One of the bigger regrets I had with my Subaru Forester was that it was silver. This is not Subaru’s fault. This was my fault. I’d not given it much thought, to be honest, and thought it might end up looking more blue because that’s what the name implied (I think the color name is “Odin’s Bathwater”). It didn’t, and then I feel like everyone in my community bought the identical car, making it impossible to find in parking lots.
When it was time to replace the Subaru, I knew I wasn’t going to make this mistake. I was going to get a bold and exciting color. Since I eventually came around to buying a CR-V Hybrid, this left me with two good options: Radiant Red Metallic or Canyon River Blue Metallic.
I always try to be avant-garde, and I knew people with blue CR-Vs, but no one with a new red CR-V. This would be the solution to my parking lot woes! There was only one red CR-V in my neighborhood that I would regularly see, and there was no way people would confuse the two vehicles.
I have a deep respect for this first-generation CR-V, which has added every factory option imaginable to the little crossover and then created some that Honda never imagined possible. It’s a truly spectacular car with a level of CR-V love and attention to unnecessary detail I could never hope to attain with my own car.
The CR-V debuted around 1995 as the company’s attempt at building a crossover/SUV-type thing for an American market that all of a sudden was way more interested in boxier vehicles. This vehicle has now been around for 30 years and six generations, and it’s remarkable how good the first generation still looks. An AWD one of these with a manual has to be a great car if you can still find one in decent shape (it’s a Honda, so it’s possible). Also, you might get a bonus picnic table.
A CR-V expert might be able to tell you exactly which year CR-V this one is, but it is definitely a first-generation vehicle.
I sort of remember seeing these spare tire carriers when this vehicle debuted, though maybe only Japanese models? Either way, the color-matched color with the white Honda letters and black-outlined model name is spectacular. I sort of want a full-sized spare tire carrier for my own CR-V, as it doesn’t come with another tire due to the hybrid battery.
I’m guessing the mirror shade and the little wide-angle insert are not stock. Also, the CR-V feels roughly four feet long, so I’m not sure how helpful the insert is. The CR-V also has a giant greenhouse, so visibility is probably great (front nose visibility in my car is wanting, but it’s good in every other direction).
Those are definitely the stock five-spoke Honda wheels, but I can’t find any image of these with the red stud cover, red lugs, or anything else that’s going on here. I’d love to think of the Honda CR-V as being the progenitor of painted brakes, though you don’t see a lot of painted drums these days.
The front disc brakes are the correct color, but they have red calipers, which is hilarious. There’s also a bit of rocker protection that seems to be a Honda accessory piece that looks perfect here, filling in the gap between the wheels. The little pinstriping on the bumper is also pretty obviously aftermarket. The spoiler might be a JDM piece, but I don’t think it’s a USDM option.
Given that the taillights are baked into the D-pillar, the blacked-out treatment here works really well, I think.
Again, the sub-bumper protection looks like a real Honda CR-V accessory, albeit one that seems more popular with Japanese tuners.
The push bar, smoked headlights, and blacked-out grille feel very NOPI catalogue, which is appropriate for the era, if not 100% my taste. The addition of an LED light strip is the one big anachronism here, as this wasn’t a real option when this car debuted. Again, it’s not my car, so whatever the driver wants to do is his or her business.
I love it, though, and I’d have been happy to be the only two red CR-Vs in town. That didn’t happen. Sometimes you’re the avant-garde, and sometimes you’re just a dude who keeps buying the same car as everyone else because, in contrast to your self-image of being an iconoclast, you’re just a regular dad consumer like everyone else. They’re everywhere. My babysitter’s mom just bought an identical one. Do you remember my friend, the Grand Highlander-owning professor? The same day I finally caught this car sitting still, he texted me a photo of his mom’s new car.
It’s a red, AWD Sport-trim CR-V Hybrid, basically an identical car to mine. Maybe 100% identical. So perhaps my making light of his purchasing a Grand Highlander like everyone else is just projection on my part, since anyone who didn’t need the third row seems to have bought the red Honda.
Oh well, maybe when it’s out of warranty, I can discreetly start modifying it. These Hondas tend to last forever, so I’ve got time.
All photos by the Author
I’d rather have another Element but these first gen CRV’s were great, picnic table and all. There are still a few in service around me. Great vehicles.
GTS headlight covers on a CRV, did not see that coming. Those look best on 80s G bodies and the 4 eyed Fox Bodies IMO
Yeah, this is awesome (besides the blacked out lights) My Dad still has this gen CR-V and is making it last a long time…also had an Odyssey in the family. Way back in 91 he got a 91 Accord a little cheaper since it was a test model w/ 1K miles. We had it all the way to 240K and still going strong (my sister had it towards the end, and it even got stolen at one point, recovered, then sold) I’ve had 2 3rd gen Accords w/ pop-ups and they were a blast to drive w/ stick. Now I really want a Prelude that were based off those, and a CRX (both in light blue!)
So sad; the wheel/brake paint, the step rails, h/l covers. ug
Smoked headlights and taillights are simply awful. I have seen taillights so dark that you can barely see the brake lights come on. Definitively not smart.
This CRV is pretty amazing, though. I have never driven one, but they are very well proportioned, especially for being the first version. The rear spoiler is rather rare and is a nice inclusion.
I had a CR-V from this generation for a short time in 2015. I bought it for commuting 100 mi round trip per day, with the idea being to save money when the kids were young. In that respect, it did it’s job. I also enjoyed the vehicle in general, it was good. It was also in poor condition, and a ball joint snapped at 60mph leading to a one vehicle accident (thankfully) with nobody in the car but myself. Had it towed to my mechanic who made it limpable to the Mazda dealer down the road who gave me $2500 for it without a test drive. I left with a new Mazda 3.
I don’t know how you could ever consider a CRV an “avant-garde” choice, it is about as mainstream as possible, though I do applaud your choice of an actual color instead of settling for the depressing array of gray that clogs every dealer lot.
I always thought these first gen CRVs were handsome, but they and the 2nd gen always seemed to be completely devoid of styling. It like there were no designers involved in the production of these cars, the engineering department simply drew up some sheetmetal to cover the mechanical bits and called it a day. It wasn’t until the 3rd gen before any actual styling started to show up.
Good choice of tires, at least. I’ve ran 2 sets of General RT43’s on my XC70 and they’ve been fantastic.
my uncle had a Red first gen RHD CR-V back home,. was was around 2001 or 2002 and the car was 1997 I think. It was so mint, we could not believe how good of a condition it was. Then his father in law totaled his car and somehow that CR-V went there to be working on the fields…. RIP that beauty
A parking neighbor (condo garage) had a base 1st Gen CRV that was rarely driven* (elderly) and I always admired its simplicity. Unfortunately, it was recently replaced with a base RAV4, black/black with Hertz auto sale plate frame. Yuk. (*Related, there is a Fit two rows away with tags that expired 2 years ago. It’s actually unlocked. I contacted the management office to try to facilitate contact make an offer. There are numerous abandoned vehicles on the property, the stories must be weird or sad.)