HONDAS all have an excellent reputation for reliability that other, far more expensive car makers cannot match.

And that goes just as much for the CR-V soft roader as it does for the other excellent vehicles in the range.

The CR-V is built for road use, so it's easy to drive and has very good, car-like handling, road holding and performance.

But when the front wheels lose grip in any situation such as a muddy field or a farm track, the models with four wheel drive (4WD) automatically bring the rears into action for added traction.

It's been built here in the UK for many years although sadly, production at the Swindon plant is to finish in 2021.

For this look at buying CR-Vs secondhand, I'll concentrate on the version built between 2012 and 2018.

There was just one 2.0-litre petrol engine available with 153bhp and that was sold both as a two and four wheel drive.

Obviously, if you don't want the 4WD capability, it would make sense to buy the two-wheel-drive (2WD) model, because it will be cheaper to run.

The standard gearbox is a manual six-speed, but 4x4 models were also offered with a five-speed automatic.

The two diesels on offer are a 2.2 with power of 140 to 150bhp that came in 4WD form only and was also available with the automatic gearbox, and a 1.6 with 120bhp that was only available with front wheel drive.

The 1.6 appealed to many business users because it brought emissions down to under 120 grammes per kilometre, which was very good for 2013 when it was introduced.

The economy king is the 1.6 as you might expect, which can manage an excellent 64.2 miles per gallon in the official figures.

Early 2.2 diesels are rated at 50mpg and later ones somewhat better than that, which the petrol models are unlikely to get above 40 - especially if they are 4WD and have the automatic gearbox.

Performance is good without ever being startling with a 0 to 62 miles an hour time of about 10 seconds for both the 2.0-litre petrol and 2.2 diesel, but all the engines are very smooth and quiet.

The CR-V has always been aimed at people who were unlikely to venture off-road, so its very car-like to drive, with accurate and positive steering, and a good level of grip through the corners.

The ride can be a little unsettled at times, but since it is biased towards comfort for the whole family, this is rarely noticeable.

The interior is probably the biggest in the medium SUV class, with plenty of leg and headroom and a huge boot.

The rear seats fold easily in a 60/40 per cent pattern to extend the loadspace.

Equipment is good even in mid-range SE trim, which includes an alarm and alloy wheels.

Traction control, heated mirrors, climate, audio remote controls, lumbar support for the driver's seat, cruise control and parking sensors.

Pay about £7,800 for a '14 14-reg 1.6 S-T 2WD diesel, or £11,700 for a '16 16-reg 2.2SE diesel 4WD automatic.