CR-V Is Practical Parenting Top 4x4 Choice

What’s the best 4x4 for young families? Look no further than the Honda CR-V which recently received a special Editor’s Award from Practical Parenting magazine.

In its March 2004 issue the publication looked at choosing a bigger car to suit the needs of a growing family, testing 12 of the best estate cars, 4x4s and MPVs. The CR-V 2.0 i-VTEC SE emerged as one of just two vehicles to gain the coveted 5 star Editor’s Award.

Honda’s latest 4x4 was given a gruelling workout by testers Laura Makin and partner Kingsley Ilett, mum and dad to Alexandra, 7 and twins Maisie and Phoebe, 15 months.

The family admired the CR-V’s substantial looks and user friendliness. They were impressed by the trio of 3-point rear seat belts and found it an easy vehicle in which to locate the child seats. But the feature which really won them over was the independently sliding and folding rear seats. They also noted that the boot easily accommodated a double buggy plus the family’s luggage.

Laura said: "It’s easy to drive and there are cupholders, a cool box and lots of compartments. We liked the car we tested so much, we’re hoping to buy one!"

The Practical Parenting Award is the latest of a series of endorsements for the Swindon-built second generation CR-V. Furthermore the Honda is the only 4x4 so far tested to achieve a Euro NCAP 4 star occupant safety rating with a 3 star rating for pedestrian safety.

Other recent awards gained by Honda include "Best Hot Hatch" for Civic Type-R in the What Car? Awards – and "Best Supermini" for the Jazz and "Best Diesel" for the Accord i-CTDi in the Top Gear Awards. Honda as a brand was also listed 16th in The Sunday Times "100 best companies to work for in the UK", the only car company represented.