Family falls in love with an SUV

Heather Allin and her family remember the exact date they picked up their new Honda CR-V Sport. It was April 3 — the morning of daughter Olivia’s 10th birthday.

Her parents had surprised her and her sister, Natalie, with a trip to the dealership, then drove by the houses of each of Olivia’s friends to launch loot bags out of the sunroof.

The SUV purchase had been in the works for some time and was prompted by Allin’s new job as a realtor, as well as the family’s recent welcoming of a furry new family member. Big Ben, their Bernese Mountain Dog and poodle cross, was projected to grow exponentially in size. For this family of five, squishing into their former 2018 Honda Civic was no longer an option. It was time for some extra space. Allin tells us why her family loves its new 2021 Honda CR-V Sport.

“One-thousand per cent we’ve needed more space for years now,” said Allin, who leased the family’s CR-V Sport from Danforth Honda with her husband, Chris. “The dog was what finally got us to take the leap. He is going to get huge. When we got him in November, he was six pounds. He’s only seven months now and already weighs 45 pounds.

“Working in real estate and helping out with staging homes, I found myself committing to decor pickups and then I’d end up standing in the parking lot of Structube totally unable to fit whatever lamp or side table I’d walked out with into the Sedan.

“Safety is, of course, a top priority for all of us with the girls and my job. Working in real estate means tons of driving and this winter was a real eye-opener for me. There are times when you’re called to go out in the absolute dead of winter.

“Especially when you have clients in the backseat, I just wanted to be more comfortable for my job.

“Beyond the fact that the whole family can now fit in there comfortably, we all, especially the kids, love the sunroof and the fact that the car has a big trunk. We like to go to movies at the Stardust Drive In Theater in Newmarket, and we were always jealous of people who had hatchbacks and could hang out in the back and watch the movie,” Allin said.

“Chris’ family also has a cottage in the Ottawa Valley that we’re excited to get to this summer. We’re used to putting stuff underneath our legs when we go and not buying groceries until we got there. And now, with the dog, there would have been no way we could (comfortably) make the trip.”