Honda Finally Gets the CR-V Right

A while ago I wrote about the side window designs of recent Honda CR-V SUV models.  I was not happy.

I concluded, stating: "I'm hoping the Honda stylists will come to their senses and find a more attractive side-window profile when the fifth-generation CR-V comes along."

And voila! They actually did.

Gallery

The first-generation CR-Vs appeared in the USA for the 1997 model year.  Window treatment was basic station wagon (break) style.

Second-generation CR-Vs arrived for 2002.  A wee bit of rear overhang was added and the C-pillar received the merest whiff of a dog-leg treatment.  Nothing objectionable as yet.  (These first two images are "for sale" photos, the others look like they came from Honda.)

But for the 2007 third-generation, there is trouble.  The drooping upper window profile clashes with the profile of the vehicle's top.  That design was suited for sedans, not SUVs.

Honda's 2012 redesign corrected some of the problem just mentioned, but the window treatment remains better suited for sedans.

Here is a photo of a 2017 CR-V.  As of late October when I drafted this, I couldn't find one showing the left side view, so this will have to do.  At long last the upper window profile and the roof profile are in sync.  The side of the tail light assembly clashes with the rest of the C-pillar treatment, so Honda stylists still have a little more work to do.