how the AWD drive system pulled itself through some sloppy mud and standing water. I've heard that this thing will get stuck on a hill if you don't go straight up and over. One of the limitations of not having a limited slip differential. If one wheel on each axle somehow lifts off the ground at the same time then you may lose power to the other wheels suddenly.

As with most all Honda products they are pioneers in the art of crafting torque-less yet wonderfully resilient engines. The B20 2.0L inline 4 cylinder engine is puny when looking at horsepower to weight numbers for a vehicle of this size. Of course, I am slightly biased coming from a 5.0L v8 on my Mustang. For me, a 0-60 time of 10.2 seconds is enough to make me want to nod off for a nap out of sheer boredom waiting for the uninspiring flat torque curve to build. This vehicle is for riding in the far right lane of the highway where I'm not normally accustomed to being. That being said the engine is very sturdy and is ready for punishment. In the attempt to tap every bit of power I could I would send this engine to redline over and over again all day long and the engine was no worse for wear.

Overall fit and finish is very good in this vehicle. However, I think that certain vehicles and certain vehicle manufactures just don't tailor to people with certain body types or body proportions. For me I've always had a hard time fitting into a Honda of most any type. It is as if they prefer to put the pedals up close and the steering wheel far away. Also, I'm 6'2" and while overall the vehicle is more than roomy enough for me I found that the gas pedal placement was just all wrong for my lanky leg. My knee went one way then my ankle had to come back another and then twist my foot back again to line up with the pedal. After about 30 minutes I found the ligaments in my knee start to tighten up and was relieved to get out of the vehicle and walk off the soreness.

I think its evident this vehicle wasn't really for me. One thing that I did come away with owning this vehicle is how nice AWD can be. The brief period that I had there were several terrible rain storms around the Dallas area. That's were even the diminutive 126HP engine would leave behind a pack of cars at an intersection. Also, several occasions where bad wrecks had closed down the highway ahead of me and I took full advantage of the AWD to lug myself across a grassy median to hop over onto a service road. The AWD has intrigued me enough to where I'm seriously considering my next major car purchase to be a Subaru, serious AWD with serious turbo performance.