Honda Accord and CR-V: The golden age is still going

Welcome to see that CNET central. A blender that runs on gas. This is the icon by bar to cybercafe. CNET turns 25 this year and frankly, What's happened over the past 25 years. So that's the new windows 95 interface. You just connect the camera to your computer. How did you guys come up with Yeah, that got me thinking about other things that are held up shockingly. Well, over the last two and a half decades, kids like old Hondas, for example, but how did the modern accordance CRV compared to their predecessors with the first gen CRV and the fifth gen accord mint, it helps to know what the world was like in and around 1995. [SOUND] Bill Clinton was president. Toy story was released and the world lost Eazy E due to complications from AIDS. The economy was up in America, but it was bad times in Japan due to the asset bubble collapse that occurred around 1991. But that didn't stop the cars from being great and American buyers were crazy for them Okay, bear with me. See, Japanese cars from the 90s have achieved legend status for a bunch of reasons, reliability and build quality and low cost of ownership rank highly among them, which makes sense given how relatively common these cars still are on our roads over a quarter of a century later. The appeal of models like the Accordion CR-V goes beyond that, because even now, these models still exist and continue to rank highly in their respective classes. We're gonna take a look at why that is, and see just how far things have come. Hundreds of chord has been around a lot longer than 25 years. The model was introduced in the US in 1976 and has been motoring along uninterrupted ever since. But it's arguably with the models fifth generation, the Accord came into its own, and it's likely that this accord stands out in many people's memories. And welcome to the 1994 Chicago autoshow. While the cars are the real stars here, The fifth generation Honda Accord made its debut in 1984 and soften some of the previous generations boxier elements in accordance with changing tastes. This new cord also added more than a few technological advancements, especially in the power train department. The four speed automatic transmission was equipped with a feature called grade logic, which helped it hold gears longer on inclines, or under heavy load. The cord was mostly available with four cylinder non v tech engines. The exceptions being the EX model, which got a 2.2 litre 4 cylinder with VTEC, and the V6 model, which used a version of the Acura Legends' engine that required a huge number of structural changes, to make it fit the Accord's engine make. The CRV is a much younger model than the Accord, making its official US debut in 1996 at the Chicago Auto Show for the 1997 model year. CRV was a colossal hit and dominated the nascent small unibody construction crossover SUV market for years. Thanks to its inclusion of many of the same features that made other Honda products such hot sellers, the first generation. You shouldn't CRV came with four wheel double wishbone, independent suspension standard front wheel driver optional all wheel drive and a relatively potent 2.0 liter four cylinder engine designated that made around 126 horsepower. Not bad for the time. The CRV like other contemporary Honda's was well-built and made from long-wearing materials. This example has done over 250,000 miles and frankly, looks pretty damn good. Like so many early small SUVs, the CR-V had some weird features, mainly its fold out cargo area picnic table. But it also strove for practicality with features like folding rear seats and lots of black plastic cladding to help keep parking lot dings at bay. The interior seems pretty Spartan by today's crossover standards, but well, I don't think anyone would have called it luxurious even in period. It's well thought out and screwed together well. So that was then What about now? How did the tenth generation accorded fifth generation CRV compare, it's important to note that it's a very different world out there now for sedans. The amazing thing about the record is how many things it still has in common with its ancestor. It's one of the few midsize sedans that you can still buy with the manual transmission, though, that's changing. And it's surprisingly engaging on a twisty road. But when it comes to technology, it may as well be from another planet. We've come an awful long way since 1995. [MUSIC] The records available six speed manual has a whole extra gear compared to the questions, but it's an automatic transmission that things get genuinely wild. The fifth Gen can be had with a four speed automatic attention record gets 10 gears to choose from. That helps the car be super efficient despite its dramatic size and weight increases over the years. There's also a hybrid version, and hybrid technology was just getting started in 1997. With the Japan only first generation Toyota Prius, that tech wouldn't make it to the US until 2000. The CRV is also mechanically really similar super different than its predecessor. The CRV students power from a fuel efficient four cylinder engine. Only this time it's a much smaller 1.5 liter turbocharged unit that makes 190 horsepower. That's 64 more than the original one. Or you can get it as a hybrid, which uses a two liter naturally aspirated engine paired with an electric motor. Both the standard and hybrid models use CVT transmissions for maximum efficiency. Safety is another area where the modern variants of the CRV and accord really differentiate themselves. Both models come with hundreds sensing sweet Advanced driver assistance features, which includes things like radar based adaptive cruise control. This tech made its first appearance in public in the late 90s when Mercedes introduced it as its distronic system, and other active features like lane keep assist and automatic emergency braking. You couldn't even have gotten that level of tech from the space program. 95 even outside of the electronics, things like airbags and body structure engineering have gotten much more sophisticated in the intervening years. Cars now offer crash survivability well above and beyond what engineers could have even dreamed in 1995. [SOUND] The surprising thing about these cars 25 years apart is the feeling that they provide. The reasons for existing and the spirit of the company that built them really hasn't changed all that much. Unlike the rest of the industry. The world is a different place now and buyers expect different things from their vehicles. Regardless of how much they cost, having a simple car that focuses on driving dynamics, efficiency and build quality is an increasingly tough sell for customers who demand the latest infotainment and Driver Assistance features. Somehow, Honda has been able to straddle the line between the company that it was and the company that the market demands now. It's still making fun, affordable cars that offer a lot of performance and efficiency for the money. I'm genuinely curious how we look back on today's Honda in 25 years, whether it'll be through the same rose tinted glasses, or if we're wondering what the world was thinking. I guess both you and CNET will have to stick around and find out