|
|
|
|
 |
DanielAcosta
 |
|
A few years ago (2006 Civic: Economy Car or Sports Sedan?) I suggested the 2006 Civic was one of the best cars Honda ever made. Fast forward to 2012 and Honda is reeling from the negative reaction to the latest Civic, so much that the 2013 Civic will receive a significant freshening after just one model year.
Now we have the new 2012 CRV, and to Honda’s credit they have learned and made mid-stream changes to its development with the hope that this model launch will be a more traditional Honda home run. As an example, the LX CRV was originally not going to have Bluetooth, but now all CRV’s will have at least some form of Bluetooth technology.
The initial press reviews of the 2012 CRV have been favorable but not really glowing, in part because the new CRV offers nothing really radical, and also because the competition has already raised the bar in the entry-CUV category. I recently had the opportunity to attend Honda’s in-house training that compares the CRV to its perceived competitors, namely the Escape, RAV4, Tucson, Forester, Equinox, and Rogue. Honda hopes the new CRV will trump the competition and retain its sales crown in the entry-CUV segment. While there is little doubt the CRV will still be the sales leader, is it good enough to go down in history as one of Honda’s best efforts?
It’s a shame the typical car shopper doesn’t have the ability to compare vehicles side-by-side, because when you do it quickly becomes apparent which ones are the stand outs in the crowd. Everyone certainly has their own taste, but in this market (2012 CRV, Escape, RAV4, Tucson, Forester, Equinox, Rogue) it would be hard to consider anything besides the CRV and Tucson (and its twin the Sportage). In fairness to Ford, the 2013 Escape (http://media.ford.com/mini_sites/10031/13Escape/) will be a much better competitor for those shoppers willing to wait 6 months, and the RAV4 is up for redesign a little further down the road than that. For now, though, this quickly became a two-horse race between the CRV and Tucson.
Style is certainly subjective, but most would agree the Tucson and CRV are probably the best-looking entry-CUV’s both inside and out. In typical Hyundai fashion, the Tucson impresses with its combination of style, appearance, and included or available features that the 2012 CRV can’t match, such as Homelink, downhill assist, a 6-speed automatic transmission, and a longer warranty. The Tucson also has more real-world driver’s legroom than the CRV. Beyond these items, which are by no means insignificant, the CRV really starts to shine.
Sitting in the 2012 CRV feels even more like a “baby Odyssey” than the 2011 model did. The ambiance of the interior and dash are great, and it even has double-decker storage pockets in the front doors like the Odyssey. If you don’t need a third row, this new CRV is probably all the vehicle you will ever need.
Front row legroom is tight but adequate for tall drivers, and only pales when you compare to the Tucson. The back seat, however, clearly trumps the Tucson for legroom and comfort. Honda has finally revised the rear seat folding mechanism to give more cargo space, which is immediately noticeable. The bottom cushion must still be flipped forward before the seatback is folded, resulting in about a 6-inch loss in total length in the cargo compartment. This is still a vast improvement over the space lost to the CRV’s old flip and tumble design, and includes automatic folding operation from either the side doors or the cargo area. Similar to the design Toyota and others have had for years, the new CRV now has levers in the back of the cargo area that start a sequenced folding process for the rear seat. It works well and is fun to watch. Even though the total floor length gives up a little for the seat bottom cushion and is not totally flat, total cargo capacity is still huge compared to all competitors except the RAV4.
Honda will continue to take heat for not including a 6-speed automatic, but you can’t argue with near best-in-class fuel economy, plus the most informed buyers and enthusiasts will know that Hondas do a better job than others of achieving real-world mileage numbers that actually match EPA estimates. Honda will also be criticized for not including more manual control of the gears in the transmission, but this is simply because Honda still fails to emphasize the grade logic in their automatics that is so good you don’t need the typical manual gear selection. Can you name one other manufacturer that will automatically drop two gears going downhill to precisely control your speed? Honda’s automatic grade logic continues to be one of the main reasons Hondas are always near the top of my shopping list.
After many years of insisting on leather interiors and even navi to get Bluetooth, for 2012 Honda is finally including Bluetooth and more advanced electronics on models with cloth interiors. The 2012 CRV is the first Honda in the U.S. I know of to include Bluetooth and streaming audio even on the LX model, a welcome improvement. Unfortunately, there are still a few hiccups with the interior audio electronics.
The first is that certain features, most notably random voice dialing and commands, are still reserved for higher end models with navigation systems. There is a workaround wherein the user can store voice tags for quickly dialing favorite numbers. Beyond that, you must use the i-Mid display to access your phone book or enter a phone number, so this is only a partially hands-free system. It’s still a huge improvement over past Hondas with no Bluetooth at all. As an added bonus, the CRV includes about a half-dozen canned responses the driver can easily select to respond to text messages.
The second hiccup is that those text messages and highly touted new Pandora feature only work with certain models of smartphones, and even that isn’t universal. Some features work with iPhone, some with Droid, and some with Blackberry. Toyota did a much better job with Entune that offers more features and more universal compatibility with all smartphones. While the RAV4 will not offer Entune for at least another year, it does already offer voice commands and voice dialing the CRV can’t match. (The RAV4 also can’t access a phone’s contact list the way the CRV or Tucson can.)
There is a good workaround for this shortcoming in the CRV: the streaming audio by itself on the 2012 CRV works great, just like on the new Civic and Odyssey, and is more universally compatible with all smartphones. So while you may not be able to use the fancy Pandora dash display with the CRV and your Droid, you can still stream Pandora or any other music app from your Droid with no wires simply by selecting Bluetooth as the audio source. In the same way, you can also change tracks up or down on the internal audio player on your Droid without ever hooking up any wires or cables. There is, of course, a USB connection if you do want to pursue that route, which actually seems antiquated now with the availability of wireless streaming.
There is still some old-school Honda philosophy in the 2012 CRV, like requiring leather to get dual-zone air, but the Tucson has the same limitation. The Venza includes dual-zone air with a cloth interior, but that’s a completely different class of vehicle that few buyers will ever cross-shop with the CRV.
Although it lacks downhill assist (Toyota and Hyundai include this, but is it really necessary in this class vehicle?), the CRV’s new AWD system is a vast improvement because it is now predictive instead of reactive. In addition, the system is physically lighter and reportedly is one of the factors in the fuel economy improvements over the older model.
Just a few quibbles and curiosities. First, a 6-footer can walk under the open hatch on the Tucson without ducking, but not with the CRV. Would it have been so difficult to make the back hatch open just a little higher?
Second, there are two storage locations at the rear of the cargo area for the cargo roller shade when it’s not in use. In the upper stowage position, you can actually extend the shade to form a wall at the back of the cargo area; the shade does not extend enough to latch into place when stowed in the lower anchors. Wouldn’t it have been simpler to just make the shade extend another inch so that only one stowage location would be necessary at the bottom rear of the cargo area? If there is another logical reason for having two stowage locations one inch apart, none of us could figure it out, including the presenter who had been trained by Honda.
So is the 2012 CRV another Honda home run, or does it fall short like the Civic? Contrary to the press who feels the CRV redesign is playing it too safe, lacks a 6-speed, yada yada, I am very impressed by the CRV and consider it one of Honda’s best efforts. The look and feel both inside and out goes beyond the typical entry-CUV. I applaud Honda for scrambling to include Bluetooth on all trim levels of the CRV, and hope they are wise enough to include a free software upgrade to make the system more universally compatible with more smartphones. If Toyota can do it with Entune, then Honda should be able to also.
The 6-speed shortcoming can be dismissed when you consider the mileage, both EPA and actual, and Honda’s superior grade logic, which to me is one of Honda’s most undervalued features. I do a lot of mountain driving, so for me the grade logic is a big deal, and I would much rather brag about reliability and the mileage I am really getting than the fact I have an extra gear in the transmission.
Would I buy a 2012 CRV? Absolutely! After several years of choosing Toyotas over Hondas because of Honda's refusal to offer Bluetooth with cloth, I am very happy to finally have some Hondas I can consider buying again. The current RAV4 is an also-ran, so I would advise Toyota purists to wait for the redesign. The Tucson deserves a look, but doesn’t have the rear seat or cargo room of the CRV, nor does it have the CRV’s overall ambience, which admittedly is subjective. The new Escape due out in about six months looks tempting, but I would not be confident in a first-year offering from Ford like I would be with a Honda or Toyota. The Rogue has a neat 360-view camera and CVT if you like those, but it’s smaller than the CRV and still has a funny looking front end. Subaru is a real player, but I would choose the Impreza with 36mpg over the Forester. Impreza’s back seat and cargo area is a lot smaller than CRV’s, but if I wanted great awd and the best mileage, the Impreza would be my choice.
For the mainstream entry-CUV buyer, however, the new 2012 CRV has so much to offer there is little doubt it will continue to dominate the market. It may not be an overly dramatic or flashy redesign, but it is very significant. The awd improvements are great, the new seat folding mechanism is entertaining and functional, and Honda is finally joining the mainstream with interior electronics and even throwing in a few extra tricks. It’s arguable over whether this is a grand slam, but I’d say it’s certainly a home run that will restore some of the luster Honda lost with the latest Civic.
|
superchg2
|
|
Good observations, Daniel!
If the CRV had availability with a 6 speed auto. or 6 speed stick and the rumored K25= Home Run.
Even as it is, ought to sell like hotcakes!
|
VTECyo!
|
|
|
Thanks for the opinion! I recently sampled one of these at my local dealership, and I have to agree that it's Honda at its finest. Honda is a company that can make a really good car through seemingly modest means. It doesn't seem like the best on paper, but it really shows up the competition.
|
Grace141
|
|
DanielAcosta wrote:
Just a few quibbles and curiosities. First, a 6-footer can walk under the open hatch on the Tucson without ducking, but not with the CRV. Would it have been so difficult to make the back hatch open just a little higher?
|
Beside the fact that a woman driver of average height would need a taller hatch to be powered a typical garage in the US can have an 8'-0" finished ceiling. Many newer homes have garages with higher ceilings but an 8'-0" ceiling less the necessary room for an opener and the garage door in its open position leaves very little room for an open hatch on an SUV. As it is, we can't let the hatch on the RDX go all the way open in our garage unless the garage door is down and closed, and even then the hatch clears the garage door opener rail by only a couple of inches. Thanks to trends in home building in the US over the past 30 years to buy a home having a garage with a higher ceiling would most likely mean a vastly smaller garage in footprint meaning no workshop or storage for my project car. I was surprised when the sales folks at both my Honda and Acura dealerships were at a loss when I asked about the overall height of the hatch doors of the CRV and RDX when they are open. I've even measured the height of the hatch on the Fit at my local auto show because I was curious.
One other thought is there should be zero demand for hill decent control on a mainstream CUV such as the CRV. Just as there is zero demand for a transfer case low range.
|
iutodd
|
|
|
Great Review Daniel. Thanks.
|
Dream'R
|
|
This is a good point about the height of the open rear hatch. As others have mentioned, there is a variety of owners of different heights and garages ceiling clearances. So, how hard would it be to be able to come up with a user selectable opening height?? We have come to have many user selected choices with other products, so why not this one?
My daughter can open her CR-V but only if the garage door down and so her dog is contained. This is a big factor for her. I'm sure that other owners have similar situations where this feature plays a key role.
|
MalcolmR
|
|
.
Well said, Daniel.
Malcolm
:)
|
adrianchew
|
|
superchg2 wrote:
Good observations, Daniel!
If the CRV had availability with a 6 speed auto. or 6 speed stick and the rumored K25= Home Run.
Even as it is, ought to sell like hotcakes! |
Agreed on all counts - Daniel did a stand up job at detailing the new CR-V changes. Some of us would love to see 200hp and around 180lb-ft of torque to the wheels with a 6AT... one can still hope I guess in 2-3 years, if Honda wises up and decides against going CVT in the CR-V for the MMC. Quibbles aside, this will sell very easily.
As for rear hatch - its not the garage ceiling height, but the garage door opening height that really matters... I doubt if the hatch can be opened in most garages today without the garage door being open too.
Hopefully Honda doesn't force people to visit dealers to get the Bluetooth software upgraded. Along with this - does anyone know if there is a way to engage TPMS learning mode yet? Its totally ridiculous to tie that to the HDS the way it currently is in many Hondas today.
|
6SPDTL
|
|
|
I have to agree with the Odyesque styling of the CRV as in the ody it appears lower and more wagonlike than before, as Ive said before the styling is attractive if a little plain. I hope to take it for a drive soon.
|
cforez
|
|
DanielAcosta wrote:
The second hiccup is that those text messages and highly touted new Pandora feature only work with certain models of smartphones, and even that isn’t universal. All features work with iPhone, some with Droid, and some with Blackberry.
|
ftfy.
Thanks for the detailed review!
|
JeffX
|
|
cforez wrote:
DanielAcosta wrote:
The second hiccup is that those text messages and highly touted new Pandora feature only work with certain models of smartphones, and even that isn’t universal. All features work with iPhone, some with Droid, and some with Blackberry.
|
ftfy.
Thanks for the detailed review!
|
That's not true. The text messaging feature only works with phones that support the Bluetooth MAP profile. Honda demo'd it to the press with a Blackberry because they knew it had the MAP profile, but it should work fine with most other smartphones that support MAP. Unfortunately, none of the current iPhones support MAP (amazingly, not even the iPhone 4s), so that's one feature that WON'T work with the iPhone. Pandora is the one feature that is exclusive to the iPhone, but as Daniel pointed out, you can still use Pandora via bluetooth with any other phone that supports AD2P, and skip features should work as well. I verified that even the beta Spotify app on my old Palm Pre Plus worked (including skip forward and back) via bluetooth. It is really cool and convenient to not have to deal with a usb connection or an aux input, but most smartphones smoke through batteries pretty quickly these days so for longer drives you'll probably still need to jack into the phone for a recharge.
|
DanielAcosta
|
|
Jeff wrote:
cforez wrote:
DanielAcosta wrote:
The second hiccup is that those text messages and highly touted new Pandora feature only work with certain models of smartphones, and even that isn’t universal.
|
ftfy.
Thanks for the detailed review!
|
That's not true. The text messaging feature only works with phones that support the Bluetooth MAP profile. Honda demo'd it to the press with a Blackberry because they knew it had the MAP profile, but it should work fine with most other smartphones that support MAP. Unfortunately, none of the current iPhones support MAP (amazingly, not even the iPhone 4s), so that's one feature that WON'T work with the iPhone. Pandora is the one feature that is exclusive to the iPhone, but as Daniel pointed out, you can still use Pandora via bluetooth with any other phone that supports AD2P, and skip features should work as well. I verified that even the beta Spotify app on my old Palm Pre Plus worked (including skip forward and back) via bluetooth. It is really cool and convenient to not have to deal with a usb connection or an aux input, but most smartphones smoke through batteries pretty quickly these days so for longer drives you'll probably still need to jack into the phone for a recharge.
|
For long drives I do as Jeff suggested and plug in the power to charge my Droid, but I don't hook up the USB or any other cables and just use Bluetooth streaming. Sooo glad that Honda is finally including Bluetooth with cloth interiors.
|
cforez
|
|
|
I stand corrected! :)
|
DCR
|
|
I said the same thing, but of course, I can't even be positive around here and people whine.
http://www.vtec.net/forums/one-message?message_id=996086
|
bluewho
|
|
I totally disagree with the CRV being a HR.
Great review.
The front is nice, the rear is so fugly. No third seat. It is spacious and it is a good thing. I love the interior, very nice.
Like the review mentioned, if only a customer would get a chance to compare apples to apples then it will be easier to make a decision. Well, I did.
I drove the Tucson and Sportage, love the Tucson's interior better but love the exterior on the Sportage. Rav4 is up for redesign and I couldn't wait, besides, I don't like the 2013 model( I seen spy pictures).
I would take the Tucson over the CRV but I didn't .
I love cars, I change cars like crazy.
Well, when the time came to drive the CRV, my wife, off the bat told me that she didn't like it, based on looks. She would be the primary driver.
I got in and loved the front exterior and interior but, by the minute I pressed on the gas pedal, it was so dead slow and IMO, it felt so heavy. Low torque and not a fun car to drive in comparison to the car we bought.
So, believe it or not, we choose a 2011 Subaru Forester Premium model. It comes with a new revised engine but still uses the old 4 speed tranny(my only complaint) and you get crappy miles to the gallon. Plenty HP and plenty torque. We drove the Forester first(stealerships few blocks apart) and then the CRV.
Also, we traded a 2010 CRV EX, the reason, long delay when gas pedal applied. So slow at take off. Wife complaining that few times she needed power when merging in the Hwy and the car felt dead slow, I agreed with her.
And no, I'm not a Nascar driver or drive like one, don't need an Acura RDX with the turbo(but my favorite/too expensive)
So, say what ever you want about the Forester but the new engine comes with a chain and, it will retain its value. Love the huge sunroof, BT and fun to drive. No blind spots, CRV has many.
I loved Hondas for years, but they killed the Civic and the CRV. IMO, the CRV is no HR, it will do as bad in sales as the Civic did.
I drove the Civic, nice engine but also, have that long delay when power needed.
I needed a car for myself, I looked around and it came to Kia Optima Vs Hyundai Sonata. Sonata was a winner, I got it. Love the 198 HP and the six speed tranny, not to mention the killer looks. Love the interior and the MPG too.
So, sorry Honda, you guys need innovation, new ideas. People like me, now days rely on technology and looks. Toyo and Honda still rely on their reliability but forgot about design.
Just my opinion, I'm not an expert but love cars.
|
DanielAcosta
|
|
Interesting perspective from bluewho, as you are the first I have heard of who chose a Forester over the CRV. Similarly, I do not understand the popularity of the Escape or Corolla, so I guess I am in the minority.
Outback or Impreza I can understand, but I personally would never consider a Forester or Corolla with a 4-speed. Once Subaru upgrades the tranny on the Forester, then it will be a player.
For us, we narrowed it down to the Outback and CRV and brought home the CRV, which felt comparable to the Outback when in ECO, and stronger than the Outback when ECO in the CRV is switched off.
In terms of actual sales, Civic and CRV are still going strong. I agree with you that the Accord is still behind in the electronics technology -- and the recent sales numbers reflect that with low Accord sales -- but we already know that will be remedied with the 13.
Bottom line is there are a lot of choices out there and we all have different tastes. It's okay to have a minority opinion, but ultimately the majority will drive the future by buying the products that sell the most. Honda lost us as customers for six years because they didn't offer Bluetooth with cloth, but now that they do we have two different 12 Hondas (Ody and CRV) in the family. With the upcoming ED technology I suspect we'll be seeing more Hondas in our garage in the future. If they can make a Ridgeline that gets 25mpg, that will be a player in spite of its looks. Honda, are you listening?
|
HondaMotorCo007
|
|
bluewho wrote:
I loved Hondas for years, but they killed the Civic and the CRV. IMO, the CRV is no HR, it will do as bad in sales as the Civic did.
Just my opinion, I'm not an expert but love cars.
|
First of all how can you say that the CR-V will do bad in sales when it outsells both the Tucson and Sportage? And since when is the Civic a failure in terms of sales? Sales figures came in today. Civic had a 50% increase in sales now that production is back to normal. Likewise, the new CR-V is also selling excellently.
I think I need the troll spray. Sportage and Tuscon do not have the cargo space nor quality of the CR-V.
And I thought Honda was bad, by offering a 5-sp AT. Your new car has a 4-sp AT, I guess you are a "driving enthusiast" that needs a super fast CUV.
Since I back my comments with facts let's see which car is actually faster apples to apples.
Bluewho's "fast" 2011 2.5X Subaru Forester (4-sp AT):
0-60 mph in 10.1 seconds
Handling according to Edmunds= Below avg.
http://www.edmunds.com/subaru/forester/2011/road-test.html
2012 Honda CR-V
0-60 mph in 9.4 seconds
"the crossover distinguishes itself by offering steering and handling that are sharper and more rewarding than most of the competition's."
http://www.edmunds.com/honda/cr-v/2012/?sub=suv#fullreview
|
KMG1219
|
|
bluewho wrote:
I totally disagree with the CRV being a HR.
Great review.
The front is nice, the rear is so fugly. No third seat. It is spacious and it is a good thing. I love the interior, very nice.
Like the review mentioned, if only a customer would get a chance to compare apples to apples then it will be easier to make a decision. Well, I did.
I drove the Tucson and Sportage, love the Tucson's interior better but love the exterior on the Sportage. Rav4 is up for redesign and I couldn't wait, besides, I don't like the 2013 model( I seen spy pictures).
I would take the Tucson over the CRV but I didn't .
I love cars, I change cars like crazy.
Well, when the time came to drive the CRV, my wife, off the bat told me that she didn't like it, based on looks. She would be the primary driver.
I got in and loved the front exterior and interior but, by the minute I pressed on the gas pedal, it was so dead slow and IMO, it felt so heavy. Low torque and not a fun car to drive in comparison to the car we bought.
So, believe it or not, we choose a 2011 Subaru Forester Premium model. It comes with a new revised engine but still uses the old 4 speed tranny(my only complaint) and you get crappy miles to the gallon. Plenty HP and plenty torque. We drove the Forester first(stealerships few blocks apart) and then the CRV.
Also, we traded a 2010 CRV EX, the reason, long delay when gas pedal applied. So slow at take off. Wife complaining that few times she needed power when merging in the Hwy and the car felt dead slow, I agreed with her.
And no, I'm not a Nascar driver or drive like one, don't need an Acura RDX with the turbo(but my favorite/too expensive)
So, say what ever you want about the Forester but the new engine comes with a chain and, it will retain its value. Love the huge sunroof, BT and fun to drive. No blind spots, CRV has many.
I loved Hondas for years, but they killed the Civic and the CRV. IMO, the CRV is no HR, it will do as bad in sales as the Civic did.
I drove the Civic, nice engine but also, have that long delay when power needed.
I needed a car for myself, I looked around and it came to Kia Optima Vs Hyundai Sonata. Sonata was a winner, I got it. Love the 198 HP and the six speed tranny, not to mention the killer looks. Love the interior and the MPG too.
So, sorry Honda, you guys need innovation, new ideas. People like me, now days rely on technology and looks. Toyo and Honda still rely on their reliability but forgot about design.
Just my opinion, I'm not an expert but love cars.
|
Comparing a CRV to a Tucson / Sportage?? Really, the cargo capacity is a joke and they should not have been considered if you are planning on hauling kids or cargo. I put the Rogue and CX-7 in the category too.
Any reason why you did not want to wait to check out the 2013 Ford Escape?
|
DanielAcosta
|
|
|
I checked out the 13 Escape at Barrett Jackson a couple weeks ago. The interior felt noticeably smaller than the CRV, and I would be concerned with reliability on Ford's new engines.
|
luder715
|
|
bluewho wrote:
I totally disagree with the CRV being a HR.
Great review.
The front is nice, the rear is so fugly. No third seat. It is spacious and it is a good thing. I love the interior, very nice.
Like the review mentioned, if only a customer would get a chance to compare apples to apples then it will be easier to make a decision. Well, I did.
I drove the Tucson and Sportage, love the Tucson's interior better but love the exterior on the Sportage. Rav4 is up for redesign and I couldn't wait, besides, I don't like the 2013 model( I seen spy pictures).
I would take the Tucson over the CRV but I didn't .
I love cars, I change cars like crazy.
Well, when the time came to drive the CRV, my wife, off the bat told me that she didn't like it, based on looks. She would be the primary driver.
I got in and loved the front exterior and interior but, by the minute I pressed on the gas pedal, it was so dead slow and IMO, it felt so heavy. Low torque and not a fun car to drive in comparison to the car we bought.
So, believe it or not, we choose a 2011 Subaru Forester Premium model. It comes with a new revised engine but still uses the old 4 speed tranny(my only complaint) and you get crappy miles to the gallon. Plenty HP and plenty torque. We drove the Forester first(stealerships few blocks apart) and then the CRV.
Also, we traded a 2010 CRV EX, the reason, long delay when gas pedal applied. So slow at take off. Wife complaining that few times she needed power when merging in the Hwy and the car felt dead slow, I agreed with her.
And no, I'm not a Nascar driver or drive like one, don't need an Acura RDX with the turbo(but my favorite/too expensive)
So, say what ever you want about the Forester but the new engine comes with a chain and, it will retain its value. Love the huge sunroof, BT and fun to drive. No blind spots, CRV has many.
I loved Hondas for years, but they killed the Civic and the CRV. IMO, the CRV is no HR, it will do as bad in sales as the Civic did.
I drove the Civic, nice engine but also, have that long delay when power needed.
I needed a car for myself, I looked around and it came to Kia Optima Vs Hyundai Sonata. Sonata was a winner, I got it. Love the 198 HP and the six speed tranny, not to mention the killer looks. Love the interior and the MPG too.
So, sorry Honda, you guys need innovation, new ideas. People like me, now days rely on technology and looks. Toyo and Honda still rely on their reliability but forgot about design.
Just my opinion, I'm not an expert but love cars.
|
Instead you bought a Forester with one of you major complains is that the CR-V does not have a rear seat. Neither does the forester. I do not think the CR-V needs to grow to accommodate a third row, if you need the third row buy a pilot. I'm glad also your a knowledgeable car "enthusiast," you instead bought a outdated car with a 4 speed, slower, and has horrible gas mileage then the CR-V you looked.
The CR-V is not going to sell well maybe to uneducated car buyers like yourself who rely on looks(terrible cheap looks like the sonata that in my opinion is not aging well even after its first year of being out and after 5 years will look horrible, can you say Tiburon), but the Civic as horrible is it is is up percent over last year. Do you also know that the Sonata and Optima are the same car? The Sonata the only car the slanted H has actually designed and is a terrible looking car (nothing flows together), the rest of the line up are Korean Copy cat designs of cars: Genesis Coupe= G35/G37, accent= corrolla/yaris, Elantra=8th generation civic, Azera=ES300, tuson=crv/rogue, santafe=Pilot/RX330, Genesis sedan=G35, Equus=Lexus LS. Kia the same thing almost Forte=8th gen civic, has gotten better since KIA hired the former designer from Audi. I don't understand the concept of hyundai and kia they are pretty much owned by the same company offer the same models with different body skins. It would have made sense a few years back when it was rumored that hyundai was going to be the luxury brand and KIA was going to be entry level. I don't would not buy or service a 70-80k car at a dealer that sells 10k cars. Have fun with your "technology and looks" car in a few years when your best friends with your slanted H dealer even with your warranty, wouldn't want to keep going back time after time. Yes Honda needs to improve the Civic which is coming, a new Accord is coming (why do you think they showed the coupe instead of the sedan there was a theory to that), rumored sport car like a BRZ/Fr-s competitor. For Acura: new MDX, RDX, ILX, RL, NSX, so i think there will be alot of shockers coming from H and A shortly they are more closed lipped now to due to Korean copys.
|
KMG1219
|
|
DanielAcosta wrote:
I checked out the 13 Escape at Barrett Jackson a couple weeks ago. The interior felt noticeably smaller than the CRV, and I would be concerned with reliability on Ford's new engines.
|
Yes, the dimensions are a tad bit smaller in rear seat room and cargo, but still ok. The backseat is for kids anyways, so no 6 footers will be sitting back there. Besides, our current family car is a Scion TC. So I think we could manage. My WRX's rear seat room is a joke.
They have done extensive testing on these ecoboost motors and are essentially banking on them to sustain the companies recent success. If they are failures then Ford is doomed. Besides the 1.6 and 2.0 Ecoboost have actually been around a few years and are really not that new. They are just new to the US market, but yeah it is still a concern of mine.
|
bluewho
|
|
Because you brag about a purchase you made or may do, doesn't mean everyone else, elsewhere does.
I didn't want to wait for the Escape because is a Ford, a piece of crap.
Elentra, car of the year from Hyundai. Call it whatever you want but makes the Civic look like a toad.
CRV, was and will always be a chic's car period. But even few ladys I know don't like the looks of it.
I wanted to get the Forester XT so bad but, the smartes buy was the stock since the wife drives the car.
All comes to what people likes.
I loved Honda for years but, it is my money and I'll buy what I lke. Current V6 Accord comes with lock of power too.
Hyundai/Kia offer turbo requiring regular gas and so much fun to drive. If I wanted a gas efficient car, I'll buy a Prius but I love to drive and having tech in my finger tips.
I rather buy a Fit, IMO is the most Honda fun car to drive, I love it.
Fact, I think Outback looks nicer than all of my choices but in the four cylinder, it is so slow like CRV.
Anywho, don't act like a child, going on and on about how great the new CRV is. If that's what you like, good for you. Me I like something else, does that make me a less of a person?
I like this website because I love the info it provides. I don't even own a Honda.
I got with a 100K miles warranty/5 year road assistance on my purchase.
For the record, just before I purchased the Sonata, I drove the Accord (four and V6) and they felt boring in comparison.
The new Accord full of fake bling will do bad too.
I think their new engines are great, just need torque and more inovetion, more Hyundai interior.
They now just killed the RDX, looks like everything out there. Look at Acura sales, dow.
Honda/Acura is not a bad product at all, just so boring.
Did you know who runs the design for Kia/Hyundai? A guy who used to work for Audi, A FACT JACK.
|
luder715
|
|
Only KIA not hyundai is that true about the designer and i told you that and that was only in the past year of his appointment, I could go on and on how but its not worth my time. Can you say last generation Sonota=7th gen Accord.
A second slower in 0-60 is huge btw between the CRV and the forester, and the forester is a chics car also, more so to the butch ones since subaru forester is the #1 lesbian car even subaru knows this and advertises to them. Im not saying that Subaru is a bad car company way better the the other one that your praising. Honda gets crap for a 5 speed and these guys still use 4 same with Toyota in a few of their cars really. Did you look at the crash integrity on the Forester vs the CRV, its does not score 5 stars and has a lot of 2 stars in the side, i think I would have a rather slow and boring vehicle then a car that if i get t-boned in it by some idiot texting be able to walk away from.
The elentra is a pos and a civic outhandles it in everyway unless you like floaty suspensions that are not connected to the road.
The Accord V6 and natural aspirated at 271hp while the Optima is 274hp with a turbo, so the Accord v6 which takes regular 87 get to 0-60 the the N/A slug that it is in 6.1 second the Optima the turbo monster that it is 6.5 can you say turbo lag. The Regular 190 hp Accord 8.4 and 0-60 and Regular Optima 8.4 so i don't get how the optima is fast then the accord. Besides the fact then again the chassis in the accord is also better then the optima, but if all you care about is checking your text messages and facebook, the optima was the right choice, which i could care less about and more about the driving experience. But then again I don't know what i'm talking about the MacPherson Strut setup in the optima/sonata is a way better suspension the the double wishbone in the accord. Hyundai interiors are nothing to right home about mismatched colors and hard plastics. What fake bling will do bad in the accord? The Accord is boring it has no new technology you just said. The Accord is also in its 5th model year where as the Optima/sonota 1st, and by their 5th year they will have outdated technology in them as well. Honda/Acura sales along with every Japan (Toyota, Subaru, Nissan) automotive Company have been down, nothing happened last spring that could have caused that in Japan though. The automotive industry is boring as a whole, nothing is exciting besides maybe the BR-Z and FRS but they are only 200hp. I think mainly this is because of people who would rather check their facebook status then buying a car that can handles, hell no one can drive anymore. I'm not saying there is room for improvement there is. Sick of Hyundai trolls on here, get the facts straight.
|
A77
|
|
Daniel said in the OP no-one even at Honda could work out why there are 2 stowage positions for the sliding cargo cover. I have been playing with ours in the showroom and here's the answer.
If you have the cargo tray fitted it blocks the lower slots - you have to use the upper ones. Without the cargo tray it wouldn't then be flush with the floor - there'd be a gap.
I still don't get the point of being able to create a wall is though ...to stop small animals from jumping out if you open the hatch? I also agree that if they had made the cover stretch a bit more then it wouldn't be necessary to have to move it to the upper mounting point. This facility wasnt mentioned by Honda at our training session either.
Our training btw had a Sportage and Equinox to compare - and apart from the Sportage being very pretty (esp in red) inside and out, the CRV is overwhelmingly a design that just works better in so many ways. Great review Daniel btw.
|
aznxthuggie
|
|
DanielAcosta wrote:
For long drives I do as Jeff suggested and plug in the power to charge my Droid, but I don't hook up the USB or any other cables and just use Bluetooth streaming. Sooo glad that Honda is finally including Bluetooth with cloth interiors.
|
Hey thanks for the review daniel. You're picky in some ways that I'm also picky so the review helps a lot. I'm planning on getting a honda or toyota that is relatively quiet, drives well, has modern features, and decent cargo space. I'm currently close to paying off my TL, and I do want to keep it, but there are a few things I don't like about it that make me want to trade it. #1 being leather seats, #2 being how acura refuses to update any of the software/firmware to mmc-level whether or not I'd pay for it, #3 being how the insurance and maintenance are stil much more expensive than an economy car. I'll do the math If I do make the switch, but for the moment, i'll be patiently waiting for the upcoming Accord to see how it does (then comparing it to the CR-V and picking one of the two).
For music, I saw the evolution from cassettes, to cd's, to mp3 cd's, to flash drives, and now to streaming. I always try to find the newest (still remember arguing with my dad about how it's worth paying a few more $ for a cd vs cassette) and most convenient one. When I got the TL, I was still using flash drives since the drives were cheap, but now microsd cards are getting cheaper (less than $1 per gb), and with the TL's slow usb interface, I find that using my phone's bluetooth streaming is usually better. Another thing is the "shuffle" feature on my TL isn't really random, as it always picks the same order of random songs.
The only problem with bluetooth streaming now is that the TL, a $37k 2010 acura, does not display the song name when playing music (instead it just says play/pause and sound setup), and you cannot initial "shuffle" or "normal" mode unless you use the phone. By default, the TL picks shuffle on my blackberry. Then there are times where I want to know which song is on and I need to pick up my phone while driving, which defeats the purpose. I also charge my phone while streaming if my drive is over 25-30 minutes. On my new HTC Amaze 4G (which i recently returned), streaming would suck the battery dry, so I just had it plugged in the moment i got into the car.
btw, was the car relatively quiet? My co-workers CR-V is typical honda noisy, much like my 06 civic sedan. I'm just wondering if the new CR-V is actually as quiet in everyday driving situations (like bumpy/broken roads).
|
DanielAcosta
|
|
Yes, I discovered the upper notch in the back for the shade works perfectly when the Honda cargo tray is in place, and I still agree it would have made more sense for the shade to extend a little farther for when it is in the bottom slot at the back.
Regarding interior noise, a recent trip of 200 miles at speeds up to 80 proved very quiet. Each CRV we test drove before purchase was also quiet, as was the Outback we were comparing to. In the past most felt Hondas were noisier inside than the competition, but it seems like they have finally got the message and are now making quiet interiors. Both our 12 Ody and CRV are quiet with no complaints, and so far are mechanically sound, which of course you would expect with only 3K miles.
|
auto_enthu
|
|
DanielAcosta wrote:
.....
The back seat, however, clearly trumps the Tucson for legroom and comfort. Honda has finally revised the rear seat folding mechanism to give more cargo space, which is immediately noticeable. The bottom cushion must still be flipped forward before the seatback is folded, resulting in about a 6-inch loss in total length in the cargo compartment. This is still a vast improvement over the space lost to the CRV’s old flip and tumble design, and includes automatic folding operation from either the side doors or the cargo area. Similar to the design Toyota and others have had for years, the new CRV now has levers in the back of the cargo area that start a sequenced folding process for the rear seat. It works well and is fun to watch.
.....
|
Very nice review.
The need to flip forward the bottom portion of back seat, in my opinion, is an intelligent decision. This will ensure that the seat is enough elevated in its normal position which makes sure that the passenger gets enough thigh support which is a major factor contributing to seating comfort especially during long drives. I think this elevated seating is unique to CRV in its class, that makes it the best-in-class in rear seat comfort, making it a very good long-drive vehicle for the family.
The only down-side is just a few inches less of flat floor, which does'nt matter much.
Instead, if Honda made the conventional design of folding the back on to the top of the bottom portion, then they cannot have elevated seat if they want the flat floor.
On the success of the vehicle, I think it is a silent home run, ie without much of buzz. This CRV will silently steal sales and will become even stronger leader in the class.
Good job Honda !
The only major competition will likely come from new Escape, but CRV will very likely remain at #1 atleast for the foreseeable future.
|
hooked
|
|
I finally testdrove the CR-V this weekend and I was a bit disappointed. I really wanted to like it. I currently own a 2006 Accord which I love. The CR-V is nice. Don't get me wrong. My major disappointments are the acceleration and wind noise.
I'm no speed demon, but I stomped the gas pedal to see how the car would resound and it was a bit lackadaisical. I also took it out on the highway for the same test with the same impression. While on the highway, the wind noise/road noise was immediately apparent to me. One of the nits that I have about my Accord is the noise and I figured that the newest Honda would be quieter than my 6 year old car. But alas, it was noisier.
Bottom line? Not a home run.
|
Tigerriot
|
|
I stopped by a dealership over the weekend just to sit in the new Civic and CRV.
FYI, I currently own a 2010 CRV EX-L, without nav.
IMO there is no question the interior is a step backwards, especially without nav. The speedometer and tachometer just don't look as classy to me as the traditional gauges in the previous model.
The buttons for the stereo and heating/air are inferior, and look very cheap.
Unlike the Civic, where the iMid was located in a logical location, I found it quite peculiar how the screen was located in the center of the dash, and it was tilted upwards, which just looked weird to me. I think it would be much more sensible without being tilted upwards like it is.
Overall I consider both the exterior and interior a step backwards from the previous model. I can't say a word for how it drives, but according to the TOV video they posted when the new model came out, they mentioned the gearing makes it feel slower than the previous model.
|
|
|
| |
|
| Thread Page - [1] |
| |
|
![[home]](http://sohc.vtec.net/elem04/home.gif){kind=small}
![[rumors and news]](http://sohc.vtec.net/elem04/rumors.gif){kind=small}
![[model release matrix]](http://sohc.vtec.net/elem04/newmodelreleasematrix.gif){kind=small}
![[dealer network]](http://sohc.vtec.net/elem04/dealernet.gif){kind=small}
![[desktop calendar]](http://sohc.vtec.net/elem04/calendar.gif){kind=small}
![[exhaust notes]](http://sohc.vtec.net/elem04/exhaust.gif){kind=small}
![[tov forums]](http://sohc.vtec.net/elem04/forums.gif){kind=small}
![[links]](http://sohc.vtec.net/elem04/links.gif){kind=small}
![[search]](http://sohc.vtec.net/elem04/search.gif){kind=small}
![[sponsors]](http://sohc.vtec.net/elem04/sponsors.gif){kind=small}
![[garage]](http://sohc.vtec.net/elem04/garage.gif){kind=small}
![[login]](http://sohc.vtec.net/elem04/login.gif){kind=small}
