Trust Honda to buck the current trend for compact cute-utes to get all uppity. So, no, the new third-generation CR-V does not have a third-row seat. Nor can you have it with a V6.
The carryover 2.4-litre "four" is, however, a sweetheart, and makes 10 more hp this year (166 in all). And all five passengers can enjoy roomy comfort without having to leave all their stuff at home.
On paper the '07 is 80 mm shorter than the last CR-V, but that's mainly because the spare wheel no longer hangs off the tailgate (which itself, is now a conventional lift-up design). Cargo space is increased, and the cabin is usefully wider, though back-seaters lose some knee- and head-room.
The rear seat still folds and tumbles, or can be slid fore-aft, and is now a 40/20/40 split. A dual-deck cargo cover is fitted to EX and EX-L models.
Arguably, the CR-V is (or can be) less of an SUV than before. For the first time in Canada, front-wheel drive is available (on the base LX); ground clearance is 20 mm less; the all-wheel drive remains a simple reactive system of limited effectiveness; and the styling is more suave than rugged.
But the new CR-V handles like a sports car on pavement, is bursting with standard safety features, and can be had with high-end options like a navigation system, rear-view camera and voice recognition.
More a city slicker than a back-country boonie-basher
No manual tranny, half-hearted all-wheel drive