The CR-V was the first SUV Honda designed in-house. It went on sale in Japan in October 1995 as the second of Honda's "Creative Mover" family after the Odyssey, built on a Civic-derived unibody with double-wishbone suspension at both ends, and Honda's name for it means "Comfortable Runabout Vehicle." Americans know the first generation well: the same car was sold in the U.S. from the 1997 model year and outsold everything else in its class, so a Japanese-market CR-V is a right-hand-drive version of a vehicle any Honda dealer can service. Every first-generation car (October 1995 to August 2001) is old enough to import today, and the second generation that replaced it in September 2001 becomes eligible month by month through late 2026.
What makes the JDM CR-V different
Grades the U.S. never got. The Smart Scape with its wood-look panel and two-tone bumpers, the Fullmark with chrome grille and built-in fog lamps, the manual Active Scape and the Navio with factory navigation.
Column shift and a walk-through cabin. Japanese automatics shift on the column, leaving a flat floor between the front seats so you can walk through to the back. The front seats also recline flat to make a bed.
The picnic table. The removable cargo floor doubles as a table with a parasol hole, and the two-piece tailgate (lift-up glass, side-hinged lower gate) carries the spare wheel on 1995–1998 cars.
Parts at any Honda dealer. The engine, transmissions, Real Time 4WD, suspension, brakes, 58-liter tank and 205 mm (8.1 in) of ground clearance are the same hardware as the U.S. car; the right-hand-drive steering, dash and lighting are the parts that differ.
Which CR-Vs can be imported
U.S. rules let a vehicle that wasn't built to U.S. standards be imported once it's at least 25 years old, counted from its month and year of manufacture. In 2026 that means CR-Vs built in 2001 or earlier:
Code
Years (Japan)
Drivetrain
Engine
Transmissions
E-RD1
Oct 1995 – Dec 1998
Real Time 4WD
2.0-liter B20B 4-cylinder, 130 PS (128 hp); 145 PS on the Active Scape manual from Oct 1997
4-speed automatic (column shift); 5-speed manual from Oct 1997
GF-RD1
Dec 1998 – Aug 2001
Real Time 4WD
2.0-liter B20B 4-cylinder, 150 PS (148 hp), the same tune as the U.S. B20Z
In the first generation, RD1 means 4WD and RD2 front-wheel drive; in the second, RD4 is front-wheel drive and RD5 is 4WD. The "E-", "GF-" and "LA-" prefixes are Japanese emissions-certification codes, not mechanical differences. A second-generation car is only eligible once its own build month is 25 years past, so a September 2001 RD4 clears in September 2026 and anything built in 2002 waits until 2027. The U.S. second-generation CR-V used a 2.4-liter engine; the Japanese RD4 and RD5 kept 2.0 liters.
2WD or 4x4?
Honda's Real Time 4WD is fully automatic: there is no switch, no lock and no low range. The car drives its front wheels in normal driving, and a "dual pump" system (one hydraulic pump turned by the front driveline, one by the rear) engages a clutch in the rear differential the moment the front wheels turn faster than the rears, on take-off, on a hill or on a wet boat ramp. It disengages under braking so the ABS works normally. With 205 mm (8.1 in) of clearance and 31° approach and 29° departure angles it handles ranch tracks and gravel better than most car-based SUVs, but it's an all-weather vehicle, not a rock crawler. The front-wheel-drive Fullmark (RD2) and the 2001 RD4 are about 50 kg lighter and a little more economical, and they suit anyone who mostly drives on pavement. All first-generation Japanese CR-Vs were 4WD automatics until October 1997, when the 5-speed manual arrived, and front-wheel drive only came in December 1998, so a first-generation 2WD manual doesn't exist.
Versions you'll see
Standard and B-spec (1995–1998): the original two grades, both 4WD automatics. Dual airbags and ABS were options until October 1997, when they became standard across the range along with keyless entry.
Smart Scape (from October 1997): two-tone bumpers, privacy glass, a wood-look panel and a leather steering wheel.
Active Scape (from October 1997): the 5-speed manual with the 145 PS engine, bigger front brakes and 5-stud steel wheels. A floor handbrake means it loses the walk-through.
Performa (December 1998 to August 2001): 4WD, manual or automatic, with the spare wheel on the tailgate, new bumpers and grille and the 150 PS engine.
Fullmark (December 1998 to August 2001): the spare moved under the cargo floor, chrome grille, built-in fog lamps, automatic only, in 4WD or front-wheel drive. The Fullmark Navio added Honda navigation.
Second-generation Performa and Fullmark (September 2001 on): the K20A i-VTEC engine, a bigger cabin and a 527-liter cargo area, in iL and iG equipment packages.
Any CR-V that's in Houston can be inspected and test driven at our lot.
Questions buyers ask
Is it the same as the American CR-V? Mechanically, yes. The 150 PS Japanese engine is the tune the U.S. calls B20Z, the gear ratios on Honda's Japanese and U.S. spec sheets are identical, and the Real Time 4WD is the same system. The 1995–1998 130 PS cars match the 1997–98 U.S. tune. What differs is right-hand drive, Japanese lighting, the column shifter and the trim.
Can I title and register a CR-V in Texas? Yes. Imported vehicles 25 years or older are titled with their import paperwork, a law enforcement VIN inspection (Form VTR-68-A) and Form 130-U at your county tax office. Our Texas title and registration guide walks through the steps, and your county office can confirm what it needs. Other states have their own rules, so check with yours before you buy.
Timing belt or chain? The first-generation B20B uses a timing belt; the second-generation K20A uses a chain.
What fuel does it use, and what mileage should I expect? Regular unleaded, every year. The U.S. EPA rated the 146 hp car at 22 mpg city and 25 highway, and Honda's Japanese test-cycle figures run from 11.2 km/L (26 mpg) for the early automatic to 12.8 km/L (30 mpg) for the 1999–2001 manual. Honda U.S. rates the 2001 CR-V to tow 1,000 lb.
How big is it? About 4,470 mm long, 1,750 mm wide and 1,705 mm tall (176 × 69 × 67 in) on a 2,620 mm (103 in) wheelbase, with five seats, 374 liters (13.2 cu ft) of cargo space seats-up and 668 liters (23.6 cu ft) folded. The Fullmark with its underfloor spare is about 9 cm shorter.
Is the odometer in miles? No. Japanese vehicles read in kilometers, and our listings show the odometer in km. 1 km is about 0.62 miles.
Is it right-hand drive? Yes, like every Japanese-market car.
Can I buy one that's still on its way from Japan? Yes. Reserve an In Transit CR-V with a $1,000 deposit. See how buying works.
Written by Farhad Musazada, Skyline Kei Trucks. Published October 19, 2026.
