2007 Honda CRV

We went on the road - traveled the length of California to test the 2007 Honda CR-V as a tow car. For the most part, the 2007 is similar to the other two (1999 & 2003) CRV's we owned previously as far as towing procedure/towability is concerned - but that is where the similarities end. The 2007 CR-V is more like a luxury car and not just a convenient car to drag around behind the motorhome.

Our first CR-V was so tinny, we dubbed her the "BC-BC" (or BC2). BC stood for "beer can" or "Barbie car". She was small and came with no bells (or whistles). The later models did improve on safety, but there were still few options available. The CR-V was a bare-bones towable.

NEW NEW NEW

Finally, in 2007, Honda has really improved on this popular model. The body style has morphed to a sleeker, less boxy, model and the spare tire no longer is mounted on the back hatch door. This is an improvement - in looks, to be sure - plus it is much easier now to place a bike rack on the back end of the car. The spare tire is now in a well, under the rear storage compartment. I suppose if you need to reach the spare, everything in the rear cargo area will have to be removed... but since it took two adults thirty minutes to get the tire cover off the rear-mounted spare, I think this is a good compromise.

After an afternoon at Roadmaster in Portland, Oregon

The 2007 owners manual goes into much detail about towing the CR-V safely behind a motorhome! The automatic transmission, all-wheel-all-the-time car can be towed "four-down" meaning a dolly is not required. The odometer does not register while the car is in tow. Fuses do not need to be pulled from the radio/clock unless you are towing for more than eight hours. (We have never pulled a fuse and have never had a dead battery - but eight hours is about as long as we have ever driven in a day.) When you reach your destination for the night, start the car and let it run for three-to-five minutes or more, before turning the car off completely.

The towing procedure is basically the same as with the previous models: warm-up the car, run it through the gears, move the gear from DRIVE to NEUTRAL. Honda now says to allow the car three minutes in NEUTRAL before turning the car key one-notch towards OFF (to the "accessory" position). It is important to make sure the radio, seat warmers and heater/air conditioner are off and that the parking brake is not set. In previous versions, the brake was on a lever and it was simple to see if it was set or not. On the 2007, the parking brake is a push-on/push-off floor lever and you can only easily see if the brake is set if the brake light icon is illuminated on the dash. (I do not like this feature!) Something else I do not like is that when the car is turned to "accessory" mode, the dash is no longer illuminated. In the older CR-V's, it was easy to double-check that you were, indeed, in NEUTRAL. It will be easy to get used to these two changes, however, as the new features in the 4WD EX-L CR-V more than make-up for my small disappointment.

Mom's new ride

The car is loaded! Leather, heated seats, sun-roof, GPS, XM-radio, iPod-ready, 6 CD changer, back-up camera, sun roof, power door locks, remote entry system with alarm, wood trim, outside temperature gauge, tons of cup holders, two glove boxes, side-impact air bags - and it comes in a nice grey color to match our RV! With a nearly 16-gallon fuel tank, and great fuel efficiency, you won't have to fill-up often. Fuel-use is constantly monitored, so you know you average MPG and how many miles until you are out of gasoline - same with the oil gauge; they tell you how much "oil life" is remaining in percentage.

The GPS isn't the best available, though I am still happy we went with this option. We tested (and purchased) the Garmin Nuvi last year and still think it is one of the best models on the market. (Read my review.) The Nuvi is a little more sophisticated in that it says "in a quarter mile, turn left on Third Street", where the Honda GPS systems says "in a quarter mile make a left turn". The only street names mentioned by the Honda GPS have been major interstate freeways. (Okay, now I'm just being picky... or am I? The GPS wasn't free. It was quite expensive - I think with all the fabulous systems available, this version is a weak effort.) The Honda GPS system does feature "voice control" - the entire GPS and audio system can be operated by speaking aloud. Press a button on the steering wheel and say "post office" and the GPS will find one for you. Say "FM radio 91.5" and the station magically changes! Don't want to look at your watch? Say "what time is it?" and the "voice" will tell you the time. Touch the screen and your location and altitude appear immediately. The GPS also has a calendar, calculator and other stuff we probably will never use. One cool thing on the navigation screen is the back-up camera. Anytime the car is in reverse (even if the GPS/radio is OFF) the back-up camera (mounted/hidden on the back of the car) illuminates the screen with a fish-eye view behind the car. Pretty cool - safety first!

The GPS screen


Back-up camera: somebody needs to pressure-wash their driveway

The 2007 Honda CR-V starts at $20,600 for the basic 2 wheel drive model; the totally-loaded 4WD EX-L starts at $26,000. They are in high demand - we had to wait a few months for our new "toad".

After a long day on the road

Disclaimer: This is my opinion and I could be wrong. Read the owner manual before attempting to tow a car behind your motorhome! The Camping Journal or Terry Taylor are not affiliated in any way with Honda.