Canadian test drive 2015 CRV
The 2015 CRVs showed up last week in Fredericton, NB but no EX-L or Touring available yet. I took a test drive in an EX this morning, here's what I found compared to my 2012 LX:
- LED driving lights do light up on the top but much dimmer and much bigger spacing... this is standing looking down where they looked to be off then bending over to be almost face on. I would have much preferred the top to be equally bright.
- didn't do much with the stereo but my wife did and she liked it. I played just a bit and the touch screen worked well, quick and responsive.
- interior is much richer looking, softer dash with stitching vs the big plain dash on the 12. Arm rest is much more comfortable for the driver plus my wife gets one finally, which she really liked. Cup holder layout etc is better IMO.
- power seats were comfortable, I was wondering if they'd be too firm or less padding than the manual seats but if it does it's not an issue
- new engine/tranny is fine, I was wondering how I would like the CVT but it's actually more responsive than the 5spd EXCEPT the car is dead as a doornail from a stop because the CVT makes it start low rpm and work its way up which kills torque. I tried full throttle to see if that would let the rpm up but no go... this is a big issue to me because I drive aggressively and pull out into traffic.. The net acceleration may be better because the big pause (kind of like a dead accelerator pump), especially with ECON on, seems to be mostly gone, but the car feels very lethargic taking off. Once underway and at 15 kph or so (didn't check) the car seems very responsive, better than the 12. Except for dead start runs the driveability and response is better on the 15... too bad about that dead start, I hate it...
- We like the looks of the 15 much better, photos don't do it justice.
- the ride seems tighter but a bit more revealing on small bumps, better for bigger bumps. Didn't notice a big difference in the steering
- road noise is noticeably lower, a significant improvement worth noting. I have Michelin Premiers on the 12, which are a pretty quiet tire. The sunroof shade quieted down wind noise noticeably when closed. Even without a sunroof the 12 has more road/wind noise than the 15EX.
- the overall drive and feel is more refined and nicer, and normal driving without cutting people off is fine without wanting for more power. It's a no brainer to get the 15 over the 14 IMO, the sum of little improvements make the car seem much more upscale. But with over 100K on my 2012 we're questioning the value of upgrading right now, will likely wait until spring and see then.
We also tried a 2015 outback today, here are the most noteworthy differences we found:
outback:
- cabin noise is louder
- interior equally nice, subjective preference
seats nice, different but equally comfortable
armrest well padded, very nice detail that boosted comfort
- back seats are more roomy and comfortable
- rear cargo space much smaller, big deal to us for travelling
I'm taking off now so will post this, might add a bit when I get back...
just got back, here's more:
- the transmission changes revs when accelerating like a geared trans except when accelerating hard it stays at high rpm once it gets there (little testing in this area but that's what it did a couple times)- I'd like to know if the dead start behaviour of the transmission can be changed electronically because I'd bet money they're going to get a lot of complaints on this issue. It spoils what is otherwise great performance considering the vehicle and fuel efficiency. It's also giving me the reality check to pause before upgrading and has pretty much convinced me to take a "wait and see" and think it over until spring approach because I don't want to spend a lot of money trading one dead stop annoyance for another. I did read on another person's review that the dead accelerator pump-like hesitation was still there but it definitely isn't nearly as pronounced as it is in my 2012. But that sucked out lethargic launch, ugh. Odd that it works so nice once you get rolling, it's two cars in one. I can see the utility in that for gas mileage but at least make turning econ off free up some rpm!
- That stupid road grime dripping tailgate feature is still standard equipment, I was hoping a retooling of the rear would inspire Honda to fix that. Does Honda have a sister company that sells jackets and shirts?
- Really like the keyless entry and it's fast, you don't have to hold the button in to lock or hold your hand in the handle long for it to unlock. I figured it would be annoying in that way but it isn't. I'd like to see if the touring model hatch does the stupid wait and beep thing that the Chrysler van I rented and the outback do. I'm not a patient man. And opening the tailgate before you get there would help the stupid dripping problem a bit.
- when I saw the silver painted "skid plates" in photos I thought "what were they thinking" bit in person they look very nice.
- I didn't play with it but the stereo (radio only) didn't seem to sound any better than my LX.
- despite my complaints I really like the Crv and especially the 2015 re-do. If I do upgrade it's a 90% chance it will be to this. It will have to be an EX-L or touring model though to make a bigger change.
The 2015 CRVs showed up last week in Fredericton, NB but no EX-L or Touring available yet. I took a test drive in an EX this morning, here's what I found compared to my 2012 LX:
- LED driving lights do light up on the top but much dimmer and much bigger spacing... this is standing looking down where they looked to be off then bending over to be almost face on. I would have much preferred the top to be equally bright.
- didn't do much with the stereo but my wife did and she liked it. I played just a bit and the touch screen worked well, quick and responsive.
- interior is much richer looking, softer dash with stitching vs the big plain dash on the 12. Arm rest is much more comfortable for the driver plus my wife gets one finally, which she really liked. Cup holder layout etc is better IMO.
- power seats were comfortable, I was wondering if they'd be too firm or less padding than the manual seats but if it does it's not an issue
- new engine/tranny is fine, I was wondering how I would like the CVT but it's actually more responsive than the 5spd EXCEPT the car is dead as a doornail from a stop because the CVT makes it start low rpm and work its way up which kills torque. I tried full throttle to see if that would let the rpm up but no go... this is a big issue to me because I drive aggressively and pull out into traffic.. The net acceleration may be better because the big pause (kind of like a dead accelerator pump), especially with ECON on, seems to be mostly gone, but the car feels very lethargic taking off. Once underway and at 15 kph or so (didn't check) the car seems very responsive, better than the 12. Except for dead start runs the driveability and response is better on the 15... too bad about that dead start, I hate it...
- We like the looks of the 15 much better, photos don't do it justice.
- the ride seems tighter but a bit more revealing on small bumps, better for bigger bumps. Didn't notice a big difference in the steering
- road noise is noticeably lower, a significant improvement worth noting. I have Michelin Premiers on the 12, which are a pretty quiet tire. The sunroof shade quieted down wind noise noticeably when closed. Even without a sunroof the 12 has more road/wind noise than the 15EX.
- the overall drive and feel is more refined and nicer, and normal driving without cutting people off is fine without wanting for more power. It's a no brainer to get the 15 over the 14 IMO, the sum of little improvements make the car seem much more upscale. But with over 100K on my 2012 we're questioning the value of upgrading right now, will likely wait until spring and see then.
We also tried a 2015 outback today, here are the most noteworthy differences we found:
outback:
- cabin noise is louder
- interior equally nice, subjective preference
seats nice, different but equally comfortable
armrest well padded, very nice detail that boosted comfort
- back seats are more roomy and comfortable
- rear cargo space much smaller, big deal to us for travelling
I'm taking off now so will post this, might add a bit when I get back...
just got back, here's more:
- the transmission changes revs when accelerating like a geared trans except when accelerating hard it stays at high rpm once it gets there (little testing in this area but that's what it did a couple times)- I'd like to know if the dead start behaviour of the transmission can be changed electronically because I'd bet money they're going to get a lot of complaints on this issue. It spoils what is otherwise great performance considering the vehicle and fuel efficiency. It's also giving me the reality check to pause before upgrading and has pretty much convinced me to take a "wait and see" and think it over until spring approach because I don't want to spend a lot of money trading one dead stop annoyance for another. I did read on another person's review that the dead accelerator pump-like hesitation was still there but it definitely isn't nearly as pronounced as it is in my 2012. But that sucked out lethargic launch, ugh. Odd that it works so nice once you get rolling, it's two cars in one. I can see the utility in that for gas mileage but at least make turning econ off free up some rpm!
- That stupid road grime dripping tailgate feature is still standard equipment, I was hoping a retooling of the rear would inspire Honda to fix that. Does Honda have a sister company that sells jackets and shirts?
- Really like the keyless entry and it's fast, you don't have to hold the button in to lock or hold your hand in the handle long for it to unlock. I figured it would be annoying in that way but it isn't. I'd like to see if the touring model hatch does the stupid wait and beep thing that the Chrysler van I rented and the outback do. I'm not a patient man. And opening the tailgate before you get there would help the stupid dripping problem a bit.
- when I saw the silver painted "skid plates" in photos I thought "what were they thinking" bit in person they look very nice.
- I didn't play with it but the stereo (radio only) didn't seem to sound any better than my LX.
- despite my complaints I really like the Crv and especially the 2015 re-do. If I do upgrade it's a 90% chance it will be to this. It will have to be an EX-L or touring model though to make a bigger change.