Specs:

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CR-V stands for Comfortable Runabout Vehicle and really is like the name states, fairly comfortable.

We’ve got a first generation RD1 2001 with the 2.0L B20Z straight-four engine, producing 147 hp (110 kW) at 6200 rpm and 180 Nm (133 lb⋅ft) of torque at 4500 rpm. Equipped with Honda’s Real Time AWD it weighs just around 1,500 kg  (3,200 lb).

As you can see in the specs, the car isn’t anything special, maybe even a bit old and underpowered.

 

So why did we choose that car?

 

It’s simple, it all comes down to budget. The more spent on a car, the less money is left for traveling, which is our biggest priority.

A good friend of ours gave us this car for an amazing price, so we took it and invested some more into it, to be sure she’s ready for the challenge.

The car and especially the engine has been proven to be very reliable with minimal servicing, and fairly okay on bad roads. On YouTube you even find videos of CR-V’s tackling hard trails alongside Jeeps and 4Runners. But I mean, what do you not find on YouTube.

Another criteria was to get an older car, with minimal electronics since those are the major key points of failure on every big expedition. Since I am a mechanic myself, I wanted something so basic to work on if anything happens. The CR-V was fairly popular everywhere in the world, so I hope finding spare parts shouldn’t give us a hard time.

For the price we got her, there were barely any 4x4 on the market, so better Hondas Real Time AWD then any regular two-wheel drive.

And almost the most important criteria for that car was: It’s armrest. For real, I don’t think I can ever buy a car without a proper armrest.

 

What did we change/replace on the CR-V to make her fit for the challenge?

 

We only changed all belts and the water pump, got new brake lines and changed all fluids including the rear differential.

Then she got new shoes, Hankook Dynapro ATM RF10 205/70r15

And that’s about it.

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Keeping everything as stock as possible is our top priority here, because too much modifications always results in higher wear and tear on the car. Honda designed it like that and it has been proven to last long, so we leave it stock. All problems found about the CR-V were almost only on heavy modified ones. Since we are not trying to tackle the worlds hardest trails and do every river crossing possible, we should be fairly safe enough in our little V.

 

Of course, I did some changes on the interior, but more on that on the Blog