A car that fits 3 carseats on the back seat (Honda CR-V in general)

Member Name: zerub

Product:	Honda CR-V in general
Date:	21/09/09 (157 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Lots of space for the kids and our stuff

Disadvantages: The boot door gets parked in sometimes

I have a Honda CRV automatic made in 2004.

This review is about the interior of the car. All the bits that I want to know about a new car and are never included in a What Car review! As to the engine - the car goes fast enough for me, thanks. And it's easy to drive. And the outside? Looks ok to me - see the picture above!

** The important bit **

Right. Let's start at the back. The most important thing - you can fit 3 child carseats on the back seat. Woohoo! I have a Bebe Confort 9mth-4yr seat, a Jane high-backed booster and a Nania high-backed booster in a row. The space between the two boosters is a little tight - I can reach in and do the seatbelts up fairly easily but the children struggle to do their own.

Because the car is high up, there is plenty of space for luggage under the children's feet - that's where the travel cot goes when we go on holiday.

The back seat moves forward and back so you can squish the kids up and have more boot space. You can also make sure you can reach back and hand toys/food to the children from the passenger seat.

The back seat is split 2/3 of the way along, so you can put all or some of it down to carry a large object in the boot. And the whole thing folds down and forward (up against the back of the front seat). That's all pretty easy to do.

The boot is big, it's great. You can take the base of the boot out, and it's a flat plastic square. Turn it over - and it has pull-out legs. Hey presto, a picnic table! No use if you're not also lugging picnic chairs around, but still. I'm easily pleased and I like it.

The boot opens like a door. This means you don't need to stretch up to a boot that you can't quite reach. It is a nuisance when someone parks right behind you, and you can't get the door open enough to get the pram back in.

In between the two front seats is a little tray for your phone and so on, which folds down so you can walk between the seats. This is particularly useful when you've climbed into the back of the car to do up the seatbelts, and shut the door behind you 'cos it's raining, and then realised the childlocks are on and you can't get out again... There is also space underneath the tray for your handbag.

Just underneath the cd player is a little cubbyhole that is linked to the air-conditioning - a mini coolbox. This sounded like a great idea, and it does stay quite cool when you switch the engine off. But I wouldn't recommend leaving a pack of chocolate buttons in it for several hours when the car is parked in sun.

Hmm, I do have one thing to say about the engine. Its a 4x4. Kind of. The 4x4 clicks in when it's needed, you don't have to pay it any attention. I've only ever used it to drive down a snowy hill - well, that worked. I don't think you buy this car if you want a 4x4, it more of an estate car on stilts. I wanted a car that would fit all the kids and our stuff in, and my husband didn't want an estate or a people carrier. This is a great compromise.

Oh, and we test-drove a Freelander too and eeugh I felt horribly carsick in the passenger seat. I do get seasick on wet grass, but still. The CRV felt fine.

There you go, all the things that are important to me about the car.

Summary: I like my car

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