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EX-L or Touring?

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exl touring
27K views 49 replies 28 participants last post by  bubbaken 
#1 ·
Just curious, anyone pick one over the other and why? I went with EX-L bacause I didn't think the extras with Touring were worth $3200. Somedays I think well I might would have enjoyed that particular feature. Just wondering who had other reasons for your choice. Was it because you like the top of line version with all bells and whistles or a specific feature you wanted? Was it cost justification? Something about the Touring you didn't like? Lay it on me.


2017 Molten Lava Pearl EX-L w/ Nav.
 
#2 ·
I got the Touring. LED headlights were a big thing for me. That, with the subwoofer, hands free lift gate, roof rails, chrome trim, dual exhaust, interior ambient lighting, and sat-nav made it worth it to me. I'm not saying the amount extra I paid was a good value, especially since I could have added most of those features myself for less money, but it's nice to drive it home from the dealer with all the toys from the factory.
 
#3 ·
I got the Touring. I have always gone with top-of-the-line with any car purchase in the past since I buy one once every 15-20 years. I have the money to spend right now too, which always helps make that final decision. I don't really want to regret taking an EX-L and then wishing I had the extra options. As someone else here wrote, "I'd rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it."
 
#5 ·
I went with EX-L, I too didn't think the extras on Touring were worth for me for $3000. If Touring had Panoramic roof & a considerably better sound system I would have gone with that. Also I like the look of the EX-L headlight assembly. I like white headlights though which I am planning to put a white halogen or LED sometime in near future.
 
#26 · (Edited)
Just my two cents...i had a 2015 2016 and now 2017 all touring. I found out that the qualify of music output you hear from the crv audio system really depends on the source of music ( radio, mp3 files, xm but since ive been listening from spotify all my vaforite songs sound livelier. But theres no doubt the 2017 have the best audio among the three. ( spotify premium , available offline music)
 
#6 ·
I'm a single mother so the EX just made the most economical sense for me. I plan on trading in at the 6yr mark or so and will consider going up in trim at that point possibly. Some of the bells and whistles would have been nice but not necessary.
 
#7 ·
I went with the EX-L non nav. All the features that were on the 2017 EX-L were on the 2016 touring. Minus navigation, but you have that in Android auto/Apple carplay. Also the Honda sense package is standard across the board except the LX trim. Not saying the Touring isn't nice, I'm sure it is, just not $3000 nice for me.
 
#8 ·
EX-L no-Nav. Just didn't think the added features were worth $3k. Most (though certainly not all) of the Touring features can be added later. Roof rails can be added to any trim, the no-touch liftgate can be added to the EX-L, Nav is covered by AA/CP (with an old Garmin standalone stashed in the glovebox as backup). LED headlights are an easy aftermarket upgrade. I'm indifferent to the appearance upgrades on the Touring.
 
#9 ·
I got the EX-L no nav and I regret it daily! I liked the trim and the rims unlike most. I would've also enjoyed nav, auto wipers, and LED lights. My dad talked me out of it said waste of money blah blah. He has had 4-5 new vehicles in the last 4 years...so I really shouldn't have listened. I kept my 2008 CRV EX all these years. I was going to purchase the top of the line HRV when they first came out but held out. I didn't like the pointiness of the back window of the CRVs. I am glad I waited but now I'm stuck for years but I guarantee my next will be the touring.
 
#10 ·
For me the Touring is also not worth the extra money. I would've purchased the EX-L but my wife was happy with the EX and actually preferred the cloth instead of the leather seats. IMO the big advantages of the EX-L vs the EX are the leather upgrades, the driver's seat with two positions, and the power passenger seat. Nice to haves are the power tailgate, automatic dimming rear-view mirror, homelink, HD radio in that order. After driving my wife's EX for a week, I must say the EX is the most bang for the buck of all the trim levels. I don't really miss anything dearly.
 
#11 ·
I think I would have gone with the EX, but neither the wife nor myself liked the look of the cloth (this is actually our first car with leather.) We thought the cloth from the '16's looked much better.

That said, now that I have the EX-L, I'm really digging the memory seats; it's nice to have the seat exactly how I like it, instead of having to make a guess at the best setup every time my wife and I switch off.
 
#15 ·
Definitely a personal choice. I went with the Touring as I plan to keep it 8 years or so like my trade-in, and over that time, the price difference is moot. My wife wanted the hands free rear hatch and you know how that goes...
 
#19 · (Edited)
1. Blind Spot Monitoring System ( Wow!!! Very effective defense against accidents New to Crv and might be expensive to install on Exl or might not be possible

2. 330 Watts Audio system ( Wow!!! almost twice that of the exl)

3. HD Radio ( Wow clear music)

4. 9 speakers ( Wow includes additional tweeters at both back doors. Passenger enjoys the highs too)

5. Subwoofer ( Wow!!! Just enought for normal daily commute wihout breaking your ear drums)

6. Hands free access tailgate ( Wow!!! Very useful and eye catching)

7. Satellite Navigation ( Free Data anywhere in america and canada. No need for cellular signal.

8. Led Head Light - High and Low

9. Dual Exhaust with Chrome finisher (Wow!!!)

10. Ambient light (front doors)

11. Heated Seat (Canadian)

12. Heated steering wheel Canadian)

13. Roof rail

14. Bilingual voice recognition

8. Most important "Touring Emblem" thats silently say Get out of the way im better and more expensive than you"
 
#21 · (Edited)
Isko, the EX and above models come with the Blind Spot Monitering System and heated front seats here in the US. Perhaps they don't in Canada?

I want to lease a 2017 CR-V and started checking the terms. The EX-L actually has a better residual value than my first choice which was the Touring model. For that reason, I would go with an EX-L with navigation.

If I were to purchase, I would buy the Touring because I would be keeping it longer than a 3 year lease. I like the extra features but don't like the extra cost on a lease.

Right now however I will not be leasing because Honda is using a very high money factor (interest rate) of over 5.4 percent on their lease for the new CR-V. I have excellent credit but that is the rate 3 different dealers have quoted from Honda!

Waiting to see what happens and ready to lease if the rates come down. No hurry to get into it now with those rates.
 
#41 ·
full LED headlights, the hands free tail gate, the roof rails, HD radio, 9 speakers, more power audio justified the price to get the touring for me.

if I got an EX-L, i would pay extra to get the roof fails and hands free tail gate because those were a must. doing so obviously negates some of the savings from just going with the touring to begin with.

but the LED headlights were important, and the nicer sound system with HD radio. I'm no longer in my youth where i want to waste time and more money modifying the sound system--which if i do would install myself if i ever did. i figure just going with the nicer sound system so i wouldnt have to do that.

if the EX-L had a "tech package option, to add the led headlights, hands free tail gate, and the nicer audio. i could live without the dual exhaust, navigation and the other stuff.

if I was in canada, the panoramic roof and heated rear seats is a no brainer, nothing but the touring would suffice if i lived in canada.

I guess also if I was leasing the vehicle instead of financing it to own, i wouldn't have cared for the touring.
 
#44 ·
Also, it isn't any good to get a Pilot if you don't need one, or like it, etc. I bought a Touring and could've bought a Pilot but didn't because though I loved th J series the car itself was huge for me and wasn't a fan of the minivan look in the front and a train car on the rear. That would've been $30k+ not well spent. There was also fuel economy. Yeah I don't think price should necessarily push one into a different model that's like saying why buy a Civic Touring when I could've bought an Accord - it's true but why would you buy an Accord if you're shopping for a Civic.
 
#45 ·
I was shopping for an Accord and fell in love with the CR-V. My wife has a 2008 CR-V EX-L with Nav, and I hate the way it rides (too bouncy & stiff) but like the higher up feel. I could have bought an Accord Sport SE for $10K less than the CR-V Touring, but I didn't. I could have bought an Accord Hybrid EX-L for $7K less than the CR-V Touring, but I didn't. I must be crazy.
 
#47 · (Edited)
I read this thread with interest having spent my 40+ year working career in the automotive industry. I remember having the dealership guys come in and some would ask why in the world did they put on Auto headlights or whatever because they didn't see a need for it. I remember well when I was working at Chrysler and they added the rear door on the left side and the study groups they brought in didn't like it, said it was dangerous. They went with it anyway and within a year or two you couldn't sell a mini-van without that door. Same goes for the power door openers, the service people hated it and saw no use for it but many customers wouldn't buy a car without it.
My point is very simple and based on decades of working with within the automotive industry. You make different models because all of us are different and have different tastes and priorities. You are allowed to love or hate any part of the car your heart desires. I know cars and I know what I like for ME (not you). I thought really hard deciding between the EX-L (my 2012 was one) and the Touring. I did the math and looked at what you got for the extra money and decided for ME it was well worth the price. I also know that in four or five years when I get the next generation CR-V with laser drive or whatever they will have then, that my Touring will command a higher value on the used car market.
You buy whatever model you like and you don't have to justify it to anyone except your spouse when she later learns she could have had this or that convenience feature but you were too cheap to pay for it. I knew that if I had settled for the EX-L that later I might regret not getting the Touring. Oh, and yes, our 2015 Fit is the EX-L and my wife loves her leather seats and "bun warmers" in her little "econo-box" car. As I told my wife, never again will we settle for less than the top of the line. I had looked at Acura RDX but to get all the safety features you spend about $10,000 more than what the CR-V is. Some have mentioned for the price of the Touring you could get the Acura. Yes, but its a stripped down model with fake leather seats. My wife refused to consider one. As she said, she actually liked the CR-V better and it cost a ton less. Its all in how you look at it. You don't want to pay extra for a Touring...fine. You don't have to justify it to me or anyone else. You want a Touring because you like it...go for it and enjoy that sucker. Its a great car and has it all. I love mine.
 
#48 ·
One minor thing I'm disappointed in with my US touring is the missing buttons. if I buy top of line with all options there shouldn't be any blanks for options I didn't get.

However, my steering wheel has a 'missing' button to the left of the main button, and a few blanks above the left knee area. I assume they are for options on international models?
 
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