The rear glass opens on its own, separately from the tailgate, which is good. However, the lower part of the gate is side-hinged and opens to the right, so you'll have to walk around the tailgate when you're loading cargo from the curb, inconvenient at the airport.

The SE is the best looking model because of its body-colored trim in place of the gray bumper covers on the other models. The SE makes the CR-V look more like the Honda Pilot, a midsize SUV.

In terms of crashworthiness, the CR-V rates highly. It earned five stars from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for front and side impacts, the highest ratings possible. Remember, though, that NHTSA's tests compare cars in a given class rather than across all categories, so a five-star compact SUV isn't necessarily as safe as a five-star full-size SUV.