Have had the CRV AT for 6 months now and am very happy with it. In general the SUV has been trouble free bringing smile to our faces whenever we take it for long drives. The only gripe is the fuel efficieny - a paltry 6.5 kmpl - but then our long drives are limited to twice a month so it doesnt pinch that hard.
The engine is excellent, displaying linear acceleration (CVT is great), smooth crusing, and good middle end torque. The fit and finish spectacular by any standards which is not surprising knowing that the car is completely built in Japan, a country known for fanatical excellence. The music system (Alpine - dealer installed) is limp at best....cant believe they couldnt install a decent one for this 17Lakh car!
The space in the front and the rear row is excellent; this includes leg-room, head room and space to stretch for 3 passengers in the back seat. Too bad they dont have a head-rest for the passenger in the middle of the rear seat, a definite must in the Indian market. There is a slight body roll but nothing compared to body on frame configurations like Endevour. That leads me to a quick commentary on the other cars we compared while shopping -
Skoda Octavia - Nice car with a ’’German’’ feel (yes I know it’s Czech), however its a pure drivers car ie if you plan to hire a driver you’ll lose half the fun. Not to mention the rear seats are cramped.
Ford Endevour - Our initial top runner but it gradually slid down the charts due to flimsy fit and finish and a not so suave engine. Almost made me think I was standing next to the driver in a BEST bus.
Hyundai Tuscon - Way too plasticy inside and out. Looks like a zoomed in toy SUV. Engine - CRDi - was definitely smooth, fit and finish average.
Toyota Innova - Hmmmmmm....nice van, but looks too lame (read shouts Soccess Mom)
Now for the bad part - the dealer network sucks...Linkway, who I picked this from is a scam, lying about availability, changing the ’’free’’ options a couple of days before I was to pick it up, and being plain ignorant about the details of this car. To sell a car of this calibre and luxury (by Indian standards), Honda needs to train the dealers and salesmen, and monitor the dealerships by soliciting customer feedback, to ensure that they can be half at good as the car itself. The lady who sold us the car - and she did not have any influence on the decision thanks to the internet - was unawares of air bags, CVT, and avbl options.
Arya Honda, where I picked my other car from, albeit a City, was better but only marginally. The Salesman there was better in terms of vehicle info though a conman in terms of promises he made.
Last, getting service appointments take a good amout of planning.
The rant done, I would say the CRV is well worth it. Comfortable inside, stunning looking outside, excellent finish, powerful AC, good safety features and if you get a after market stereo system installed...you have an absolute winner.