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Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4 or Subaru Forester?
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Comments
-Frank
Sitting in the back seat of a 2004 TL felt claustrophobic compared with my wife's 2001, but in reality the leg, arm, and head space are very similar. It's just the smaller side windows which make it feel tighter than it truly is.
-Frank
Just hope that the manufacturers read these forums, and that this trend goes away soon.
I'll hold on to our GenII CR-V, and our Pilot as long as possible.
Our third car will likely be a Nissan XTerra (RWD, manual, boxy with plenty of cargo space and good views) instead of new CR-V.
I see your point p0926 and it makes sense but does the '07 CRV new sloping rear view window negatively affect merging on (specifically) the highway (cars at faster speeds and you need a longer field of vision and more driving distance to safely change lanes than on city streets?) Wish they had kept the square windows. When you get down to it safety is more important than looks. Also, does anyone know when would be a better time to purchase one (less demand, better prices, rear differential problem gone-discussed in other forum topic), Feb., March or April? Thanks!
For my part, I'd challenge the notion that these windows are really worth much at all. I use mirrors. I certainly hope most people aren't whipping their heads around just to change lanes on the freeway.
this is not to say that honda doesn't have a V6 planned though. manufacturers typically hold back certain things so that they can offer them incrementally with each new model year to keep a positive buzz on their cars and continue to entice people. that being said, honda has always marched to their own beat so who knows? the automotive press has always begged honda to put V8s in their big acura sedans and in the ridgeline pickup truck but they won't.
besides, as you stated yourself, demand is high which means it is selling well and a lot of people do like it.
Right now, the CR-V is selling at a ridiculously fast pace. With more than 15K being sold each month, that's a whole lotta money talking in Honda's ear.
Since 1997, Honda has proven that a good four cylinder engine can be remarkably competitive in this segment. Every manufacturer that's added a compact CUV to the segment has done so with a V6. Only one of them has seriously challenged the CR-V for dominance and, even then, only did so with fleet sales and large incentives. So, frankly, I don't see a V6 coming until the next full model change in 2011.
What I do think we'll see is a refreshed I4. Honda has a new VTEC system over in Japan. We may see it first on next year's Accord. Then it should make its way to the CR-V in 2009 or 2010.
hilarious!
yup, according to car & driver magazine, the CR-V still outsold every other vehicle in its segment in 2006 except the ford escape even though it only had a 4-cylinder engine, had no optional 3rd row, and was in the last year of its previous-generation design. not to say that it wouldn't sell better with a V6 but it's pretty clear that honda knows what it's doing with the new CR-V.
oh, and i found this tidbit. from the honda's CR-V project leader, Mitsuru Horikoshi: “It’s not that we didn’t consider a V-6 and a third row. It’s that it clashed with the concept of CR-V.”
i guess that's just how it is sometimes. lookit what BMW did with the current-generation 7-series and that "backpack on top of the trunk" treatment...oh man, is that ugly. the worse part though is that, although there is near universal criticism, other manufacturers have been following suit (e.g., acura RL, toyota camry). i hope that look never grows on me.
i do very much like the move away from the external mounted spare tire and the top-hinged hatch
www.honda.co.uk/car/?sectionID=_hce_crv07
I called Honda customer service a couple of months ago and specifically asked them if they made a manual transmission version for any market (Europe? Asia?) and they said "No" ... I sort of feel like they lied to me.
Auto Transmission is a non-starter with me.
A couple other things I don't care for are the sunroof howls like crazy due to my bike rack and I can't stick one of those wind spoilers on. The back door opens towards the curb so you have to walk around it. Kind of a pain with groceries and when you pick up relatives from the airport. I heard the '07 CR-V changed the back door. It was also super hard to find a manual. I ended up with an AT.
personally, i find the CX-7 the most attractive of the CUVs, both inside and out but the turbocharger removed it from my list (associated mileage, premium fuel requirement and longevity/reliability concerns).
Well that's a bit harsh. I'm pretty sure that your typical customer service rep knows even less about the model line-up than a newly hired salesperson. Normally you'd have to go pretty far up the corporate ladder before you found someone with enough knowledge to answer that type of question. For the most part, only hard core automobile aficionados are going to keep track of foreign markets.
Oh and just because something is available overseas doesn't mean that you will ever see it here. There are lots of interesting models as well as goodies and nice features that will never make to the US (for whatever reason).
-Frank
Thin pillars, low belt line, tall roof line, there seems to be more glass than sheet metal. Even the rear window dips low so you can see a young child directly behind you.
Drove a Saturn Outlook at it was like driving blind-folded. Wide pillars and a very tall rear window means you have to park by braille. I had to back into the curb to get a reference point.
It's a sad trend, as many other vehicles I've test driven are the same way. At least on some you can get a rear backup camera (or sonar). Or an aftermarket one for the others.
It's hard for me to think of a vehicle that does not have this visibility problem, come to think of it. The CR-V isn't too bad, the RAV4 is worse. Murano, Tribeca, FX, MDX, all those seem to have much less glass.
-juice
I've been hesitant about reactive AWD systems that are FWD until slippage. I also don't understand how the CR-V's AWD system works with the VSA Traction Control...after all they seem to be at odds with each other......the CR-v AWD needs slippage to engage the rear wheels and the Traction Control tries to prevent any wheel from slipping....how does the CR-V ever transfer any significant power to the rear wheels ?
I've been looking at the 07 CRV and the RAV4; I like the AWD system of the RAV4 better because it has an AWD-lock switch ( up to 25MPH ) plus its my understanding that the RAV's electronic AWD control shifts power to the rear during acceleration in general....don't know if this is true...its so hard to find any real world testing of AWD systems....too many road tests just recite the brochure and 0-60MPH times and braking and skidpad handling.
Why doesn't any road test of AWD vehicles have specific AWD testing i.e. low friction surface with level and uphill testing ?
Every now and then a mixed batch of toyotas might come by, but otherwise full haulers, usually a pair of them full with cr-vs only and several times everyday.
-Frank
Can any RAV4 and Forester owners offer their insight?
Also, the resale value of Forester are lower than CR-V.
Honda is usually at or near the top for resale value across all models.
That's true. However, I presumptively assumed that's because Subaru owners are more likely to fit the listener demographics of NPR :P And of course not all callers have mechanical issues.
I've also noticed that Click and Clack will frequently try to steer someone looking for an all-weather capable vehicle away from a full-size SUV and into a Subaru. I remember one guy in particular, he lived in Washington State, had a Chevy Tahoe, drove a lot for work and also took his two sons up into the mountains skiing on weekends. He was looking to get something that got better gas mileage. Click and Clack pointed out that a Subaru Forester would get much better mileage, met his cargo carrying requirements and could easily handle driving in the snow.
Now the guy didn’t say it but you could tell from the tone of his voice that there was no way he was going to be caught dead in any rice-burning small SUV. Oh well, at least they tried
-Frank
My sister is tire-kicking a used Forester in northern Virginia right now - you can tell winter finally arrived back there. The dealer started out about $5,000 over TMV and is still $1,000 high.
If she is looking in N. Virginia, she should check out Fitzgerald Auto group in Gaithersburg, MD. Juice seems to be a big fan and their Subaru prices are tough to beat in that area. I live in Philly but am considering going to Fitz when I'm in the market in a year or 2.
Regards,
Kyle
Bob
Click and Clack's show is national so either the Subaru owners like to call more or else like I originally said they do have more problems than Honda on a percentage basis
Since Hondas outsell Subarus by a considerable margin there may be some merit to this assumption. Seems like for the Subie owner it's usually a clutch problem. I know Tom and Ray usually say it is a known problem in many models.
I got a decent price for the trade, but I couldn't keep driving it and I wasn't about to get another one knowing that a lot of people experience similar things with Subies. I'm excited to get my CRV (I had to order it), but I am a little nervous about the difference between AWD and RT4WD. I live in the north east so I need good traction.
Oh yea, I listen to NPR and Tom and Ray too, and I was going to be one of those callers before I decided to get rid of the Subie.
the problem of living in Hell for months....
Not on my '98 Forester. Just the usual maintenance you'd expect to do at 30k, 60k, and 90k. The only "repair" was a set of spark plug wires, but I caught a chipmunk chewing on those.
As for resale, they're pretty close. If you got a better deal at the Subaru dealer, you might actually come out ahead. It really depends. Resale is usually stated as a % of list price, but those are pure fiction, so it's hard to say. I paid $19,200 for my '98, and Edmunds appraised it at about $4200 with 93k miles (and that's trade-in, private party is $5200). Not bad for a 9 year old vehicle.
-juice
-Frank
If you are waiting for the Cr-v, I suggest to give a visit to the Toyota dealer. My opinion is that there is no need to wait all that time for a Cr-v if the RAV4 is available and, unlike the case of the Cr-v, the law of supply and demand plays in your favor there.
Of course, other than "I brake for plankton", I'm not sure what the new CR-V says.
-Frank