Checked the oil, checked and adjusted the tyre pressures, topped up the washer fluid.
That was it.
Yawn.
More than I did to the Honda - just checked the tyres, as it was serviced only 10 days ago having covered just over 40,000km.
I still drop in here most days, but don't post as there's nothing I've been able to contribute recently. I have been intending to post for a while, with all the spare time I have now that I'm not crawling under the Saab on a cold drive keeping it running, changing the oil and filter every 6000 miles etc.
Just as a reminder, we bought (leased) a Honda CR-V back in October 2015 to replace our old 9-5 Aero auto estate after spending more than half the value of the Saab on a replacement alternator. I wasn't expecting it to be such a happy transition from the 265bhp, 420Nm rocketship to the 120bhp 1.6 diesel SUV. However, although I often miss the Saab, the Honda is surprisingly capable particularly on the motorway, and was a good choice for our needs. With 300Nm, it drives strongly, and has a much more usable luggage area than the Saab due to a taller area under the load cover, which is not so deep front to rear as the Saab. We recently completed a two-day journey from the UK back home to Austria with four people plus luggage, and it coped easily. The legroom in the rear is way superior to the Saab which meant that everyone was comfortable. The engines is delightfully smooth at speed, and it returns an overall 52mpg, somewhat better than the Saab at 27mpg. Diesel here in Austria is around €1.08 per litre, about 95p in real money, and the Super Plus that the Saab used is around €1.25, about £1.10, so it's a good saving.
The Honda isn't perfect. The manual gearchange is notchy, and couldn't be described as a pleasure to use, although it's not something that is a real problem on the open road. The aircon goes into recycling mode much more quickly than the Saab, presumably because it has a smaller compressor to aid fuel economy. The rain-sensitive wipers never seem to operate quite as I'd like, whereas the Saab always seemed to get things just right. The seat squabs in the Honda are a little short, although the comfort is generally OK on a long journey. Because the Saab had all the goodies, we also miss the memory electric seats, as SWMBO and I share the car and it's a pain with manual seat adjustment. No leather heated and ventilated seats, the black cloth in the Honda is a little rough and cheap-looking, although they are heated - only with two settings though. No passenger seat height adjustment in the Honda, although the higher spec models have it. Rear visibility is great with the huge door mirrors, but parking is a bit of a nightmare with the heavy rear, although the standard reversing camera helps, unlike the Saab where you could see the corners.
The only problem we've had, which I'm monitoring, is a clutch judder first thing in the morning when it's cold. The dealer has checked it out and can't find any problems, but suggested that I bring it to their attention again if it gets worse.
If anyone is interested, I have posted a fuller review here on the Honest John website:
http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/owner-reviews/honda/cr-v-2012?review=4276#selectedI still look wistfully at Saabs when I see them (saw two 9-5 estates within an hour last week, unusual for here).....
