Not Crazy About My 2013 CRV

[HondaMann99]

I didn't think I'd be writing this 4 months after purchasing an AWD CRV EX-L for my wife.

I know that the CRV is a very popular car, everyone seems to love it (including friends of ours who recommended it). We don't love it. It's OK, but we're not crazy about our CRV and probably regret purchasing it. Here's a Top 10 List of what we don't like:

1) Underpowered - The car needs 20 - 30 more HP. It's annoying every time I drive it.

2) Poor gas mileage - Our driving is 70% highway (~70 mph), 30% local. And the local is 30 - 45 mph two lane roads, no traffic ever, no bumper-to-bumper. With that, we're averaging 23.3 mpg on the last 4,000+ miles. I just did a 230 mile trip to upstate NY yesterday, 200 miles of which were on the interstate (cruise at 75 mph most of the time), 30 miles two lane state highway, no stops, and I averaged 24.6 mpg. In local driving, it gets around 20 mpg. We're not aggressive drivers, quite the opposite. This is very disappointing.

3) Excess Wind Noise - The car is very noisy at highway speeds.

4) Excess Rolling Resistance - The car coasts very poorly. On a fairly steep 2 mile downgrade on an interstate near me, where elevation goes from 1,000 ft to 100 ft, the car barely maintains speed in Neutral. If the downgrade moderates slightly, the car loses 15 mph very quickly. On my car (which is an AWD BMW), the car's speed will increase from 75 to 85 mph or more on that same downgrade. This has to contribute to the poor mpg.

5) Excess Tire Noise - I guess this is not Honda's fault, it's the tires, but Honda did pick them. Real noisy on anything but the silkiest smoothest road.

6) Heated Seats - They take forever (20 - 30 mins) to get warm. Dealer says they're working properly.

7) Suspension/Handling - Softer, sloppier than I'd like. I used to own an Accord and an Acura. Loved them. Drove much nicer than the CRV. Thought the CRV would be about the same as the Accord. It wasn't.

8) Cruise Control - Very sloppy and imprecise. Speed wanders +/- 5 mph of the setting. Dealer says it's working fine.

9) Headlights - They simply suck, and there's threads around here on that. I replaced the bulbs with PIAA Extreme White bulbs. That it made it suck less, but they still suck.

10) Fun To Drive - Very subjective, I understand. But the car isn't fun to drive. About as much fun as a mid-1980's GM family sedan. The car feels like you're forcing it to go and it doesn't want to. My wife, who isn't picky about cars at all, she'd drive anything with heated seats, said, "It doesn't feel like a new car. Never did. Doesn't have that tight, solid feel of a new car. Feels like I'm driving a 3 - 4 year old car."

Now I realize that I'm telling all this to a biased audience. Nearly everyone reading this here obviously likes their CRV or they wouldn't have bought it, would have traded it in for another make, and wouldn't be here to read it. I don't expect anyone here to agree with 10 out of 10, but there's probably a lot of people who agree with some of those.

In any event, I'm actually thinking of trading the car in for something else.

[rocks]

I agree with 4-5 of your dislikes but it's the wife's vehicle.I don't drive it much but she's loves it.

[rocks]

double post

[JonW]

a) Have you checked your tire pressure? That could account for a number of you items like noise, sluggishness, poor mileage, poor rolling resistance, etc. In fact you may want to add a few PSI above what is recommended - I do... Also your mileage may be affected by the winter gas mix where you live - see how the mileage fares in the spring and summer.

b) do you have a roof rack? That will also add wind noise and decrease mileage

c) It's not a sports car, or an accord or civic. If you were expecting it to drive like any of these you were bound to be disappointed.

[Blue12EXL]

1) try driving with ECON off, it will respond much better. For me mileage is just as good with ECON off.
2) keep highway speed to 70 it will help. Anything over 70 will really hurt mileage.
3) the air deflector for the sunroof helps with wind noise if you dont have that.
4) inflate tires to 33 psi.
7) suspension is based on the Civic
8) by design ECON lets the cruise control vary to keep from downshifting.
For us it is a keeper, the wife loves it.

[JustinTime]

I am surprised about your comment on rolling resistance. My experience with a 2013 is quite the opposite. If I'm on a slight downhill slope, the car maintains speed and sometimes even increases. With my 2002, it was quite sluggish in that sense.

I am also surprised about your comment on the excessive wind noise at highway speeds. My experience has been that the car is amazingly quiet for the price range. It is one of the things I like about the car.

I think many of your problems here will change dramatically by just doing two things. Increase tire pressure to about 34 PSI, and do not use the Econ button.

That economy mode is the worst offender for this vehicle. It takes all the sportiness out of it.


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[HondaMann99]

a) Have you checked your tire pressure? That could account for a number of you items like noise, sluggishness, poor mileage, poor rolling resistance, etc. In fact you may want to add a few PSI above what is recommended - I do...

Already did that. A while ago. All tires are at 35 psi. The car was better after that, but my post is based on the tires already at 35 psi.

Also your mileage may be affected by the winter gas mix where you live - see how the mileage fares in the spring and summer.

Don't know if I'll still have the car by the Spring or Summer. I know you get worse mpg on winter fuel, but it still shouldn't be that bad.

do you have a roof rack? That will also add wind noise and decrease mileage

No roof rack.

It's not a sports car, or an accord or civic. If you were expecting it to drive like any of these you were bound to be disappointed.

I know it's not a sports car. I don't think it's unreasonable to expect the car to drive pretty close to an Accord. After all, it's not a full-fledged SUV or minivan.

[HondaMann99]

1) try driving with ECON off, it will respond much better. For me mileage is just as good with ECON off.

Forgot to mention that the orig post was based on ECON on most of the time. I turned it off, and have driven about 150 miles since then. You're right. The car drives better with it off. But it's still underpowered, and the mpg is still poor. Round trip to NJ yesterday, about 140 miles, 95% interstate, averaged about 65-70 mph, and I got 24.8.

inflate tires to 33 psi.

Tires have been at 35 psi for awhile. Probably even more than they should be. Orig post based on 35 psi.

suspension is based on the Civic

Didn't know that. Thought it was the Accord chassis.

[downunder47]

... and the mpg is still poor. Round trip to NJ yesterday, about 140 miles, 95% interstate, averaged about 65-70 mph, and I got 24.8.

CR-V's are notorious for really sloppy alignment! It has made a BIG difference in tire-noise, handling, and mileage in my 2010.

Honda makes a "Service Bolt" for the front shocks that allow 0.4 degrees of camber adjustment each. Your dealer may well not know they exist. Front strut Service Bolt 90120-STK-000, Nut 90382-STK-A01. Be sure they replace the nut also.

Your dealers should do it under warranty, or gratis?

[HondaMann99]

CR-V's are notorious for really sloppy alignment! It has made a BIG difference in tire-noise, handling, and mileage in my 2010.

Honda makes a "Service Bolt" for the front shocks that allow 0.4 degrees of camber adjustment each.

Thank you. I'm going to look into that.

I assume that increases negative camber?