2015 Honda CR-V Road Test & Car Review | Edmunds

Edmunds.comEdmunds.com Member, Administrator, Moderator Posts: 10,316
edited October 2014 in Honda
image2015 Honda CR-V Road Test & Car Review | Edmunds

Edmunds' road test of the 2015 Honda CR-V includes on-road driving impressions, instrumented test data, specs, photos, competitor information and more.

Read the full story here


Tagged:

Comments

  • hank39hank39 Member Posts: 144
    About time it got projectors...but no available HIDs? LED tails would've been a nice upgrade as well, but those all come at a price. All in all, the new changes are nice for a mid-cycle refresh.
  • bankerdannybankerdanny Member Posts: 1,021
    CVT only eh? Well I guess it joins the Forester on my no-longer interested list. Thank goodness for the Escape and the CX-5
  • g35bufg35buf Member Posts: 89
    Agree with bankerdanny - even thought Honda has the best CVT, any small CUV with this as the only choice is scratched. My wife wanted a Rogue in 2011 but my son and I vetoed it due to the CVT. She now loves her Tiguan SEL with the 6 speed Tiptronic. We saved her and she doesn't even know it or appreciate it. All the 6-speeds A/Ts are a better choice and I just went through a small CUV drive off with my daughter: CX-5, Tucson, Sportage, etc. Rogue and Forrester eliminated in the early rounds due to CVT. The Kia Sportage won this purchase decision.
  • sj1417sj1417 Member Posts: 1
    The Escape has been recalled 3 times just since I started reading this article. And a VW? I wouldn't drive either one if you parked them in my driveway.
  • hardcore24hardcore24 Member Posts: 3
    At least Ford does not hide its issue as Honda has?
  • agentorangeagentorange Member Posts: 893
    CVT haters gonna hate, I guess.
  • patinthecitypatinthecity Member Posts: 40
    edited October 2014
    I think I would get used to a CVT's characteristics if I conscientiously agreed to buying one. I'm not against the way a CVT works. I'm usually turned off to a CVT more so because of how it makes the engine sound. I think this is where very good sound deadening would help, or simulated gear-change noises would work. Heck, if phony noises work for the new Mustang's 4-cyl engine why not other cars?
  • rickmeister2rickmeister2 Member Posts: 1
    ...a $67K Porsche vs a $30K Honda - really? Personally, the Audi Q5 might be a better choice.
  • purple43purple43 Member Posts: 10
    Strangely, up here in Canada, only the base LX 2015 model is available in front wheel drive, according to Honda Canada's website. All others are AWD. My guess it's for production capacity reasons.
  • kwhkwh Member Posts: 68
    What terrible dull colors. I wonder what the freaks that did the colors were thinking. Were they trying to use the worst and dullest colors to avoid competition with some other Honda models? How about a classic Honda milano red or the pretty blue color from years ago instead of the two awful red colors and the purple car
  • bonarigobonarigo Member Posts: 1
    Have 2015 Accord Hybrid with CVT. Loud, slushy and irritating transmission. Going to get rid of it.
  • bosleybosley Member Posts: 1
    I am not getting this automatic (no pun intended) write-off of this vehicle because it has a CVT. This is probably an exact replay of the day Detroit started trying to sell automatics over manual shift. I drive a 2014 Subaru Impreza with a similar drive train and this is a zippy little car with incredible mpg. Further, when Bonarigo complains about a loud and slush transmission I have trouble reconciling it with the dozen PROFESSIONAL reviews from people that actually spent time driving this vehicle whose worst comment was a little bit of engine noise but only at certain speeds. This isn't a sports car. It's a cross between an LTD and a minivan. From all the reviews I have read it sounds like Honda knows their target audience for the CRV (they outsell the competition by a mile) and they are listening. They are also now going a little more upscale and I would not be surprised if they exceed 10% of their mix with the Touring addition. Finally, one last thing I don't get. Not a single review I have read on this SUV, in mentioning the competition, mentions probably the most competitive vehicle in the group, the very highly regarding 2015 Subaru Forester (Motor Trend Compact SUV of the Year). Why is that?
  • nofeernofeer Member Posts: 381
    Looking for real mpg, road and track said they saw NO improvement of the mpg when compared to 2014 they wanted to test again with a later build

    well any links or experience for the real mpg???

    fuelly has for the 2014/15 forester
    forester and cdv are my choices
    too bad to get the power lift gate which my wife requires is only on the most expensive touring model
    forester has them on all or most models
  • jes0012jes0012 Member Posts: 4
    so far, my wife and i have only out about 800 miles on the new '15 CR-V EX-L in mainly city driving. We're hitting an average of about 26-27 in the city (sometimes more, sometimes less depending on how long i'm stuck at a stop light). On the hwy, having only used econ mode so far, only getting about 30mpg at 75mph. Less than 30mpg if going 80mph. However, I will say that we have recently switched eco mode off and have noticed better mpgs in the city and are curious how this will affect mpgs on the hwy. Will know soon once my wife goes back to work for the next few days (drives 50 miles all hwy, one way to work). I have, however, hit 36mpg on a back country road averaging about 60mph once so far. Again, we only have about 800 miles so far and idk how much a "break in" period would have an effect on our mpgs. Only time will tell how it changes. Going on a longer road trip (about 4-5hrs) in about two weeks and will report back on our mpg from that trip when we get back.
  • columnshiftcolumnshift Member Posts: 8
    thanks jes0012 the motor trend comments took me aback glad even during breakin its not like motor trend
    keep us up to date
    how do you like the center screen and those function buttons
  • jes0012jes0012 Member Posts: 4
    honestly, the center screen is pretty nice. the whole system is pretty responsive and i haven't come across any problems with it so far (knock on wood). It does, however, feel a bit redundant with IMID screen just above it. Most of the information that I want to look at can be found on either the iMID or the main center screen. As it turns out, what we have ended up doing, is using the iMID for whatever I want to see that's not currently showing on the center screen. (i.e. when my wife is flipping through xm radio stations or fm/am/cd/etc then I flip the iMID screen to show me mpg). If she's not messing with the radio stations then i do the exact opposite. the iMID shows me what's playing and the center screen will have economy information (has a little bit more details than the iMID does). Overall though, pretty redundant. I will say, however, that we are falling in LOVE with the turn signal camera. Really didn't think i'd like it that much or even use it but as it turns out, it has become quite nice to have! The scope of the camera shows you more than just looking out the mirror does, and it completely gets rid of your blind spots. The lines on the screen that indicate if it's safe to get over are really nice. One thing that i think makes it all worth it though is that my wife is now actually using her blinker BEFORE switching lanes. Because of how the camera is activated, my wife is now (finally) turning her blinker on, checking that it's safe to get over, and THEN getting over. Before she just flicked the blinker on after already getting over without ever checking her blind spot (if she turned her blinker on at all). So i will have to give kudos to Honda for that one.

    The function buttons I have no problem with. Never used the capacitive buttons on the last iteration of Honda Link Next Gen so I can't compare. The buttons are small so you can't hit them without looking at them but, whoever is driving really won't have to ever hit the buttons next to the screen anyway as the steering wheel has all the functions necessary on a normal drive and is more convenient to use than the screen itself anyway.

    Let me know if you have any more questions! Be more than happy to answer. (Btw, small update, on my wife's way to work this morning, with ECO off, and going 80mph on cruise control for ~45 miles on all interstate, she got 29.2mpg. That's only one reading and I'd like to get a bigger sample size still, but it's something at least. Don't see a huge improvement over last year's model so far though in terms of economy.
  • columnshiftcolumnshift Member Posts: 8
    Wow what an awesome complete overview the way the salesman showed me was very confusing yours is wonderful just what I needed
    real life experience
    do you find storage about the front ample ?
    i kept hitting my head on the tailgate I'm 6'
    my wife 5'10
    we just need more alone time with a touring test drive
    your insights  VERY helpful:)
  • columnshiftcolumnshift Member Posts: 8
    edited December 2014
    MADE UP MY MIND TODAY!!!

    my wife tested a crv exl----lots of features, lane watch awesom.
    the sals guy warmed it up for us
    we got in--course vibration in steering and in my seat---driving same thing bouncy ride and it wasn't the 18 tires
    that shut my wife right off, bingo--I can't have this, lets test an outback and see if thats a cvt thing or suv thing

    outback smooth as silk, quiet

    my wife looked at me and said work a deal

    going tomorrow to work the deal

    silver ice limited with dark interior
    rear airvents HEATED REAR SEATS for the kids

    easy infotainment system--and gee wiz volume knobs ac knobs so i can use gloves--all the fuss about the small buttons on the crv no big deal i tried them all. confusing menus but buttons not the issue

    she was so impressed just at idle


    i told the crv sales person and he said "oh we need to take that to service"--- ITS A BRAND NEW [non-permissible content removed] CAR


    took my wife about a minute to push aside the crv if the outback didn't do well she want to start over



    was it a lemon, are others feeling the vibration---you could watch the wheel shimmy--is our experience unique???
  • fnamowiczfnamowicz Member Posts: 196
    Agree with the rough idle and vibration which is more noticeable when warmed up.
    This is a defect in all 2015 CRV'S Honda knows about this problem.
  • hdluffyhdluffy Member Posts: 12
    the vibration is in fact an side effect of the friction-less EARTH DREAMS. Honda has to offset piston rebound so the shock goes back straight up the shaft and creates less friction and increasing MPG.

    However, this engine design *earth dreams* needs to offset the cylinders. So there is a huge vibration. Now honda did very good to hush it to a minor vibration at idle...and none during the drive. But this is the reality of the earth dreams.
  • hdluffyhdluffy Member Posts: 12
    alot more wind noise in the forester and road noise then the crv to the man who went with the forester. I agree at idle the forester is amazingly quiet and smooth and SOLID.
  • smartmatt1971smartmatt1971 Member Posts: 1
    Has anyone in the US purchased a 2015 Honda CRV Touring model and experienced a serious delay in getting the car delivered. I purchased my 2015 Touring mid-November and I am told that American Honda Corp is holding up all Touring and EX-L with Navi in port for some reason. American Honda is not being very helpful as far as reasoning why the cars are being held up and when you call Honda Customer Service they are useless and cannot help. They tell you to contact the dealer which I have but the dealer is not getting any answers as well from American Honda Corp.


    Just trying to see if anyone else out there is experiencing bad service from American Honda Corp.


    Thanks in advance
  • nissmazlovernissmazlover Member Posts: 162
    I really don't understand the hate CVT's get amongst auto-enthusiasts. For decades, automakers do their best to design traditional automatic trannies in family cars to shift gears as smoothly and seamlessly as possible, never really getting there. Then, more recently, design newer ones with a ridiculous amount of gears (7, 8 and even 9! Really?) in search of said smoothness and efficiency. Along comes a new automatic transmission that (1) literally has no gears but a practically infinite amount of ratios, (2) is supremely smooth when accelerating with no shifting, and (3) contributes to better fuel efficiency, yet all automotive hell breaks loose. What? :-/ I don't get it. I, personally, love the way CVTs work, and don't mind hearing the engine in my car working. After all, I am a car enthusiast. So, bravo for Honda doing this with their CR-V.

    On a different note, I recently was very disappointed with the performance of my mother's '13 AWD CRV EX-L in the snow. The purpose of getting one of these crossovers over a regular car is to, supposedly, have better traction and capabilities when the weather gets bad - and even have a modicum of light off-road ability, right? (Otherwise, just get a car.) Yet, the CR-V couldn't even get up and out of my upwards-sloped driveway when we got our first large snowfall here in the Hudson Valley this winter season (I wasn't able to shovel in-time). I was stuck there trying to get her CR-V up the driveway for over half an hour. The "AWD" system was a complete joke! It behaved like an over-sized, front wheel drive Civic. (What's the point of it?)

    After finally being able to get out of there, I decided to see how my '14 Rogue SL AWD would do in this same situation. Lo and behold, it went up and down the driveway a couple of times without a hitch or a wheel spin! My previous Rogue performed super-well in the snow, too, and the new redesigned version does just as well. It runs circles around the CR-V when it comes to AWD performance (a big plus being it's "AWD Lock" button), interior design and comfort (esp. front seat comfort where the CR-V, IMO, fails miserably, too), ride quality and more. So, there's two things I don't understand: CVT hate, and sales success of the CR-V. :-/
  • tomkozskitomkozski Member Posts: 39
    nissmazlover, what was the state of the tires on the CR-V? A lot of traction in inclement weather depends on the quality/tread of the tires. Then again, the CR-V's 'AWD' system has been criticized before, just search youtube for some interesting videos.
  • rockcrawler11rockcrawler11 Member Posts: 11
    Nice to see Honda doesnt stray too far from a good recipe for a small suv, my 1998 crv Awd is still serving well into the 250k mark.
  • nissmazlovernissmazlover Member Posts: 162
    @tomkozski Yeah, I thought the same thing. As soon as I was finally able to get the CR-V out of the driveway, I checked the tires. And, they were all good. Funny you mentioned the interesting videos on YouTube, cuz yesterday, after my post, I went and looked for some! Lol. Have you found any particularly interesting ones you could share?

    In any case, I really was very disappointed with how badly the new CR-V did in the snow. Why buy it if it's not any better than a Civic? We used to have a 2001 CR-V EX AWD and THAT one did great in the snow, and it's AWD system worked much better. Go figure.
  • ek900ek900 Member Posts: 39
    I would concur with others that the CVT hate is a bit over the top. However, I will say that I've had CVTs in several rental cars (most recently a Versa), and I have definitely found that they are noisier and simply less pleasant than good-quality automatics. I used to worry about reliability on them, but I've watched my borther take two Mitsu Lancers (each CVT) over 100,00 miles, and he's had zero tranny issues.
  • SilentOSilentO Member Posts: 1
    Must read before buy

    http://www.crvownersclub.com/forums/14-problems-issues/63138-2015-honda-cr-v-vibration-idle-41.html
Sign In or Register to comment.

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles