The front seats are excellent. In most measures of interior room, the CR-V beats its competition. Only the Toyota RAV4 tops the CR-V's front-seat headroom, and by less than half an inch. The CR-V offers generous front leg room (41.3 inches), though the RAV4 and Ford Escape provide marginally more (by 0.9 and 0.3 inches, respectively). The moonroof, standard on the EX and SE is nice, but reduces headroom by nearly 2 inches. Taller drivers or those who like to sit upright will notice.

More surprising than the front-passenger accommodations is the space and comfort provided by the CR-V's rear seats. The rear bench is neither too soft nor too hard, and allows passengers to travel without getting numb-reared or fidgety. All three rear positions have three-point belts and head restraints, something not all SUVs offer.

Gauges are easy to read, with white numerals on a black background, eliminating the twilight wash-out afflicting the black-on-white arrays that are the current fad. Cruise control is standard, as is an adjustable steering column. We love the stereo and six-disc in-dash CD changer, standard on the EX and SE. On the other hand, Honda does not provide a compass in the CR-V. The parking brake is disguised, subtly integrated into the vertical panel forward of the center console. It looks like a grab handle until you spot the icon in the grip. As odd as the placement might seem at first, using the hand brake gets more comfortable in short order.

It's the small, thoughtful touches that make the CR-V a pleasant place to go about the business of driving. There's a convenient, collapsible tray table betwixt the front seats, with a couple of cup holders and a recess for a cell phone. The cover for the spare-tire bin does double duty as a folding picnic table. Almost everything else seems to be where it should be, and there are no less than 21 storage nooks adroitly spread through the cabin. Coat hooks are provided above the rear seats and the center console accommodates CDs and cassettes. For 2005, Honda added retractable grab rails and larger seat pockets.

In terms of cargo hauling, the CR-V is the champion among the small SUVs, with 72.0 cubic feet of cargo space. By comparison, the Escape offers 64.8 cubic feet, while the Land Rover Freelander provides just 46.6 cubic feet. The CR-V provides 33.5 cubic feet with the rear seat in place. Better still, the CR-V's 60/40 split rear seat slides forward and back over a range of six inches to maximize either passenger or cargo space when the seat is up.