is almost the perfect crossover SUV, built for the adventuring city-dweller. It’s great on gas compared to more hard-core off-roaders, but it still offers a ton of capability. If you’re looking for an SUV classic that you can easily customize to suit your preferences, a well-maintained 2000 Honda CR-V is a 10/10 used market find.

If you get a 2000 Honda CR-V that’s sporting the same setup as it did out of the factory, it has 8.1inches of ground clearance. That’s perfect for a smaller SUV to get over all the tough obstacles the trail could throw at it.

Got more questions about just how off-road-ready a used Honda CR-V 2000 will be? Then scroll along with Jerry, the #1-rated

car insurance

broker and automotive

super-app

, as we lay out our definitive rating of the 2000 CR-V’s off-road abilities.

Can the 2000 Honda CR-V go off-road?

To say that the 2000 Honda CR-V can go off-road is like saying that butter makes popcorn taste better. It can, and it does!

The fun thing about the CR-V is it’s actually a crossover SUV, based on the platform of the Honda Civic. In 2000, the two vehicles were built with the same 2.0-liter DOHC I-4 engine, but the CR-V offered a highly responsive 4WD and a ton of cargo space.

Because the CR-V 2000 was built on the chassis of a car, it never realistically offered the same 4x4 ability as a hardcore off-roader like a Jeep TJ out of the box, but it did offer a highly customizable platform on which you could build a fantastic trail-rider.

Let’s discuss the good and bad about taking a Honda CR-V out for some off-road driving.

Ground clearance

With a ground clearance of 8.1 inches, the CR-V 2000 is well-equipped to handle some pretty substantial bumps without taking much of a beating at all.

Experts generally recommend 8.8 to 10.8 inches of minimum ground clearance for off-road vehicles, but the CR-V isn’t necessarily supposed to be an off-roader out of the box anyway. If you think you’ll be tackling really rough terrain, you can always add a lift kit to get a little more space under your CR-V.

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Torque

The thing that really distinguishes the CR-V from more powerful proper ute SUVs is its engine—an I-4 that gets fantastic gas mileage but still manages to pump out a fair amount of low-end torque to propel its fairly light body. The Honda CR-V’s torque rating maxes out at 133 pound-feet at 4,500 rpm.

The loss in power will be recognizable if you’ve driven an off-roader with a V6 engine, but don’t be fooled: the CR-V is highly capable in off-road situations.

Tires

The traction generated from the engine’s torque output would be nothing without wheels with good, grippy tires, well-suited for the terrain you drive on. Standard issue tires were P205/70SR15 fitted onto 15-inch wheels.

Remember that you need to change your tires based on changing seasons—winter tires are key for conquering ice and snow on and off the road.

Drivetrain

The 2000 Honda CR-V gets an underpowered (by today’s standards) 146 horsepower. This means you can’t expect any real explosive acceleration out of it as it is. That being said, Honda’s engines are pretty easy to modify and replace, so if you're into that sort of thing, you could end up with a really powerful little monster on your hands.

The thing about the CR-V is that it optimizes cost of ownership. The 2000 CR-V offers incredibly competitive gas mileage for its year, as each model has since.

Angles

Angles are also quite an important aspect of off-roading ability, specifically in regards to a vehicle’s approach and departure angles. Here’s what those terms mean:

Approach angle: The maximum angle at which a vehicle can climb without interference

Departure angle: The maximum angle at which a vehicle can descend without interference

The CR-V 2000’s approach angle doesn’t dazzle, ringing in at 18.9 degrees. The departure angle is much better—an impressive 26 degrees. While this doesn’t match the hilling ability of a vehicle designed for off-roading, it’ll still do quite nicely where the average car would be sure to fail—the beauty of the crossover.

Off-road rating: Rough and Ready

And with that, we’re ready to deliver to you

Jerry’s

all-encompassing DIRT rating for the 2000 Honda CR-V.

Rating	Meaning	Description
D	Don’t Try It	Vehicles better suited to highway conditions
I	In a Pinch	Vehicles that can handle off-road conditions in certain circumstances
R	Rough and Ready	Vehicles designed for casual off-roading
T	Trail Boss	True off-road vehicles capable of tackling a range of terrain

The Honda CR-V 2000 gets an above-average R rating. It’s definitely no

Jeep Wrangler TJ

, but if you’re looking for the perfect little crossover to get to and from all of your favorite camping spots and hiking trails, the CR-V will be more than capable—and a ton of fun to drive.

Not only that, the CR-V is just begging to be modified, taking to customizations like pie to ice cream. A good suspension lift and an all-terrain tire upgrade can turn this little crossover into a casual off-road force to be reckoned with.

The best part is that you can find these bad boys still with a 4WD drivetrain and manual transmission for less than $5,000, making them a great budget base for an off-road build.

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The best off-road alternatives to the Honda CR-V 2000

If you’re interested in looking at other options, here are some top competitors that you can consider for on-and-off-roading purposes instead of the CB500X.

Alternative	Model	Price	Description
Best affordable alternative	2005 Nissan Frontier 4x4	$2,000	Even cheaper than the CR-V, more powerful, worse on gas.
Best eco-friendly alternative	2022 Hyundai Santa Fe	$27,400	Incredible fuel efficiency and very off-road capable.
Best alternative for serious off-roading	2022 Ram 1500 Rebel	$47,850	The Rebel is ready for pretty much anything the trail can throw at it.

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How to find affordable car insurance for off-road vehicles

It doesn’t really matter if you have a little souped-up used off-road crossover or a new mountain-conquering 4x4 truck—no matter what kind of trail you’re hitting, you’re going to want to make sure that your insurance policy will have you covered if something goes wrong while you’re off-road.

That’s where

Jerry

comes in. Our comparison shopping app does all the hard work of gathering competitive insurance quotes for you, so you can see the best prices on the coverage you need within a matter of seconds—real quotes customized to your profile offered from over 55 of the best insurers in the country.

The goal—and our team of car insurance geniuses are pretty good at achieving that goal—is to get you saving over $800 a year on your annual car insurance premium.

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