2013 Honda Crv

 You were the future once,’ was a comment famously hurled at the once boyish but now grizzled Prime Minister Tony Blair by the fresh-faced young upstart leading Her Majesty’s Opposition called David Cameron - and he could just have easily been talking about the Honda CR-V.

Another throwback to the CR-V’s history is that two-wheel drive is the exception rather than the norm. Many newer rivals retain an all-wheel drive model just because of the credibility that would be lost if an off-roader was produced with literally no off-road ability. By contrast, four-wheel drive remains very much a CR-V staple and is available on all models save those fitted with the entry-level 1.6-litre diesel.