2007 Honda CR-V

Fans of older CR-Vs will recognize little in the dramatically restyled 2007 model. How much you like or dislike the new style will depend on your taste, but some drivers may wonder if compact SUVs are now being designed by the same person. The new CR-V is a bit too familiar and at a glance may be confused with certain Hyundais. That being said, in terms of the interior, the CR-V, especially the top-of-the-line EX-L, has the competition beat - in small part due to the fact that it takes design cues from the more expensive Acuras (e.g., the steering wheel and speaker grille design). You get an amazing number of features for a vehicle that raids the wallet of only $26,000. Add to that an efficient 166hp, 2.4-liter, 16-valve DOHC i-VTEC 4-cylinder engine, MacPherson front strut suspension and increased sound damping materials, you may not feel like you're driving an SUV at all.

The real luxury, though, is not the heated leather seats or lush interior trim but the navigation and entertainment system embedded in the dash. The unique system provides XM Radio, a back-up camera, MP3/aux input jack, 6-disc CD changer and a digital audio card reader. That last feature in particular is a nice step up in terms of user options for entertainment and something we will see more and more in other OE vehicles. Also impressive were the number of voice commands the system accepted, enough to fill a letter-sized sheet. And we're not kidding about that. The list is daunting at first but we don't expect drivers will use a lot of the commands, at least not often. Still, you should keep that list around for easy reference. As for how well the system understood voice commands, it had a better success rate than some aftermarket products with the same feature and it allowed us to keep our hands on the steering wheel and eyes on the road - so there's an added safety benefit as a result. Overall, we're not sure we crave the new CR-V. The audio is a little average, but the total package more than justifies the more than fair price.

2007 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder
Sporty lines and a 260hp MIVEC V8 under the hood may win the Spyder initial looks, but for us the audio system was of greater interest. It's a Rockford Fosgate branded system that can't compete with an aftermarket RF version but definitely holds its own against other factory systems. And, you're going to need a powerful audio setup given that the Eclipse here is a convertible. Even if Mitsubishi designed the car with reduced interior turbulence in mind, topless rides always pose problems for listening to your tunes. Mitsubishi/Rockford decided to combat that with a lot of speakers that can handle up to 650 watts of power. The Rockford Fosgate system includes nine drivers, including an 8" subwoofer built into the rear wall. Up front, the 6-disc in-dash changer plays MP3 CDs, as well as the audio ones. More importantly, it automatically adjusts the frequency depending on whether the cloth top is up or down. Another great feature that we think other manufacturers should pick up on are the steering wheel controls built into the backside of the wheel. Your fingers are there naturally and it did make it a bit easier to change tracks and adjust volume. As for the overall sound, don't expect spectacular staging or a broad soundstage; but, you will get plenty of power to overcome the road noise. Hit a button, motorize the top down, push the tunes up and go for a Sunday drive. The combined power of the audio and the engine is sure to exhilarate.