I had the pleasure of driving with Yoyomama’s Annemarie Templeman-Kluit over the Sea to Sky Highway in a Honda CR-V.  Final destination: the Fairmont Chateau Whistler.  I was never very familiar with Honda, and after meeting Steven Weber and getting a mini-university education on the innovations within the CR-V, I feel like an expert.  (And I kind of geeked out while I listened.)  Wow!  Cool!  What’s a powertrain again?  (And why would all these car companies advertise the warranty on one when most of us have no clue what it is?)

We began our trip by loading the car.  Piles and piles of coolers, carseats, suitcases, beach balls, canoe paddles and hockey bags were piled on the floor.  I looked at the pile skeptically and took photos as Annemarie loaded up.  Ha ha.  But it all fit! I was shocked at how much space there was.

During the drive, we played jokes on each other with the voice-activated commands which culminated in Annemarie raising the passenger seat temperature so high that I was sweltering.  I later got her back but driving so quickly that she got a bit nauseus while Tweeting.  The car was so quiet we couldn’t stop gabbing.

Favourite things about the Honda CR-V:

1. Noise cancelling wrap on engine.  It’s called something fancy but I just know how quiet the car is to drive.
2. No bump in backseat floor because the stabilizers are on the sides of the car and Honda has figured out how to place the drive shaft lower down.  This allows for much more leg room if there is a passenger in the middle.
3. The rear doors open 90 degrees, which helps immensely when loading kids into car seats.
4. Voice activated commands so if you don’t like the person in the passenger seat, you can alter their temperature so they are uncomfortable.  Plus it only works with your own voice so your kids can’t change the music to ‘Wheels on the bus’.
5. Storage to die for.
6. Really smooth ride.
7. You can put photos from usb onto your screen – perfect for a road trip!
8. ECON mode saves on gas but the car lost a bit of pep.  Pedal to the metal baby.
9. The backup camera has 3 lines and the dotted one shows you how far you can back up and still open the hatch.  So smart.
10. You can pull a lever and the seats and headrests flip and fold down.  There’s another strap on the side of the car so you could pull the seats from this area too.
11. There are mud flaps on the door so you don’t get mud and grease on your Gucci pants.
12. The ice blue colour of our vehicle was like Elizabeth Taylor’s eyes and I think it made me look taller.
13. The car was pretty high off the ground and had great visibility.  The windows are also low so kids can see out even if they are small.  I’ve always found that this helps distract the children who tend to dislike car rides.
14. The front looked stylish and kind of reminded me or Mr. Moustache (not that I’m addicted to Angry Birds).
15. There was bluetooth connectivity for syncing music wirelessly from your phone.  You can also sync texts to the car!

And the verdict?  Loved it.  Safety is obviously a huge priority for Honda, and the CRV is a great, spacious family choice.

Would it make a good Push Present?  Yup.  And she’ll still feel super-sporty and fabulous.

 www.honda.ca

 Disclosure: UrbanMommies drove the Honda CR-V for 2 days and was hosted for meals and hotel accommodation.  As always, our opinions are our own.