Ok, just picked up from dealer. Drove about 15 miles.
The CVT is not what I expected, it feels like an automatic when you give it some gas when going 40 mph or so and feels like it steps down a gear. It has the feel of driving a V8 from the 70's where the engine doesn't rev much but the torque of the engine just propels the car down the road and the mph goes up. From a dead stop and flooring it, it is a pig, feels like an Olds cutlass from the late 70's early 80's until like 40 mph when it gets moving. Highway merging on parkways with short entrance ramps I don't think this car would do to well. Doesn't have the feeling that you need VTEC to kick in or rev the crap out of it to make some forward progress. For me this is good because I like torque. It will be a great commuter car and I would bet the ranch that my wife will love it. It basically revs between 1k and 2k for normal driving going down the roadway. I could not detect any vibration at idle but the powertrain didn't feel silky smooth, I'm thinking that the CVT will loosen up a bit.
I don't think that carving canyons for fun is something that I would go out of my way to do with this car. The CRV has a perfect seating position the visibility out back is much better in the 09 than the 15 due to the motor for the power liftgate. The build quality of the 15 CRV Touring is much better than my 14 AccordV6 and the CRV feels quieter. Believe it or not the stereo is even worse than the 14 Accord V6. Our 09 CRV feels more lively and like it handles better.
I think Honda definitely hit the sweet spot here on this one. It definitely not for an enthusiast but ironically for someone like me it would make me a better driver because there is nothing to listen for or get excited about. You just go down the road in a somewhat smooth and efficient manner. If this car holds up we will be very, very happy. The perfect car for me is probably an RDX with a DCT. Will they build one?