Chevy Equinox vs Honda CR-V

[Moemg]

Before you rush out and but a CRV especially a used one read the complaints about the air conditioning
https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/Discussion-t10050_ds38007
This happened to me at 35,000 miles and a friend at 42,000 miles .

 

[Red Badger]

Agreed on road noise. An older CR-V we had was so noisy I thought the wheel bearing were shot. Even after a new set of tires, it was still noisy. Fuel mileage was not anything to brag about either. As said above, the newer models are supposedly improved in both areas.

We have been happy with our 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport and bought that over the Chevy Equinox at the time. We would have gone for the Equinox back then but the heated seat option which DW insisted on was only available in the highest option package and I didn't want to shell out thousands more to have heated seats. Incidentally, the Santa Fe gave us the heated seats, including rear heated seats, in the lower end tech package which made the car about $4K less than the Equinox.

Repairs on the Santa Fe have been $0 in 62,000 miles. Only oil, filters and one new set of tires is all we are into the car for.

In my opinion, all SUV's in this class are pretty good. It just depends on the options you want.

WE currently own 2 SF's (2007 & 2014). They're almost bullet proof. Probably trade the 2007 for another Hyundai product in the near future.

 

[Midpack]

The Consumer Reports reliability ratings make it an easy decision to me. And having owned 4 Hondas and 3 Toyotas, all for over 100K miles, it would be hard to convince me otherwise now. By many accounts GM has improved but the 2 Chevys I owned briefly when I was much younger, and the handful of rentals I've driven, ranged from meh to complete garbage.

 

[Jerry1]

The Consumer Reports reliability ratings make it an easy decision to me. And having owned 4 Hondas and 3 Toyotas, all for over 100K miles, it would be hard to convince me otherwise now. By many accounts GM has improved but the 2 Chevys I owned briefly when I was much younger, and the handful of rentals I've driven, ranged from meh to complete garbage.

In defense of GM, they have improved. I've always driven GM's because a family member gets me the employee discount. The real shock was when Consumers Reports had the Impala as it's best full size car. I leased it for two years and it was a good solid car.

It's not universally true and some models are certainly better than others but most manufacturers of your mid-level cars put out a pretty good product with a pretty good chance of not having any problems before 100,000 miles.

 

[Chuckanut]

I owned one GM car in my life, a 1985 Pontiac.

The design of the car was very nice and it was a joy to use - up to about 60,000 miles. After 60,000 miles me and guy who owned the local repair shop became VERY good friends. After 60K, I doubt if I ever went more than 6 months without some sort of repair. Every two to three months was the norm. You name it, it broke.

A few years ago I was tempted by a Buick that had good reviews and a good repair record. But, the thought of that Pontiac was more than I could over come.

Face it, I will never own another GM automobile. They lost a customer for life. And I made a point of telling my children about my sad GM experience. None of them has owned a GM car yet.

This is what happens when they let the bean counters run the business.

Note: I now recall that my first major repair was in the mid 40,000's when I had the steering rack replaced because it had 'morning sickness'. That was just the first time. It needed to be replaced again before the car had 100K miles.

 

[REWahoo]

Face it, I will never own another GM automobile. They lost a customer for life.

Same here, but it was a Studebaker...

 

[travelover]

Same here, but it was a Studebaker...

I bet you'll never buy another!

 

[hesperus]

I am probably the only one that had a problematic CRV . The air conditioning went at 35,000 miles and the paint started coming off in clumps . Reading the car boards apparently some years had these problems .Mine was a 2010 . Other than that it was a good car . I traded it in on a Rav 4 .

No, you're not the only one.
We have a '15 CRV EX-L (bought new) and at 18K miles the alternator went. Then, at 23K, the water pump went. Both within 12 months of each other. Both happened while we were travelling, which upped the stress level of locating a dealer while on the road. They replaced each under warranty, but I simply didn't appreciate the hassle of getting it into the shop, especially with a 'newer' vehicle that shouldn't have these failures. I also agree with calmloki in that the honda CRV lacks a certain level of refinement in the interior. Even with the EX package with leather, there is a certain utilitarian feel to the vehicle. Cheap silver plastic covers the door handles and various trim sections. Cut-rate sun visors without extenders don't block much sun, and hard plastics adorn the upper doors and entire dash in textures that range from respectable to bargain-bin. I would have preferred to purchase a Mazda CX5 as well, but no dealers anywhere near us, so we went with the honda. DW liked the reliability (?) factor and the crash test ratings, but would I buy the honda CRV again - NO.
We are longtime Toyota and Honda owners, and this is the first time we've ever been unhappy with one of them.

 

[ncbill]

iirc, people are getting some sweet deals on Equinox leases (see leasehackr.com)

based on personal experience (owned a 80s Camaro, recently was gifted a relative's Suburban) I wouldn't want to own any GM vehicle out of warranty, but a lease would be fine.

once the last of the kids is out of our house I'll be able to downsize to a couple of vehicles...one old reliable brand (owned) and the other what we want to try out (leased)

 

[samclem]

I'm not ready to write off GM (or other US car companies) forever. I'd put them into my decision matrix if their current models were giving 200K miles/10 years of trouble-free service, comparable to Toyota and Honda. But it takes 10+ years to get a reputation like that, and they've made promises over many years that "we've learned and now we are doing things really well" and it often hasn't turned out that way. So, I will remain very [-]suspicious[/-] skeptical.
I recently had a 2017 Chevy Cruze as a rental car, and drove it 1200 miles in two weeks. I was surprised--it was a nice little car. The fit and finish were good, it got 44 honest MPG on the highway (at 65-70 MPH, and no particular effort on my part to economize), the ride was quiet and smooth (for a small car). It had a small 4 cylinder turbo engine that produced good acceleration and was smooth. If they'd been making them (or similar models) for a decade and they had proven to have Civic/Corolla reliability, I'd consider a Cruze. But, for now, the Chevy reputation (including the previous Cruze years/body styles), the start-stop engine control (getting more common--maybe it will prove to be okay but it is an irritant in my opinion), and the inclusion of the small turbo on the small engine (another thing to go wrong--and marrying the turbo to the start-stop engine feature seems to be inviting eventual problems with turbo bearing coking) would all give me pause.
It takes a long time to really turn the corner and build a quality car. It's not just a design issue or making sure the cars are assembled right in the GM factories. It also requires the establishment of good relationships with suppliers of everything that GM doesn't make--pumps, switches, gaskets, bearings, electric motors, brackets, sensors, etc, etc. These suppliers need to know that GM will track the reliability of these parts over 10-15 years and reward or punish them accordingly in their future dealings. That's what it takes. So, it might require a couple of decades to weed out crummy parts and establish a sterling reputation for GM products. So far, GM isn't there.

 

[aja8888]

I bet you'll never buy another!

Studebaker?

I had a MGB 32 years ago (1985) and it was a troublesome car. Heck, the Lucas electrical system was a nightmare and the engine leaked oil. I'm not going to buy another MG product ever again.

 

[travelover]

Studebaker?

I had a MGB 32 years ago (1985) and it was a troublesome car. Heck, the Lucas electrical system was a nightmare and the engine leaked oil. I'm not going to buy another MG product ever again.

A bad Lucas electrical part? I've never heard of such a thing. Bwahahaha

 

[braumeister]

A bad Lucas electrical part? I've never heard of such a thing. Bwahahaha

He probably let the smoke out of it without replacing it.

 

[foxfirev5]

I would go that route. I have a 2017 Equinox - 6cyl AWD. DW and I like it very much but when the 2018's came out they looked pretty nice and I felt like I wish I would have waited. Then I read that all they had was 4cyl engines. Sorry, deal breaker for a heavy SUV like the Equinox. Those 4cyl engines are going to be working pretty hard so if I got one, I wouldn't have the drive it until it dies mindset. Probably look at about 6-8 years/80,000 miles. Also, if they have that stupid start stop technology, I wouldn't even look at it.

I drove a rental with start/stop and while it wasn't bad, I did not like it. Then I read that in order to accomplish start stop, it requires extra equipment. Not sure if it's true, but I read stop/start cars have an extra battery and equipment to keep the fluids pressurized while the engine is off (redundant pumps?). Not to mention the wear on the starter. No thanks.

Sorry that doesn't answer your question about the Honda, but you said you're pretty familiar with the Chevy and my guess is that maybe not as much as you think given the changes in 2018.

Yes newer is not necessarily better. The CV trans in the CRV is a deal breaker for me. The eco stop feature on GM's is likewise a deal breaker. I've rented a couple of Chevys with this feature and hated it. One Impala and a Cruz had such a lurch and jolt on takeoff I seriously thought the trans would drop out.
I have no idea what I'll buy when the '05 Lexus gives out in 5 or 10 years. I figure the '15 Equinox we have should last another 15 years so there's no urgency. Hope I last that long.

 

[aja8888]

A bad Lucas electrical part? I've never heard of such a thing. Bwahahaha

You've heard the term "Prince of Darkness" I gather...?

OP, I've decided (but you don't have to do anything I recommend)...go with the new Equinox! (be American, buy American!)

 

[RE2Boys]

You've heard the term "Prince of Darkness" I gather...?

OP, I've decided (but you don't have to do anything I recommend)...go with the new Equinox! (be American, buy American!)

Aren't all CRVs built in America

 

[aja8888]

Aren't all CRVs built in America

They may be all assembled here, but I would bet the major components are made elsewhere. I know VW assembles the Passat in Tennessee but the engines and transmissions are made in Europe. Hyundai and Kia have new pllants in the south (Ga, Al, ?) and assemble the Santa Fe and Sorento models there, but engines and transmissions are made elsewhere.

I'm only jesting about Be American, buy American as most of what we buy is sourced outside the U.S. GM has plants in Canada and Mexico, etc, etc.

 

[brett]

Someone asked me yesterday where I would shop for a car. Only two brands probably. Toyota or Honda. We keep our vehicles a long time and don't want something that is built to fall apart at 150K.

 

[meierlde]

Note modern window stickers tell you where the car, engine and transmission are assembled. An additional factor is if you live in a small town you may have to drive 60 miles for dealer service or more. (every small town has a gm, ford and Chrysler dealer).
I had a 2011 cruze that except for a few electrical glitches every so often worked more or less ok, except that the water pump failed, but GM paid for the replacement under a special program. (Water Pump leaked and it took a week to get it replaced since you have to take the engine 1/2 way apart to get to it).
Chrysler is the automaker I swore off. I got my dads 1966 and it lasted 120k miles although I did have to rebush the front end once. Got a 1976 volarie and it was a piece of junk, including that I did not get a spare tire due to a tire strike at the time.

 

[Clone]

A bad Lucas electrical part? I've never heard of such a thing. Bwahahaha

I understand that the English folk drink warm beer because Lucas also made refrigerators.

 

[Bamaman]

And what is the biggest selling vehicle outside of pickup trucks in the last three months?

It's the Nissan Rogue SUV.

How about that?

 

[DrRoy]

Thanks for the input. A couple responses:

So why not sell the Malibu and just keep the Equinox. You will save more that way.

It is partly a reward to DW to give up the convenience of the second car, and partly because she would like some new features that the Malibu has but the Equinox does not. Also, if we go with one car, the Malibu would be too small for several travel situations and self delivery of some purchases.

Sorry, deal breaker for a heavy SUV like the Equinox. Those 4cyl engines are going to be working pretty hard so if I got one, I wouldn't have the drive it until it dies mindset. Probably look at about 6-8 years/80,000 miles. Also, if they have that stupid start stop technology, I wouldn't even look at it.

We have a 4cyl in the Equinox now and are fine with it. We have start stop in the Malibu and fine with that too. It does have the extra battery that I had to replace. Also, I have taken several GM cars to 180,000 miles.

OP, I've decided (but you don't have to do anything I recommend)...go with the new Equinox! (be American, buy American!)

That's why we have been 100% US made for 36 years. The only reason we are looking at the CR-V is that it has within 1% the same US content as the Equinox, including paint made by my former Megacorp.

 

[pb4uski]

Our recent experience with GM has been good. We owned a 2005 Chevy Colorado for about 10 years and put 100k miles on it during that time and had little in repairs other than maintenance. We did have some rust issues with it but I blame that as more on the brine they use on the roads around here and that we didn't think it have it undercoated.

DD has a Buick Encore that is a couple years old and has had good experience with that vehicle.

WADR, IMO if your experience with GM is more than ten years old then it isn't particularly relevant to this thread.

 

[Texas Proud]

Just a question on how much the second car really cost to own


IOW, before getting married I owned 2 cars for many years... the variable cost of the second was small for me to have a daily beater and a nice car I liked (I did like the beater as it used to be the nice car).....

Sure, I lost a bit of value in the car, but the insurance was not that much since I listed one as 'pleasure' and inspection and stickers were less that $100....

I used to put between 2 and 4 thousand miles on my 'nice' car....

Also, this meant that I could keep cars longer as I did not run up the miles... but I have only had one car more than 100K miles... I am not like some who are trying for a million.....

 

[eytonxav]

I have not owned either of these cars, but in general I believe Honda's to be more reliable and post sales maintenance at Honda dealers is usually much better than Chevrolet dealers.