I haven't flown the ERJ, but have sat in the cockpit jumpseat (which is terribly small, but I appreciate the crew for squeezing me in)... IMHO, the ERJ felt like riding in a Kia SUV, while the CRJ seems to be built a lot sturdier... like riding/driving a Chevy Suburban. My terrible analogy is just to say the CRJ seems like a much more "solid" airplane... not nearly as cheap. The ERJ is also a lot louder in the back and although neither airplane is very passenger friendly, the CRJ seems to be less passenger un-friendly than the ERJ.

Also, everyone knows a man is defined by the size of his gear handle... haha.