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Advice needed to buy CR-V

8K views 32 replies 14 participants last post by  magnumpii 
#1 ·
Hello everyone,

I am interested in buying the 2016 CR-V. I have a few questions which hopefully you can help me with
1. Is it worth upgrading from EX to Touring purely for the extra safety features? The other extra features are not that important to me
2. Has anyone here, looked or test driven a comparable Kia (sportage) or Hyundai (Tuscon or Santa Fe sport) prior to buying the CR-V and what is your opinion about those 2 makes.
Thanks a lot!
 
#2 ·
1: I went Touring simply to ensure no buyers remorse and having experienced all the sensing features, wanted them.
2: yes I drove all. There is something flimsy about Hyundai and Kia. Appearance matters more to them than substance. They are corporate siblings sharing key components
 
#3 ·
The only thing that really matters is your own personal opinion. Drive them all as much as you can, use the search function here and rely on your best judgment. None of us know you or your situation so it's impossible to give sound advice IMO. My EX serves my needs just fine, but probably lacks all the bells and whistles that seem to captivate lots of folks on this Forum. Craig
 
#4 ·
When I bought my CRV - the Touring models were extremely restrained (take 3 months to order).

I ended up with an EX-L. Today, I don't regret not getting the Touring as I ended up not thrilled with the CRV and I see several items down the pipeline that I want. I will not keep my CRV for 10 plus years like I have done with others and will trade it in when the new features come out.

For example - Nissan and Toyota has Bird's Eye camera view. Have you looked at this? As opposed to just backup camera and right camera, they have 4, stitch them together and you get an arial view. It is amazing! I also want CarPlay.

So I will trade my CRV in for "better features" then Touring in a few years (and will leave Honda). A friend recently drove the Nissan Murano (I know a higher model) and Subaru Outback with Eyesight. He preferred the implementation of the Safety features much better then how Honda implemented them. I did not drive the 2 models you drove but right now, the RAV4 is doing better then CRV in sales after decades. Have you considered looking at that model? Also look at Subaru - those vehicles are ranking very high on Consumer Reports.
 
#5 ·
I looked at the RAV 4, the RAV 4 hybrid, the Mazda 5 and the CRV. Each has pluses and minuses. I went with the CRV touring and don't regret it. There is always something newer and cooler just around the corner with respect to tech. If you fall into that trap, you will never be satisfied or will always be waiting.

Sent from my SM-T800 using Tapatalk
 
#6 ·
The Kia isn't anything special until you get into the higher trims and then the cost skyrockets and the fuel economy plunges.

The Hyundai has a dry dual clutch transmission. I just sold a '13 with a dry dual clutch. NEVER AGAIN.

Sent from my SM-T800 using Tapatalk
 
#7 ·
All vehicles now a days seem to have some sort of issue. You should be aware that their were some serious Vibration issues with the 2015 CRVS and some 2016 owners state they have it as well (search here on this forum) You really just need to get out there and test drive vehicles and go with what you are comfortable with. We love our 2016 Subaru Outback and Forester, but they too come with issues (which we have not had) Many on the Tucson forum love their 2016 Tucsons, but some have had issues with the DCT, and the storage is not that great on the Tucson. We enjoyed the mazda 5, drove nice, but didnt like the interior. RAV 4 was nice, but didnt like how it handled, too firm of a ride.....You just need to get out there and test drive vehicles....
 
#8 ·
Having a 2013 EX since new I can say we absolutely love this vehicle and plan to get at least 200K miles out of her. That being said test drive several different vehicles and choose the one that suits you best. Just remember some brands have a better track record than others when it comes to long term reliability. This is why we chose Honda and so far we have had no issues with them, unlike the VW's we used to own.
 
#25 ·
Not sure where your owner's complaint stats are from, but I'd bet the vast majority relate the vibration issue with the new 2015/16 engine/transmission combination. But this problem has been fixed, not just on new production but on all 2015s if the owner so requests. Even on this forum, the complaint level on the vibration issue has gone from hysterical to incidental.
 
#19 ·
Mazda gets great reviews and had a good reputation for reliability. Until this year the cx5s were still built in Japan I believe, but now they switched to Mexico. Not sure what effect that will have on quality.

Personally i found the seats in the CX5 to be too hard and the overall experience to be a bit less refined. I also didn't care for the fact there was no power lift gate or even remote hatch release available.

Sent from my note 4 using Tapatalk.
 
#23 ·
Mazda used to have terrible rust issues which they claim to have fixed and offer better corrosion warranties now. Aside from that their reliability is pretty good. Overall cost of ownership and maintenance of honda /toyota would probably be the best in the long term.
Some points to consider:
- CX5 had less cargo volume and slightly less passenger volume compared to the CRV.
- The crv and rav4 are very cleverly crafted in terms of dimensions and usable passenger / cargo volume. Lots of storage, leg room in rear seats.
- CX5 is more fun to drive and handling is great in comparison to others in this segment.
- Rav4 fuel economy is a bit disappointing in comparison to CRV and CX5.
- interiors and over all fit and finish of CRV / CX5 is very good, rav4 tends to be a bit cheap and basic (personal opinion)
 
#24 · (Edited)
I was given a new EX-L with navigation as a loaner to drive for two months. I liked it well enough to buy it, but the dealer wouldn't sell since it was under contract with Honda as a courtesy car it so I went to a different dealer and bought a new Touring. I have no regrets. I felt the $3,650 difference between the EX-L (without navigation) and the Touring was acceptable. For that price, you get...

Navigation (which also sends solar angle information to the automatic climate control for more precise adjustments)
Lane Keeping Assist System - helps keep you in your lane (sometimes and for limited amounts of time or distance)
Adaptive Cruise Control - very nice feature, although the logic isn't very fuel efficient or comfortable (sometimes it literally floors the throttle when it loses detection of a vehicle the agressively brakes when it is re-detected)
Collision Mitigation Breaking System - this feature alone has already been worth more than $3,650 when I wasn't paying attention and didn't see a car stopped in front of me waiting to turn
Lane Departure Warning - I turned this off because the beeping got annoying when trying to avoid potholes
Forward Collision Warning - this feature alerts you of a possible collision just before the CMBS activates
Power tailgate - I actually enjoy this feature more than I thought I would
Homelink - A requirement for anyone with a garage door or gate and doesn't want the visual and physical clutter of a clip-on remote on their visor
Larger, "sporty"-looking wheels - They looked like cartoonish sawblades to me at first, but I've gotten used to them and now prefer them over the other wheels
Turn signals in mirrors - of limited value, but they do a bit of an upscale look to the vehicle
Projector-beam headlights - improvement over the reflector headlights on non-Touring models (they focus more light in usable places and look a bit more expensive)
Driver's seat memory - VERY handy if you have two different drivers (I'm the only driver, so I programmed the second position to raise and slide the seat all the way back for cleaning)

So, I'd say the extra cost for the Touring model is well worth it.
 
#28 ·
I suspect the people who had the vibration issue, prior to the TSB, were actually a small percentage. They found a common place to be loud about it, but they also reported that a lot of dealerships never heard of the issue or didnt stock the parts to fix it. If it was larger, it would have probably been well known and a recall. My 15 tourings are both fine. Oddly, I had the vibration ONCE - as I was leaving the dealership for the first time. (at the edge of the lot, waiting for the light) But it was just a low idle and hasnt come back. (that was 7 months ago) I suspect it had to 'learn' my driving habit, to adjust.

I think the touring is well worth the difference in price, and it gives more room to negotiate a better price. We got it down to 29493 + doc fee, which I suspect is close to MSRP for the EXL. We liked it so much, we got a second one 3 days later from a different dealership. (they matched the price) That was for 2015's and I think the 16 was marked up a few hundred more.
 
#29 ·
I suspect the people who had the vibration issue, prior to the TSB, were actually a small percentage. They found a common place to be loud about it, but they also reported that a lot of dealerships never heard of the issue or didnt stock the parts to fix it. If it was larger, it would have probably been well known and a recall.
All most all recalls done by car manufacturers is due to "safety". The vibration issue with the CRVs was never related to safety. If it not safety orientated, then dealers get TSB's so that if is someone comes in or complaints about an issue - it is covered by the manufacturer that way.

So even if every CRV did have the vibration issue, I doubt there would be a recall.
 
#30 ·
That makes a lot of sense. But still a lot of dealers weren't aware of it, months after. (or a lot were playing stupid) I still think the problem wasnt as big/common as one might think. But it's great that there's a solution, and that it has already been applied to the ones labelled 2016. I think a lot of folks with tire balancing or bent rim issues are also speaking about it, but their issue is likely not at all related to the TSB. (vibration over 60mph, etc)

If I ever have the problem with our 15's, you can bet I'll have it applied. Until then, I'll keep the 1mpg more :)
 
#31 ·
I have a great dealer. Shortly after buying my CRV and before Honda acknowledged the issue, I was invited to an event there with food, etc... They introduced their service team and mentioned 1 guy works with Honda's Engineers when there were issues. He was one of so many in the country with this access. Long story short - I asked him about it and he knew exactly of the issue and mentioned that some were far worse then others as he said he had one CRV that was completely unacceptable. He even mentioned that they were trying different mounts, etc.. I asked him about CarPlay and he said he would check and emailed me the next day saying "don't plan on it". He was exceptional. When I took my CRV in for Mode 1 and 2, they had parts unhand. BTW - I ended up not losing the 1 MGP. I am still getting the same MPG.

I didn't realize I had it. I just knew my CRV ran rough. They said it was a Classic Mode 2 and it rode so much better after. Though, after they fixed Mode 2, I could definitely feel Mode 1 in the seat and steering wheel so that was fixed a few days later.
 
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