Crystal Reports has two export to excel choices

1) Choice 1 Microsoft Excel (1997 -2000) -

This option trys to maintain as much of the original report formatting as possible. Based on what you wrote I think you are choosing this option.

2) Choice 1 Microsoft Excel (1997 -2000)(Data Only) -

This option allows you minimal control over formatting but the data is exported into a functional Excel spreadsheet. Once exported users may have to adjust column heights/row widths to read the content. But otherwise functionality such as sorting columns based on values is possible.

Hope this helps,
Sarah