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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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Replying to: ateixeira (Nov 05, 2008 12:00 pm) Some reviewers say the XT leans a lot in turns. I've found it less of a leaner than the Outback XT or my former Malibu Maxx. Still, a vehicle sitting that high off the ground is going to lean more than something close to the road!  As for the topic here: I tried all 3 vehicles. The CR-V had a nice interior but was sluggish for passing. My experience with an Accord "lemon" and attorney comments that Honda remains a nightmare wrt lemons was final turnoff. The RAV4 V6 was peppy and has the highest fuel efficiency, but felt front heavy and made lots of noise on Oregons' badly worn freeways. The rear end door was clumsy, and its AWD system raised some doubts. The '09 Forester XT seemed a good compromise of the three and has proven very capable in bad weather, though I now wish Subaru had used better plastics and more durable paint inside.
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Replying to: kurtamaxxxguy (Jan 17, 2009 12:18 pm) We mapped out a half-hour course of 4 lane highway driving, twisty roads, hill climbs and drove each vehicle an hour apart with no salesmen on board. We split the driving. We were quite surprised how different each vehicle was to drive. It was hard to say a bad thing against any of them. But in the final analysis we both, without a doubt, liked the RAV4 the best. The RAV had the most road noise and some would say the roughest ride, but we both preferred the RAV ride to the other vehicles and thought it handled the best. We were surprised that the RAV 2.5 I4 motor at 179hp seemed much peppier than the 175 hp Forester. The 2009 2.5 I4 has added 13 hp over the previous year while getting 12.8% improvement in fuel economy. Funny thing though, Toyota not only reworked the I4 motor for 2009 but also the auto tranny too was done over and Toyota decided to stay with the 4 speed auto. You read alot of criticism about the 4 speed autos on both Subaru and Toyota forums but the new RAV 2.5 I4 with the 4 speed auto tranny gets a couple miles per gallon better than the CRV with the 5 speed. Go figure. Of course, now that my wife and I have decided to purchase the RAV, there is the temptation to go with the V6 motor which gets close to the I4 in highway miles and has 90 more horsepower.
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Replying to: rengaw (Feb 06, 2009 7:15 pm) |
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Replying to: rengaw (Feb 06, 2009 7:15 pm) Please let us know your feelings!
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Replying to: redrose1 (Feb 07, 2009 4:48 pm) A side note. Since we have decided on the RAV, our next process of decision making involves the engine we want....the 2.5 I4 or the 3.5 V6. We had driven the I4 twice, so today we wanted to try the V6. We will possibly do a little towing with our RAV and we drive alot in the Cascade and Olympic mountains. My wife, who is no sissy to power, drove the first leg of our run with the V6. Then I took over and on a straight stretch I punched it a bit and my wife started screaming. It was quite a surprise to both of us. My wife, the MPG freak, sat quietly for a few moments and then said, "I love this RAV with the V6." I liked both the V6 and the I4. So I am going again and drive both RAV's one more time and do some thinking.
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Replying to: rengaw (Feb 08, 2009 12:52 am) |
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Replying to: rengaw (Feb 08, 2009 12:52 am) Getting the V6 also gets you a 5 speed auto, but I'm not sure you'll like the transmission as much as you liked the 4 speed auto in the 4 banger, because it hesitates and lags a bit. I'm glad they updated the 4 banger because the V6 sort of made the prior 4 cylinder moot.
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Replying to: ateixeira (Feb 09, 2009 10:09 am) I was wondering, Juice, what kind of mpg you are getting with your van? And what would the weight difference be comparing the van to the RAV with the V6. I believe the RAV4 goes something like 3700lbs.
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Replying to: rengaw (Feb 09, 2009 7:32 pm)  
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Replying to: rengaw (Feb 09, 2009 7:32 pm) Seems like our experiences have been identical. We were 99% set on the Forester, and then the new RAV came out. Last year, the four-cylinder just did not do enough for me, either in terms of mileage or "peppiness." I didn't want the 6, so I moved on to the Forester. When the new, larger 4-cylinder came out in the RAV, I just had to try it--and I really liked it. So we got ourselves one last month. I'd say there is no "need" for the V6, unless you are towing regularly. If you are doing mostly highway, then the benefit of the I4 is pretty modest, except for the lower upfront cost...But you already know all this. Good luck in your choice.
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