Honda CR-V - All-New Design for 2002

For all the negative comments the eco-friendly crowd throws at SUVs regarding their massive road-hogging footprint and anti-green gas-guzzling demeanors, there's a smaller class of the breed that deserves to be lauded for precisely opposite reasons. Honda's CR-V has been at the forefront of this group in fuel economy, emissions and sales since its inception.

An all-new CR-V looks more purposeful than last year's vehicle, probably due to its slightly longer, wider and taller dimensions and somewhat tougher looking styling. A shallow recess in the hood tapers forward, fusing perfectly into the new larger chrome enhanced grille. Its headlamp clusters must be two of the largest in automotive history, but they compliment the tall taillights and work well overall. A body-colored front fascia narrows toward center, dividing the grille and gray plastic lower molding - a protruding piece of bodywork looking every bit like a 4x4 ram bar. Its gray plastic wraps a thin but substantial line around the front fenders, along the lower sills, over the rear fenders and then thickening toward the rear. The cladding itself is not overly macho, as on some SUVs, but rather adds a clean and solid base to build the rest of the design upon.