A Honda CR-V Roadtrip to Niagara wine country

Remember the days when all it took was a phone call from your bestie for you to drop everything and hit the road for the promise of little adventure? The road “untraveled” was exciting, and a little mayhem didn’t cause an ounce of stress. Back then, road trips weren’t encumbered with “to do” lists, gear bags with rear-seat entertainment, mapping out of washroom breaks and the constant thought of “please dear God, let them nap!”

These days, with two kids in tow, I’ve yet to attempt a car ride longer than a couple of hours, and I’m perfectly happy to keep it that way until my son and daughter are school-aged and a little more self-sufficient!

When Honda Canada invited Cora (my friend and business partner) and I to hit the road to try out the 2013 Honda CR-V, we reminisced about the glory days before kids, immediately agreeing: “Road trip!!”

With our bags packed and loaded into the CR-V, we ditched the city and headed for the open road bound for Niagara wine country. As part of the trip, we were doing all things that women on a kid-free road trip are wont to do:

• Eating at restaurants without cutting up other people’s food
• Hitting the spa without telling our spouses beforehand
• Shopping cute antique stores for longer than two minutes and without dirty looks from shop owners, afraid your kids will break their wares
• Getting caught up on music that wasn’t released by The Wiggles
• Sleeping in beds All. By Ourselves.

Most importantly, talking and reconnecting the way friends do when they’re able to be in the same room without being interrupted by kids every fourth word. In fact, we were talking so much we missed our highway exits twice! Which, I’m sure we can all agree is one of the bests part about road trips!

What we love about the Honda CR-V

In between all of our girl talk, spa-ing and wine appreciation, we were able to check out all the features that the new Honda CR-V has to offer. Here’s our rundown of what we loved:

The cargo space: as mini-van and large SUV drivers, we both loved that the CR-V could pack a ton of stuff. The 60/40 split seats offered a lot of options to cram more gear in the back, while still having enough space for comfortable rear-seat passengers. These seats are clearly designed with moms in mind – you can flip them down with just one hand, making it easy to load your car while holding your toddler (or a half-sweet soy vanilla latte).

The drive: while the CR-V showed us it can haul all of our goods, we loved that it still felt like we were driving a car (something we’re not used to with our larger vehicles). We enjoyed a smooth, responsive drive, and maneuvering and parking the CR-V was a breeze!

The safety bells and whistles: the CR-V features an expanded driver’s mirror that almost eliminates your blind spot. It took a little bit of getting used to, but once we did, we realized what a big difference this feature made. We were also big fans of the multi-angle rearview camera that makes parking a cinch (and keeps little ones in our driveways safe!)

The gadgets: it’s loaded with all the tech features to keep us digitally-savvy moms connected and entertained. We loved being able to plug our iPhones right in to the USB port to play our music.

The eco factor: we loved the ECON mode – with the push of a button the CR-V automatically adjusts the engine and other functions to go in to a more efficient mode. It also features the Eco assist which is a simply lighting system on your dash display that shows you how efficiently you’re driving. It helps teach you how you can lower your gas consumption by making small changes to the way you drive.

Check out Cora Brady from Mom Central talking about her CR-V experience:

The Mom Central lowdown

Overall we loved hitting the road in the CR-V and would highly recommend it for the smaller family who’s looking to expand their cargo capacity beyond their compact or sedan. The eco-friendly features and drivability of the CR-V make it a great option for getting around the city or hitting the cottage on the long weekends.

Families with more than two kids would have trouble fitting every thing in on those longer trips, but then again, maybe that will just encourage you to take a trip for two and leave the kids with the grandparents!

Disclosure: Honda Canada took five Toronto-based bloggers for a drive in the Honda CR-V through the scenic Niagara region of Ontario, including Cora Brady and Kathyrn Easter from Mom Central Canada. All experiences and opinions are their own.

Featured Image Photo Credit: Shutterstock

Mom Central