Here’s something you probably didn’t know: From 1997 to 2006, every single Honda CR-V included a folding picnic table tucked away under the cargo area. I am completely serious. If you were out drivin’ around in your CR-V and you wanted to have a picnic, all you had to do was consult your cargo area, and BOOM! Picnic table.
There were no chairs.
To understand the origin of the CR-V picnic table, you have to look back to when the Honda CR-V first made its debut in 1997. Back then, Honda had no idea what the SUV market would want. This thing was a trailblazer in the literal sense; it was one of the very first compact SUVs on the market. The Ford Escape was 4 years away. The Nissan Rogue wouldn’t come out for more than a decade. So Honda got creative.
The result was a small SUV with steel wheels, a standard stick shift, a rear-mounted spare tire and a picnic table — four things we’d never see in a small SUV today. Although I’m not sure if any CR-V owner in recorded history ever actually used the picnic table, which was fairly flimsy and primarily made of plastic, I do know one thing: There are tons of them on eBay, relics of a bygone area when a former CR-V owner put the table in the garage, forgot about it and then decided to make a couple of quick bucks during spring cleaning.
Speaking of the early CR-V’s unusual characteristics, another thing we’d never see in a small SUV today: The first-generation CR-V’s lone engine made only 126 horsepower, which resulted in an 11.3-second 0-to-60 mile-per-hour time. Today, even subcompact SUVs such as the Buick Encore have more juice — and, of course, nearly all subcompact SUVs feature a better transmission than the CR-V’s optional 4-speed automatic.
But none of them have that picnic table.
Where can I purchase the umbrella that is to be used with the Table ?
I have enjoyed reading about the Vechile information and Comments on the Chevrolet CRV. I trying to find out more on the older model, with the picnic table in it. Thanks You
it’s a Honda CRV
I use my picnic table ALL THE TIME. My CRV is a 2001… and it’s 2018… and despite a lot of mechanical issues, i’m having a difficult time parting with her for this novelty alone 🙂
I loved my 2003 CRV and DID use the table…
I LOVE the table… and have used it on numerous occasions.. camping, picnics, extra table at other friends BBQs. My niece bought a CRV after I liked mine so much and she’s used the table several times too. I ended up on this forum because I wanted to know if the new CRVs still have the table… sadly it looks as though they don’t …. Honda should bring it back as an inexpensive (or free!) option.
You are right, they don’t have them anymore. I have a 2015 model and I had just heard about the tables being in back of the CRV’s. Sadly I do not have one. I think it is a great idea they should bring it back.
i use the table for my craft fairs.. and home projects.. love the extra table space when sewing or needed at family functions. I dont want to give it up. guess ill be driving this 2004 crv into the ground. shes got over 186000 miles and still going strong… love this vehicle. ps the table is very sturdy, the legs are metal. this is not a flimsy table
I’ve actually used my picnic table several times. It was great as an extra table while camping and we use it to hold our gear when we go target shooting in the woods. It provides a flat surface in the cargo area so I don’t know how one could remove it and forget they had it. You would have a big hole in the cargo area where stuff would fall down. The table also allows for storage underneath it. I usually keep my first aid kit and emergency gear back there. Love the 1st and 2nd gen CRV’s. After that they just look like sporty hatchbacks.
I recall looking at one of these when it came out and not only is there the folding table but underneath was a plastic bin suitable for filling with ice to keep your beverages cold. When the ice melted, you simply pulled a plug and the water drained out the bottom. I think the dealer told me that it was meant for keeping fish cold after you leave the lake with your catch but I know a beer cooler when I see one. Brilliant.
Next time, talk about the 4Runner rear cargo tray, or what I call the Costco Tray
The Honda Element did as well, but the legs were purchased separately as an accessory.
Element did as well, the the legs were an accessory you had to buy.
We used ours a lot actually. Never for picnics, but it was great if we needed just a little more table space at a birthday party or something. Also, it definitely was not flimsy. Not sure where you got that from.
We’ve got a 2015 CR-V. I’d be lying if I said my wife wasn’t really disappointed when I told her the new ones don’t have the table.
Pretty sure the first gen Hyundai Santa Fe did too
With a bow toward U.S. market tastes, the Santa Fe boasts a number of everyday convenience items to please SUV buyers.
In addition to universal-size cup-holders, the Santa Fe is equipped with water bottle holders. Unusual “free-floating” door handles make exits easier while side pockets with lids sit beneath the arm rests. Two 12-volt in-dash outlets, and one placed in the rear, handle various electrical accessory needs. Also in back is a handy lift-out picnic table, accessible through the large rear hatch that is mounted on telescoping struts. The spare tire stows out of the way beneath the rear of the car.”
This is amazing. I just went and told my co-worker who’s had one of these for 8 years and he never realized there was a table in there. Went out to look and sure enough, there it was.
The table wasn’t for picnics. It was for when you needed to stop somewhere and do some dealin’…of cards, of course. A quick card game. No other type of dealing. No sir.
I thought it was a fundamental part of the cargo floor – was there a separate floor with the table removed? I always thought it was a neat idea.
If you removed the table it looked a lot like a spare tire well underneath.
We had one, it was great for changing diapers.
Oh! Good plan!
Probably don’t want to picnic much on it after that, though.
The forester is a SUV still offering a manual…
Shame it’s not offered on the 250HP 2.0XT models, though…
Wouldn’t the 2 door Jeep Wrangler be considered a compact SUV? Sure it’s basically a tractor compared to the lifted luxury cars of today, but calling the CRV the first compact SUV seems to be a bit of a stretch. Heck even the Isuzu Amigo or Geo Tracker seem to fit the description of a CRV, and came out nearly a decade earlier.
Well, the Wrangler, Amigo, and Tracker are compact SUVs of a completely different design and purpose, which sort of underscores my point.
I lament the disappearance of the rear mounted spare tire. I drove my wife’s 1999 CRV for awhile a decade ago and really miss this feature. So nice to swap out tires after a flat and just drop off the bad tire for a patch. Dynamically, it wasn’t a bad vehicle to drive, and it also featured a huge greenhouse with great visibility….. something else completely lacking in modern crossover SUV’s.
With VW Buses going to for $140K, you’d think that some manufacturers would actually incorporate something like this into their build. Jeep Renegade would be a good fit.