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Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4 or Subaru Forester?

782 messages,  Last post on Feb 25, 2009 at 1:24 PM

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What is this discussion about? Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4, Subaru Forester, SUV


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#725 of 782
Re: CR-V / Forester [jopopsy] by ateixeira
Nov 05, 2008 (1:00 pm)
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Replying to: jopopsy (Nov 05, 2008 8:09 am)

Background - I owned a 1998 L model for 9 years, and we now own a 2009 X Limited.
 
I completely disagree with that theory.
 
The old one had struts all around, and the biggest difference is that it was softer. It took a while to settle down in a turn. Not bouncy in an SUV sort of way, just more softly sprung.
 
The new rear suspension was derived from the Tribeca, and that plus all the other changes resulted in a Forester that rolls a lot less and feels firmer (the opposite of sloppy IMHO). You'll notice the reduced body roll on a test drive, and that's despite the fact that ground clearance is up more than an inch. The whole vehicle sits a bit higher.
 
The trade-off is a little bit more impact harshness. If you hit a bump you feel it a bit more than in the '98. An enthusiast might see this as more feedback and even consider that a positive, but we use it as a family car so I wanted to note that you do feel the initial impact of the bumps more. Overall it has more suspension travel, though.
 
I think it handles as well as any other compact crossover out there. MT just named it SUV of the year.
#727 of 782
2009 Honda CRV or 2009 Forester in the snow which is better by amiller1
Dec 07, 2008 (8:01 pm)
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Trying to decide between the two which is better in the snow and sleet if both had excellent tires on them. This is important to me in deciding which to buy, I live in the mountains and get a fair amount of snow, sleet and ice. thanks for your help and input
#728 of 782
Re: 2009 Honda CRV or 2009 Forester in the snow which is better [amiller1] by bodble2
Dec 08, 2008 (1:37 am)
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Replying to: amiller1 (Dec 07, 2008 8:01 pm)

I would say the Forester is better in the snow since it has a much more sophisticated AWD system, if they both had the same tires.
#729 of 782
Re: 2009 Honda CRV or 2009 Forester in the snow which is better [bodble2] by bj02176
Dec 08, 2008 (3:21 pm)
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Replying to: bodble2 (Dec 08, 2008 1:37 am)

Actually the 2005 Ford Escape, with Goodyear Tripletreds.
 
I had a 2003 Forester, the abs on this thing along with the tires sucked, while good in deep snow the rest of the time I felt unsafe. Slid across a major street from a side st, couldn't stop.
 
My first generation CRV (can't remember the year) was good along with my gas hog 2007 Santa Fe which I traded for a 2008 CRV. Got the 2008 CRV last March so don't know how good it will be. Replaced the original tires with some Nokians just recently.
 
Contrary to poplular believe there is no pull to the left or right. No rear diff noise at 12,000 miles, maybe at 15, but who knows.
 
Traded the Forester for a 2003 Honda Accord, the dealer didn't want to take the Forester.
 
However maybe the 2009 is an improvement, still no 5 speed auto though and the gas mileage is better on the 2008 CRV than the 2003 Forester.
#730 of 782
Re: 2009 Honda CRV or 2009 Forester in the snow which is better [bj02176] by bodble2
Dec 08, 2008 (6:23 pm)
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Replying to: bj02176 (Dec 08, 2008 3:21 pm)

Yes, you're correct ---- however good the AWD system is, it won't help you stop better!
 
And the 4-speed auto would be an instant deal-breaker for me too. But amiller1 was only asking about the snow-trekking ability.
#731 of 782
Re: 2009 Honda CRV or 2009 Forester in the snow which is better [bodble2] by ateixeira
Dec 23, 2008 (11:39 am)
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Replying to: bodble2 (Dec 08, 2008 6:23 pm)

Actually the 4 speed auto on our Forester is one of the best things about it. The transmission picks the right gear, shifts quickly and smoothly, and is generally very responsive. Plus it has SportShift if you feel the need to control it manually.
 
That 4 speed is ten better than the 5 speed auto in my Toyota. No contest. You can't just count the number of gears, there's so much more to it than that.
 
In the snow, between a new Forester and CR-V, I would opt for the Subaru because it has more ground clearance plus a more sophisticated full-time AWD system.
 
Tires are absolutely the #1 factor so a set of snow tires would sway the advantage either way.
#732 of 782
Re: 2009 Honda CRV or 2009 Forester in the snow which is better [ateixeira] by bodble2
Dec 23, 2008 (11:08 pm)
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Replying to: ateixeira (Dec 23, 2008 11:39 am)

No doubt some 4-sp will work perfectly fine. I had a rental RAV4 with the 4-sp auto that I thought was perfectly ok. But there is just something about buying decade-old technology.
#733 of 782
Re: 2009 Honda CRV or 2009 Forester in the snow which is better [bodble2] by ateixeira
Dec 24, 2008 (8:24 am)
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Replying to: bodble2 (Dec 23, 2008 11:08 pm)

Like I said, I'll take decade-old technology that works over newer technology that is better on paper but isn't as good ... in practice.
#734 of 782
Re: 2009 Honda CRV or 2009 Forester in the snow which is better [ateixeira] by bodble2
Dec 24, 2008 (10:49 am)
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Replying to: ateixeira (Dec 24, 2008 8:24 am)

But think of how much more efficient the Subie's powertrain would be with a 5, or 6-sp auto. I mean, no one's complaining about the 5-sp in auto in the Legacy and Outback.

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