The Honda CR-V was Honda's first self designed sports utility vehicle. It was first brought to the public limelight at the 1996 Chicago Auto Show and came to the United States market in 1997. In the beginning it came in only one version which was the LX which derived its power from a 2.0 Liter engine. It had a single body design and there was space to store a table when going out for a picnic. In 1997 an EX version was added to the lineup. The EX was equipped with 15 inch tires and anti-lock brakes that the LX model did not have. Both models could be bought with front wheel or 4 wheel drive. In 1998, the engine got more power in the form of extra horsepower. 1999 saw the CR-V getting a new front and rear bumper. In the year 2000, a special edition version was added to the line up. It was equipped with seats made of leather, a music system that could play CD/s and cassettes, passengers in the rear had glass that would protect them from people peeping inside the vehicle.

The Honda Company came out in 2002 with its second generation vehicle, which derived its power from a 2.4-liter 4-cylinder DOHC i-VTEC engine. The new vehicle was available in front- or all-wheel drive versions. The new vehicle had lots of room in the front and the back. The passengers seated in the front had armrests, and the backs seats could be folded. There was plenty of space in the vehicle where one could store luggage, and the picnic table storage area was retained. In 2005, the CR-V was equipped with 15 inch tires and the Ex version got music system buttons that were placed on the steering wheel. The vehicle also got better head rests for those seating in the back. A new version the SE was added to the line up. The vehicle got seats made of leather, steering wheel made of leather and all the seats were heated.

In 2007 the Third Generation Honda CR-V made its debut. The vehicle was now being powered by a K series 2.4 Liter engine. The CR-V comes in three versions, the LX, EX and EX-L. The LX is equipped with 17 inch tires, entry into the car does not need keys and a music system that can play CDs/MP3 and has 4 speakers. The LX is equipped with steel tires, the glass in the back is tinted, music system buttons are located on the steering wheel and a music system with 6 speakers and the CD player located in the dashboard. The EX-L version gets leather seats, steering wheel made of leather, satellite radio and a music system with 7 speakers and a sub woofer.