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Honda Crossroad

16-09-2019

Launched in 2007, it is one of Honda’s bids for a piece of the lucrative ‘crossover vehicle’ pie. What is a crossover vehicle? Something attempting to combine the benefits of a car and a 4WD vehicle, whilst avoiding the downsides. The Honda Crossroad was never officially sold in the UK, but is available to imort from Japan. The HR-V and CR-V are Honda’s two crossover options available on the UK market. This has many similar features to the latest versions of these cars but in a smaller and better looking (in my opinion) package.

History of the Honda Crossroad name

If you’re a Land Rover afficionado, you might know the Honda Crossroad as something quite different. In 1979 Honda and British Leyland embarked on a joint business venture. It was intended to be mutually beneficial for car development and sales in foreign markets. During this venture, Honda acquired the rights to the mark 1 Land Rover Discovery. They tried to sell it rebadged as a Honda CrossRoad. This didn’t work: somewhat embarrassing for Honda as the same car with the Land Rover badge did rather well. 2007 Honda Crossroad front viewThis review isn’t about that Honda Crossroad, it’s about this Honda Crossroad:

About the Honda Crossroad

The Honda Crossroad has 7 seats in 3 rows. Both middle and rear seats can be folded flat to produce a large load carrying area.

Engine and drivetrain

The Honda Crossroad is available in 2WD or 4WD versions. The 4WD version runs as front wheel drive when conditions are good, and switches to 4WD if the front wheels are losing grip. All models come with a 5 speed automatic gearbox. There are 2 engine choices. Both are 4 cyliner 16 valve units: 1.8 iVTEC producing 140 bhp. This is the R18A engine also found in the Honda Civic. 2.0 iVTEC producing 150 bhp. This is the R20A engine also found in the Honda CR-V. There isn’t a diesel option, as with the majority of cars imported from Japan. I’ve previously posted about the lack of diesel cars available to import from Japan. Fuel Consumption Honda claim 13.8 km/litre for the 2WD 1.8 model. This equates to 38.6 mpg. Unfortunately I don’t have any real world fuel consumption information to share about the 2.0 litre engine/4WD combination. I’d estimate something around 30 mpg. I’d be interested to hear from you with more accurate figures if you own one of these cars. Equipment

Safety

Driver, passenger, side airbags. ABS with electronic brake force distribution. 2 x ISOFIX points. Traction control. Seat belt pretensioners. Comfort Steering wheel is adjustable for rake and reach. Climate control. Central locking. Cruise control (optional). Honda call this IHCC (Intelligent Highway Cruise Control). It controls distance from the car in front as well as speed. Sunroof (optional).

Summary

2007 Honda Crossroad rear viewWhy you might want one I quite like the chunky styling of this car. You might too! Excellent equipment levels. You like the CR-V but want something smaller (it is 29 cm shorter & 34 cm narrower). You like the HR-V but want something smaller (it is 34 cm narrower). You’re keen on a Honda crossover vehicle but can’t/don’t want to afford the new HR-V/CR-V models. You also don’t want to buy the dated older HR-V/CR-V models. Why you might not want one Fuel consumption isn’t likely to be great for the 4WD version. If you just want the 2WD version, you might be better off avoiding the crossover genre. Importing one of these at the moment would require an IVA test, which will add to importing costs. This will change in 2017 when the oldest Crossroads will become 10 years old. Please feel free to contact me or comment below if there is anything else you’d like to know about this car.