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SUVs Honda CR-V CR-V vs Santa Fe
90 messages, Last post on Dec 23, 2008 at 7:49 PM
You are in the Honda CR-V Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & tidester
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Replying to: ejonavin (Aug 29, 2007 5:32 pm) In short, I went into the test drive wanting to be impressed with the CR-V. Unfortunately, I wasn't. It was boring to drive. (It's tough to articulate exactly what was missing. Steering was numb, engine was on the anemic side, acceleration was weak.) I felt like I was driving a tired appliance. Admittedly, the navigation was nice but it didn't make up for the fact that the CR-V was just plain dull. I also didn't care for the fact that the rear (2nd row) seats don't fold flat; they fold forward and rest against the front seat backs. The arrangement is nowhere near as tidy as the Santa Fe's flat-folding 2nd row seats. Another thing is the CR-V's gear shifter - it's mounted at the bottom of the center stack rather than on the console. It's no big deal, I suppose, but just didn't care for it. We ended up buying a Santa Fe Limited AWD and I couldn't be happier with it. The only thing it gives up to the CR-V IMO is the lack of an available navigation system. (Even that will be corrected later in the 2008 model year.) With its 242 hp V6 (compared with the Honda's 166 hp I-4), power driver's seat, 18" wheels (vs. the Honda's 17"), dual zone electronic climate control, HomeLink, front fog lights, and auto-dimming inside mirror, it was a simple choice. Add to that the very cool blue interior lighting (including the front cup holder!), illuminated steering wheel audio and cruise control buttons (also in blue), and the best warranty in the business. In fairness, the CR-V has some things that are missing on the Santa Fe e.g. a flip-up liftgate window, engine immobilizer, rearview camera (on navigation-equipped models), rear reading lights, multi-disc CD changer (in-dash), MP3 input, RDS, and a memory card slot. These are all cool features but IMO not enough to make the total package as desirable as the Santa Fe. We've had our Santa Fe Limited AWD with Premium Package (power moonroof) for 3.5 months and couldn't be happier with it. It's remarkably enjoyable to drive. I'm impressed by a lot of things on the Santa Fe but I think the most impressive part is the outstanding drive train. It's smooth, powerful, and whisper-quiet. The entire vehicle is well-built; it reeks of quality. I'm sure a few issues will crop up over time but it definitely looks as though Hyundai has done their homework with the Santa Fe.
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Replying to: mpuzach (Aug 29, 2007 9:14 pm) And about 20% less MPG (23 highway vs. 27 highway). I had a 2003 CR-V, which would actually produce around 30 MPG at 65 MPH (pure highway), and that was with only a 4 speed and AWD. The current CR-V has a 5 speed and is available with FWD in the higher trim models. In town, one cannot really expect better than 22 MPG (with very careful driving). The CR-V is not really a competitor of the Santa Fe; it is being compared simply because Honda did such a good job of packaging a lot of interior space into a small exterior. But the Santa Fe is designed to compete with the Honda Pilot (which, BTW, gets almost exactly the same MPG). Honda and Hyundai have very different engineering standards; they have different expectations for the engines and the ride. It is a matter of preference which one is preferred. Congrats on your purchase!
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Replying to: stevedebi (Aug 30, 2007 1:01 pm) I think what makes people compare the two is price. As many others did, we also started out looking at the CRV, but when we saw how much more you can get with the Santa Fe for less money, it was a no-brainer.
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I was considering a CRV also, but I went to some of the forum boards/user reviews and it seemed like it was nothing but bad experiences - anyone else see this?
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Replying to: zeb (Sep 05, 2007 12:26 pm) |
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Replying to: zeb (Sep 05, 2007 12:26 pm) |
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Replying to: drwoodr (Aug 30, 2007 3:27 pm)
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Replying to: hermanh (Sep 06, 2007 1:30 am) For 2008, they do, along with dual climate control, the uplevel stereo w/o having to get NAVI, and a rearview camera with the NAVI. These are a few of the changes made for 2008 http://www.hondanews.com/categories/842/releases/4135 |
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The CRV is a really nice car with great mileage (for it's size) a nice ride and Honda durability baked in. We just bought a Santa Fe Limited while they were clearing out the '08's. We feel we paid 2 to 3 (000) less than the Honda and received many interior upgrades. Most important for my wife (primary driver) were the power drivers seat (I don't get that one but she constantly pointed it out), higher driving position (liked that about the old minivan), Good handling and tight turning radius (hated those about the old minivan), and larger size without feeling it when driving. If the CRV and Santa Fe were the same price, it'd be a toss up for us and depend on whether we wanted to go bigger or smaller on size. However, the money we saved will buy a lot gas over the next few years and we don't feel we skimped to save a few bucks, quite the contrary.
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Replying to: danprtr (Sep 11, 2008 1:51 pm) |
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