Saz has a diesel CRV and loves it PB.

I followed her back from Southampton in the S and it is no slouch and seems to be very maneuverable.

 

I used to have an HR-V - agree with the comments above

Wife currently has a diesel FR-V - brilliant, smooth, comfy, quiet, 40mpg average - outside your budget too I suspect as has already been said. My only complaint is that the steering is too slow, you have to make a big steering wheel movement to turn!

we test drove the CR-V a couple of years ago, with the diesel engine, if anything even more comfy than the FR-V and with the 4wd, just didn't see the need to spend the extra money over the FR-V... also outside your budget and I don't have experience of the older ones.

So in short I don't have anything to add