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SUVs Honda CR-V Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4 or Subaru Forester?
782 messages, Last post on Feb 25, 2009 at 12:24 PM
You are in the Honda CR-V Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & tidester
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I posted most of this in the general CRV forum and a kind soul suggested I post something in this forum to get a "more diversified" opinion. Here goes... We are looking at the CRV and RAV4. Saw the Forester at an Auto Show but didn't like it nearly as much as these two. I have test driven each several times, and my impressions are: The RAV4 has more pickup The RAV4 seats are uncomfortable The CRV seats are nicer and more comfortable The CRV ride is way more comfortable, more car-like than truck-like. I prefer car-like riding. I then drove them again, and again, and again. I sat in the back and had my husband drive so I could see what it would be like for the kids. I liked the ride in the back in the CRV WAY MORE. Hubby is tired of me obsessing on this, but it's a big decision for me, as we keep our cars a long time, and I am the one who will be living in it. My hesitation at this point rests on these things: I like a lot of the way the RAV4 is set up inside, except for the console - no room for my purse with a passenger in the other front seat. I like the easier mechanism for folding the seats down in the RAV4, and they lay flatter. I am tired of the hatch on my Sienna, and would be retaining the necessity of lifting up/pushing down with the CRV even though it is lighter. Is the pickup in the RAV4 really better or am I just not used to Honda engines/trannies? I had an Accord 20 years ago and loved it, didn't have troubling merging onto the highway. The last time I drove the CRV, the one I drove seemed better in merging than the first time I drove one. So is it just my imagination? We are comparing 4 cylinder models, not the V6 in the RAV4. I really don't need a V6. Honda dealers seem harder to work with, because they have the upper hand in the supply/demand arena. So many times we ended up buying Toyotas instead of Hondas because the dealers wouldn't act nice or couldn't get a car in a reasonable amount of time. And finally (this is a nit-picky girl thing), I just really really love the RAV4 green color. Waiting to see the CRV green, but I don't think I am going to like it, and I also want gray interior, so I would have to go with my second choice, Glacier Blue. I am very very close to choosing the CRV, though, because of the more car-like ride and the more comfortable seats. Anyone have any comments about really tall high schoolers fitting into the driver's seat of the CRV? My son will be starting driver's ed this summer and he's concerned he won't fit. He's 6'2" and growing Haven't been able to get him inside one yet. Also, my impressions are that the RAV4 has better visibility on the passenger's side; the CRV's little window at the end of the right side is completely obscured when someone is sitting in the right seat of the second row. Anyone have any comments on this or anything else I have said above? I have appreciated all of the input I have gotten so far, including an affirmation of the way I go about driving cars over and over again before I am sure. So anything else will be appreciated as well. We are choosing between the base models for each, and the CRV is less expensive, even with Toyota discounting, given that they don't have 'packages' to load onto the cars, most of which I don't want, but some things I would like, if that makes sense.
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Replying to: farmingrocks (May 14, 2007 11:25 am)  The Rav4 has a few more useful features, in my opinion -- such as auto-off headlights, hill-start and hill-descent control, and a more robust AWD system. I also find the hand parking brake more intuitive to use than the foot brake on the CR-V (although this would not be an issue for you since you've been driving a Sienna). Styling is, of course, subjective, but I find the Rav4 more pleasing overall. In my opinion, a base Rav4 Sport V6 represents the best value.
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Replying to: bodble2 (May 14, 2007 11:47 am) My husband is not a car guy, proven by his purchase of a Toyota Matrix with manually operated windows. And, I am not so sure I want to think about my son enjoying a car because of a higher horsepower.  The foot brake is not an issue for me, as I have used both kinds in my life; neither here nor there, in my opinion. The only real hills we encounter are those in Missouri when we travel to Illinois, but that is not often. I will miss the auto off headlights, but oh well. Thanks for your input!
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Replying to: farmingrocks (May 14, 2007 11:25 am) Anyway, I did what you did, sat in both front and rear seats of each. I liked the red in rav better than CRV but the green better in CRV version. So that was no help. I could not see visiting my Mom in NYC with ambulance style trunk for idiot speeders to take chunk out of door...lol...Not convenient to driving in busy areas. What it really boiled down to for me were certain conveniences and the feel of the car. The rav v 6 had some pep (as do most new cars anyway). But I wanted satellite radio built in without addtl wires, I loved the nav system, the conversational mirror in crv was awesome to wave my finger menacingly at kids  and finally, this shorty girl liked the fact that the CRV drivers seat cranks upwards so I had command view of the road which the Rav 4 did not. But seriously, I would have been happy with either car. Not so bad for a car shopper. I did like that I could get top of the line CRV for about the same money as maybe the middle tier Rav. Good luck....just go for what seems easy and fun to drive. That's what I did. And I found I don't need a V6 because my reaction time is generally faster than most drivers that are not city drivers. That makes up for alot.....lol
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Replying to: marig0107 (May 14, 2007 5:26 pm) In the end, I think we all go with our best guess!
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Replying to: farmingrocks (May 14, 2007 5:46 pm)
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Replying to: farmingrocks (May 14, 2007 12:59 pm) Car guys like everything Manual. I am just glad that I was able to get a Manually shifter CR-V before Honda decided not sell them in the US. I wish they also offered manual crank windows. Car guys know that less stuff you have, less stuf you have to fix... |
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Replying to: farmingrocks (May 14, 2007 11:25 am) All these choices are good. |
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Replying to: 10years (May 15, 2007 6:20 am) |
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Replying to: stevecar (May 15, 2007 6:42 am)
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