As the small SUV market continues to grow, the competition continues to offer new and improved models. When Honda launched its first generation CR-V in 1996, it was one of relatively few on the market, with its closest competitor being the Toyota RAV4. Today there's an abundance of offerings from almost every automaker. Honda has continuously updated it that it continues to be a benchmark for the competition, such as the Subaru Forester, Ford Escape, and Hyundai Tucson.

The latest generation has a sport exterior and a straight-forward dash panel that's both attractive and easy-to-use. In the past, the CR-V had a swing-out rear tailgate. While that had often been criticized for various reasons, Honda has replaced it with a more conventional lift-up gate.