Honda CR-V, yay or nay?

[PricklyPete]

Just looked up a couple 0-60 mph times off of Consumer Reports. The Forester with the stock 4-cylinder and 4-speed auto clocks in at 10.4 seconds... ouch. The CR-V comes in better at 9.1 seconds.

The kicker with Honda is they have a really nice turbo 2.3L four cylinder for their Acura RDX. That'd be a great option for the CR-V. Why Honda why??

Oh man...that Forester would be so painful to drive.

 

[ShawnD1]

Oh man...that Forester would be so painful to drive.

Time to drive from LA to Vegas: 30 hours because I can't pass this fucking minivan infront of me! :awe:

 

[FDF12389]

My girlfriend has a 2004, Its perfect for her, good gas mileage, decent in the snow, good insurance rates. And at 125k the only non maintenance item they replaced was the o2 sensor.

 

[ShawnD1]

My girlfriend has a 2004, Its perfect for her, good gas mileage, decent in the snow, good insurance rates. And at 125k the only non maintenance item they replaced was the o2 sensor.

Remember to check the insurance on every car before you buy it. When I was calling around getting quotes, I found out the Toyota Camry has super expensive insurance around here. Apparently the people driving them suck at driving. The insurance on smaller cars like the Corolla and Yaris is quite a bit higher than the Camry even though the cars themselves cost a lot less.

The insurance rates don't depend on the price of the vehicle. They depend on how retarded the average driver is for that particular vehicle. If the average Honda CRV buyer is profoundly retarded (where you live), you might get stuck with high insurance rates on a vehicle that really isn't worth that much.

Don't just take other peoples word on what the insurance rates are. It varies a lot by region. For example, a snowy place like Alaska might see different crash rates than a sunny place like California. People buying a Subaru WRX in Alaska might be good drivers who get it because it won't get stuck. People buying it in snow-free California might be douchebags who race on public roads and hit pedestrians, causing million dollar lawsuits.

 

[Spicedaddy]

Ford Escape, VW Tiguan?

But as others have said, the CRV is a great choice in that category.

 

[punjabiplaya]

Probably because turbo engines suck? They usually take premium gas. After normalizing for the added cost of premium fuel, it would get about the same gas mileage as a 1 ton truck pulling a horse trailer up hill.

I remember checking was the normalized gas mileage of the Civic Si was. After accounting for the cost of premium gas, it costs more to run than a V6 Accord

yeah, turbo engines do suck - a lot of air

 

[Jumpem]

Their AWD system is subpar. Gogole roller test videos. I would look at a Forester or Outback.

 

[ShawnD1]

Their AWD system is subpar. Gogole roller test videos. I would look at a Forester or Outback.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooQRxlChvMw
For those who don't want the watch the video, basically the Honda and Toyota and a few others are a blatant scam. The AWD system absolutely does not work.

Here's a video showing why you should just buy an older vehicle and call it a day
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-S2nDDvKHoA
For those who don't want to watch this one either, it's a video of a 1970 Ford truck pwning the shit out of modern Ford and Dodge trucks.

 

[tbike06]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooQRxlChvMw
For those who don't want the watch the video, basically the Honda and Toyota and a few others are a blatant scam. The AWD system absolutely does not work.

Here's a video showing why you should just buy an older vehicle and call it a day
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-S2nDDvKHoA
For those who don't want to watch this one either, it's a video of a 1970 Ford truck pwning the shit out of modern Ford and Dodge trucks.

Um, the second video is the difference between a locker and a limited slip, not an older vehicle owning a new one. Nice try.

 

[ShawnD1]

Um, the second video is the difference between a locker and a limited slip, not an older vehicle owning a new one. Nice try.

Find 1 modern vehicle that has a locking differential. Oh right they don't exist.

 

[Jumpem]

Find 1 modern vehicle that has a locking differential. Oh right they don't exist.

My Frontier NISMO did.

 

[mmntech]

The Tuscon is terrible. My fiance drove that for two blocks after driving the CRV and wanted to go back to the dealer ASAP. It looks nice, but has so much body roll and handles horribly. Terrible vehicle IMHO.

I'm going to have to disagree. Hyundais are not bad. I'd also look at the Kia Sorrento. I'm very impressed with the amount of progress Hyundai/Kia have made with their vehicles. That's based on my experience with them at work, but I drive these a lot. Very solid, and well priced. Great bang for buck.

When it comes to Fords, I'd go with the Edge over the Escape. The Suzuki Grand Vitara isn't bad either. I like driving them.

It all depends on whether you really need AWD. Unless you're driving on a lot of country roads in the winter, I don't think it's really necessary. Look for SUVs that are FWD. Can save a bit of money going that route and you're still going to get decent traction.

The CR-V is a solid vehicle and Hondas are built like a rock. Can't go wrong with any of these vehicles though.

 

[exar333]

I'm going to have to disagree. Hyundais are not bad. I'd also look at the Kia Sorrento. I'm very impressed with the amount of progress Hyundai/Kia have made with their vehicles. That's based on my experience with them at work, but I drive these a lot. Very solid, and well priced. Great bang for buck.

When it comes to Fords, I'd go with the Edge over the Escape. The Suzuki Grand Vitara isn't bad either. I like driving them.

It all depends on whether you really need AWD. Unless you're driving on a lot of country roads in the winter, I don't think it's really necessary. Look for SUVs that are FWD. Can save a bit of money going that route and you're still going to get decent traction.

The CR-V is a solid vehicle and Hondas are built like a rock. Can't go wrong with any of these vehicles though.

Did you actually drive the Tuscon? It's terrible. It handles worse than a 5-year old Cobolt with stock shocks still on it. Pure crap. Doesn't matter if "Hyundais have made strides" or not, its a crap vehicle.

 

[zsdersw]

If the choice is between a CR-V, RAV4, or a CX-7 I'm going to go with the CX-7... for at least one reason: HID headlights. After having them on my TL the past 4 years I've decided I won't own a vehicle that doesn't have them. The CX-7 also looks a lot better.

 

[drbrock]

If the choice is between a CR-V, RAV4, or a CX-7 I'm going to go with the CX-7... for at least one reason: HID headlights. After having them on my TL the past 4 years I've decided I won't own a vehicle that doesn't have them. The CX-7 also looks a lot better.

IF they are in the same price agreed on the CX7. I think it is close to the reliability of Honda if not equal. The only thing would be resale value. My parents have a mazda and that thing took a bath on depreciation.

 

[zsdersw]

IF they are in the same price agreed on the CX7. I think it is close to the reliability of Honda if not equal. The only thing would be resale value. My parents have a mazda and that thing took a bath on depreciation.

The fully loaded CX-7 Grand Touring with AWD (the only CX-7 to get, IMO) has an MSRP of $33k.

I do agree about the resale value, though... which makes it a better vehicle to purchase slightly-used than new.

 

[skyking]

Find 1 modern vehicle that has a locking differential. Oh right they don't exist.

Our pilot has an electronic locking rear and center differential. It only works in low and reverse but I tried it out. It would climb a tree if it had low enough gears.
Select low or reverse and press a button on the dash.

 

[PricklyPete]

Find 1 modern vehicle that has a locking differential. Oh right they don't exist.

My 2005 TRD Offroad Tacoma did and I used it a lot when I got into a pickle while off-roading.

 

[KIAman]

If the choice is between a CR-V, RAV4, or a CX-7 I'm going to go with the CX-7... for at least one reason: HID headlights. After having them on my TL the past 4 years I've decided I won't own a vehicle that doesn't have them. The CX-7 also looks a lot better.

I personally like the styling of the CX-7 over the CR-V. The only downside is the CX-7 weighs around 500lbs more than the CR-V and has a weaker base engine. If the OP can afford the price premium to get the turbo-2.3L,then that would be a good option.

 

[vshah]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooQRxlChvMw
For those who don't want the watch the video, basically the Honda and Toyota and a few others are a blatant scam. The AWD system absolutely does not work.

Here's a video showing why you should just buy an older vehicle and call it a day
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-S2nDDvKHoA
For those who don't want to watch this one either, it's a video of a 1970 Ford truck pwning the shit out of modern Ford and Dodge trucks.

just note that the first video was made by a subaru dealership...

my family had a 2003 cr-v in high school, and the system worked well enough to climb the hill our house is on (~25 degree incline) in 6 inch snow. this was a stick shift without traction control though. i imagine turning it off would help.

the front and rear wheels each drive a hydraulic pump. when front wheel speed exceeds that of the rear wheels, the greater pressure produced by the front pump closes a viscous (fluid) coupling, transferring some power to the rear wheels. i think if traction control is enabled, it interferes with this process by not allowing enough pressure to build up in the front pump. it is a purely mechanical system, afaik.

as always, winter tires will make a huge difference.

here's a video where you can see all four wheels:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkoBfJdnoI8&feature=related

 

[kornphlake]

Find 1 modern vehicle that has a locking differential. Oh right they don't exist.

shoot, my 2wd astro van has a gov-lock locking differential also available on several GM trucks.

 

[jlee]

Find 1 modern vehicle that has a locking differential. Oh right they don't exist.

Toyota Tacoma with TRD package / e-locker. Toyota FJ Cruiser. Jeep Wrangler Rubicon.

Need I go on, or have you had enough?

 

[ShawnD1]

Toyota Tacoma with TRD package / e-locker. Toyota FJ Cruiser. Jeep Wrangler Rubicon.

Need I go on, or have you had enough?

It's so lovely that you didn't even read the thread. OP said his price is 25k max and you're suggesting a vehicle that far surpasses that. Toyota.com lists the price of a Tacoma 4x4 with 4 doors and a 5 speed automatic with the TRD package as $31,960

If price is no issue, I think the OP should buy a helicopter.

just note that the first video was made by a subaru dealership...

It still applies though. They put the front tires on a surface with no traction (like fluid snow or ice) and the back tires did absolutely nothing. That pretty much eliminates the whole point of having AWD if the back wheels need traction on the front wheels.
Also, the behavior of the throttle and braking systems in that video is very similar to how my car behaves when the traction control is on. Rather than equalizing power and trying to push through snow, it cuts power to both wheels to ensure that I get stuck. Fucking Toyota ripped me off.

Probably the best driving behavior I've seen was my friend's Chevy Blazer. It had no traction control, but it had a limited slip differential that may or may not lock. It'll spin both the back tires as fast as you want them to spin, and that sucker never got stuck.

 

[jlee]

Find 1 modern vehicle that has a locking differential. Oh right they don't exist.

blahhhblahhhblahhh

You were saying?

 

[vshah]

they should really stick sh-awd into the cr-v. that's a solid system

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJZxVefta68