Review
My life has changed beyond recognition – spontaneity is a thing of the past, along with a night on the town and a decent night’s sleep.
Thanks to a newborn baby, a four-hour stretch of slumber is bliss.
Having a baby has also changed the way I view transport.
In my eyes the Honda CR-V is no longer a cool 4x4 which oozes style – it’s now a practical load-bearing workhorse.
A few months ago I’d be calculating whether my three-piece luggage set would fit in the boot alongside my vanity case.
Oh, how things have changed.
Now the travel system (it’s no longer called a pram), travel cot and changing bag get priority.
Luckily, the CR-V’s cavernous interior can accommodate all three and, as I proved last weekend, a set of golf clubs can fit in too.
The CR-V is already proving a family-friendly alternative to an estate or people carrier.
If it offered a seven-seat version like the impending Nissan X-Trail then it would be even more desirable for families.
As with all models manufactured after 2005, it has ISOFIX child seat fixing points.
These metal bars hidden neatly behind the rear seats are excellent.
Your child seat locks on to them, fixing the unit securely to the car.
It’s much safer than wrapping a seatbelt around the child seat.
ISOFIX fastenings do vary between cars though.
In the CR-V they are wedged next to the seatbelt fastenings at the bottom of the back seat.
To access them you have to push your hand down the bottom of the seat, locate the clasp and then push on the car seat.
In my husband’s BMW they are much simpler to access as they’re hidden behind a plastic flap on the rear seat.
Lift the flap, clip the car seat on to the bar and off you go.
When it takes two hours just to get out of the house with a baby, every second is precious so I prefer BMW’s version.
In previous tests my love of the CR-V was partly down to the driving position.
Being higher gives a great view of the road and feels safer on motorways.
I still love the height but not when I’m lugging a car seat, filled with baby, on to the back seat.
I’ve got biceps to die for but find it much easier to place the car seat into lower cars.
One thing Honda scrapped on the second generation CR-V was the neat coolbox fitted into the centre of the dash.
It was great for long journeys even though it was only big enough to fit in a couple of cans of drink.
I can’t help thinking how useful it would be for storing baby milk.
As I said, my life really has changed.
