Honda CR-V EX-L
- Price: $27,245
- Cost of options: $0
- Gas mileage: 23 mpg city/31 mpg highway
Honda sells a lot of CR-Vs because it is versatile, reliable and fuel-efficient. It also happens to be a terrific car for a tailgate party when gussied up in its EX-L trim.
Giddyup comes from a 185-horsepower, 2.4-liter, four-cylinder engine bolted to a five-speed automatic transmission.
With the rear seat in place, the CR-V offers 37 cubic feet of cargo space that balloons to 71 cubic feet with the back seat folded.
We chose the EX-L trim over the less pricey EX to get the rear entertainment system that includes an audio system with seven speakers and satellite radio. It features a Pandora interface as well.
A backup camera, power liftgate and a power outlet in the rear-seat area are also standard.