Honda CR-V Owners

[street]

I haven't seen much in old threads on the Honda CR-V reviews from you folks.

So, I had a thread started on Chevy Trailblazers and now have switched my search to the Honda CR-V EX 2021.

Any input with pro's and con's I would like to hear them. I very interested in the AWD performance and how they do in snow/ice etc..

I have a Honda Civic now and have had 0 problems and I would say it has been one of the best vehicle I ever bought. Price wise. fuel wise and had everything I needed in one outfit.

 

[braumeister]

I don't know about the current ones, but I was a huge fan of the CR-V. I bought three of them in a row, starting about 20 years ago. Almost nothing I didn't like about it. But when I went looking for a new one in 2017, I found they had changed the seats and it wasn't nearly as comfortable as my previous ones had been. So I bought something different. But that's just me -- seat comfort on a long trip is extremely important to me. YMMV.

 

[Cricket69]

I was also interested a year or so ago because I am still driving a 2004 Honda Pilot which has been pretty much problem free. However, I read many reports of water in the fuel. Not a techie but if you google you should get several hits. There was a long running thread on the topic over on Bogleheads forum specifically. Good look doing your research and making a final selection whatever you decide.

 

[street]

Thanks!! I'm going to the city tomorrow and drive one.

I have to many outfits and going to sell one private to get more dollar then if I trade it away. It is a Chevy crew cab 2004, 50K, Z71, never had a rider in the back, never pulled and heaviest load has been a grocery bag. It has never slept under the stars and is in mint condition.

I need to get rid of some and get one new one for Saturday night and church. lol

So, I'm hot on a trail to find the perfect cheap econ gas saving outfit.

 

[brett]

We were considering a CRV. Read about the oil/gas issue.

Contacted a friends son who is a Honda Tech at a large Honda dealership. He has worked on CRV's with this issue. He claims that it is NOT fixed but Honda really does back up their warranty.

His advice....look at an Acura or if not a Honda product, at a Rav4.

Got the very same advice from another Honda tech working in a large Honda dealership.

So...looking at Rav4 and Mazda CX-5.

As an aside...I would not even consider walking into a Hyunday/Kia dealership. Major issue with engine fires across multiple product lines and extremely poor recall and warranty reputation.

 

[FIYes]

I have a CR-V that I purchased new two years ago. I have had no problems with it. I must add that it is extremely low mileage. I bought it November 2018. I traveled extensively in 2019, plane trips not road trips. In 2020 once COVID restrictions were needed, I went no where. A tank of gas will last a month or more.

Things I like, backup camera, blind spot warning, heated seats, great visibility. My previous vehicle had none of these features. The backup camera and safety features were my motivation for trading when I bought the CR-V. It is easy to drive and the seats are comfortable.

On the negative side, it is a little high for getting in and out of the vehicle. On the other my husband, who is almost a foot taller, thinks it is great.

 

[wmc1000]

We have a 2011 CR-V purchased used with 40k miles on it in 2014.

It now has 80K miles and other than oil changes, (I use extended duty oil filters and full synthetic oil so only change it our every other oil change notification), 1 transmission fluid change and a battery replacement it has performed flawlessly. Will likely need new tires in another year or so as the dealer had new tires installed in 2014 before we bought it.

Current black book trade in value is still over 50% of what we paid for it.

 

[CindyBlue]

I haven't seen much in old threads on the Honda CR-V reviews from you folks.

So, I had a thread started on Chevy Trailblazers and now have switched my search to the Honda CR-V EX 2021.

Any input with pro's and con's I would like to hear them. I very interested in the AWD performance and how they do in snow/ice etc..

I have a Honda Civic now and have had 0 problems and I would say it has been one of the best vehicle I ever bought. Price wise. fuel wise and had everything I needed in one outfit.

I have had two of them, a 2001 and currently a 2009. I bought both used.

When I finally decided, about ten years ago, that I just had to have a car with air conditioning, I did a lot of research, and the two cars that best fit my idea of reliability, affordability, gas mileage, and carrying capacity/looks/comfort were the CRV and the Rav 4. I didn't like the cramped feeling of the Rav 4, so bought the 2001 CRV and just loved everything about it.

The 2001 had its engine destroyed about three years ago by the timing belt - my fault, because I should have replaced it but I didn't know enough about it - at the time I bought it, about ten years ago, I had never owned anything other than VW Bugs!

I immediately replaced it with another (used) CRV, the 2009 - and chose it because it has a timing chain, not a belt (smile!). I love it. It's supposed to last forever if well maintained, and I intend to do that. I don't drive the CRV as often as i used to when I was commuting to w*rk, because I prefer driving my 2006 Toyota Tundra (also with a timing chain! And I chose that truck (used) because it should last forever with proper maintenance - you can tell that reliability and longevity are major requirements for me!) The truck has poorer gas mileage than the CRV, but I'm not driving as much as I used to, anyway, so the money spent for gas is just about the same (smile!)

Anyway, I love the CRV and would buy another one.

 

[jimbee]

We have owned a 2018 Honda CR-V EX-L for about 2.5 years. I like the interior room, fuel economy, and it drives decently. I don't like the seats, I don't find them very comfortable. I find the road noise to be excessive, and we've had the recall for the oil dilution issue. It still dilutes the engine oil, but the level stopped increasing since the recall work was performed.

DW likes the seat comfort, she is 5' tall and I am 6' tall. That's probably the difference.

 

[Travelfreek]

I have a 2014 CRV AWD that I bought new through Costco for $3k cheaper than the Carmax dealer had a 1 year old CRV AWD for. I have been very satisfied with it. I did get a new battery before the warranty was up because it died on me with minimal use of radio usage after stopping engine (Like while parked in grocery store parking lot). My car was just diagnosed w/ an oil leak by the dealer after an oil change. I decided to take it to my local mechanic in lieu of dealership due to convenience (much closer) and trust. So, they looked at it and they said it's minor and put some dye in and want me to return in a week to further determine the situation. My car has 63k miles on it now. I like it a lot and I'm not a fancy car person, really. My car has leather seats, sunroof, heated seats (I almost never use that since we live in NorCal). I found the car to be very reliable and my kids both enjoy driving it when they visit (when they fly in from where they live). My son is about 6 feet tall and has no problem with the comfort. Also, that's the only work that has been done to my car other than oil changes. I had nothing but oil changes and new tires on car this entire time so that says something about the Honda reliability.

 

[Bamaman]

The Honda CR-V is a fantastic vehicle. They had some engine break in problems for awhile when they switched over to the 1.5 turbo engines, but the seem to be fine now. I have heard the newest version CR-V rides a little rough, however.

The hottest SUV in the segment presently is the RAV-4 Hybrid which comes with AWD. Let me just say Toyota's hybrids are absolutely fantastic--quick, smooth quiet and incredibly efficient. Toyota's got hybrids down pat.

I recently traded my 2018 Camry Hybrid (49.5 mpg) for a 2021 Venza Hybrid AWD. It's basically the same as a RAV-4 but with better styling. And @ $32K, it was substantially cheaper than the RAV-4's on my dealer's lot. I'm getting 39.5 mpg in mixed driving, and I had it in deep snow last week. Not one bit of wheel spin. We just love it.

I've had a couple of Honda Civic SI's, and they never saw the shop. The ate tires, however. And in retrospect, I just didn't like the ride or the seats. Both were totaled out--kids.

 

[Another Reader]

Hondas eat tires and batteries. I would not touch a current model CRV because of the turbo engine and accompanying problems. I had a Prelude that had one problem after another.

However, the Accords I have had, starting in 1984, have all been great cars. The current one is a 2017. Toyota and Honda have both mastered the sedan. The 2002 CRV was another winner. I just would have a hard time today buying any new Honda because of the turbo.

 

[Chuckanut]

The hottest SUV in the segment presently is the RAV-4 Hybrid which comes with AWD. Let me just say Toyota's hybrids are absolutely fantastic--quick, smooth quiet and incredibly efficient. Toyota's got hybrids down pat.


.

Keep in mind that the older RAV-4 Hybrids (2019 and 2020, not sure about 2021 models) have gas tank issues. They are hard to fill up enough to get the advertised driving range of about 580 miles. You have to drip the gas in a bit at the time and risk sending fuel down into the evaporative control system. Not so good.

But, Toyota has admitted the problem in writing and offered to replace the gas tank, again in writing. My 2019 will have that done, most likely after I return from a Spring road trip I hope to take. 40+ mpg on the open road with a small SUV AWD vehicle is positively amazing.

 

[travelover]

DW has a 2014 CRV. It has the typical problem of the valve cam timing device rattling at start up and some transmission surging. The valve cam noise problem would have been covered under warranty, but it required significant engine disassembly and it is a noise problem, not a mechanical failure problem, so we did not have it fixed. My thinking was that disassembly was a major opportunity to screw it up. For the trans surging, I just changed the fluid and that seems to have cured it for now. Other than that, it has been a great car with no other problems. Road noise is bad here in the PNW where studded tires are allowed and the roads show it.

 

[aaronc879]

I recently traded my 2018 Camry Hybrid (49.5 mpg) for a 2021 Venza Hybrid AWD. It's basically the same as a RAV-4 but with better styling. And @ $32K, it was substantially cheaper than the RAV-4's on my dealer's lot. I'm getting 39.5 mpg in mixed driving, and I had it in deep snow last week. Not one bit of wheel spin. We just love it.

The Venza is thousands more than the Rav4 at each trim level. You must have been comparing a Venza LE to a Rav4 Premium. The gas tank issues with the Rav4 have scared me away and i'm starting to look at the CRV as my top choice. I have not looked at the Mazda CX-5 yet which has good reviews. No doubt the CRV is a good vehicle.

 

[street]

Wow! Some more great advise. Now, I don't know if I want a CR-V. LOL The RAV4 has it's issues also, so I don't know what to do.

 

[teetee]

We have a 2011 CR-V purchased used with 40k miles on it in 2014.

It now has 80K miles and other than oil changes, (I use extended duty oil filters and full synthetic oil so only change it our every other oil change notification), 1 transmission fluid change and a battery replacement it has performed flawlessly. Will likely need new tires in another year or so as the dealer had new tires installed in 2014 before we bought it.

Current black book trade in value is still over 50% of what we paid for it.

2011/2012 model's starter dies around 90k miles(you can poke it with a long stick to get it to work at the beginning). Make sure it is replaced with a new genuine one and not the remanufacturers one.

 

[teetee]

Wow! Some more great advise. Now, I don't know if I want a CR-V. LOL The RAV4 has it's issues also, so I don't know what to do.

If AWD is the focus, then I would look into Subaru Impreza or legacy. Compact SUVs are fine but I found them annoyingly high when it comes to removing snow from the roof. I am 5'9" and if you are shorter and expect frequent snow showers at where you are without a garage, that might be a factor. Civic never had that problem for me.

Subaru's AWD system is superior than Honda's anyway.

 

[ncbill]

Might still be able to get a cheap lease on the Venza:

https://leasehackr.com/blog/2021/2/...a-venza-is-an-incredible-lease-value-276month

 

[street]

There is problems with every outfit if I look and there is good points too all also.
Here is a ranking of the SUV's.
https://www.caranddriver.com/toyota/rav4

teetee >> Subaru would be an option but have know dealer even close to me. Not sure that is such a big deal but I would like a dealer close just in case.

 

[Chuckanut]

My thinking was that disassembly was a major opportunity to screw it up.

A very wise decision, IMHO.

 

[Chuckanut]

The gas tank issues with the Rav4 have scared me away and i'm starting to look at the CRV as my top choice.

The gas tank issues only apply to the Hybrid RAV4s, IIRC.

I think Toyota is handling the gas tank issue on the RAV4 Hybrids much better than how Honda is handling the gasoline in the oil issue of the CRVs. That's based upon what people here have been saying and my experience with a 2019 RAV4 Hybrid. YMMV. Good luck with whatever you choose.

 

[walkinwood]

We own a 2017 CR-V Touring. No issues so far. It works. It has enough power to overtake on the mountain roads & gives us about 30mpg in town.

As for driving in the snow, I believe its as much the driver's skill (or common sense) as the car. I am an average driver at best but had no issues with front-wheel drive cars like the ford taurus or the honda accord. This is our first AWD. It took a couple of drives in the snow to get used to the AWD, but it works just fine.

We live in Denver & before that, lived in NJ. In NJ, they plow the roads. Here, except for the major roadways, it has to snow many inches before they plow.

 

[wolf]

Wow! Some more great advise. Now, I don't know if I want a CR-V. LOL The RAV4 has it's issues also, so I don't know what to do.

In general, Honda's reliability, is gone. People's "good" experiences (long lasting vehicles), pertain to when Honda did build good reliable vehicles.

The oil/gas dilution, issue is real. And Honda Mfg. solution is just to extend the warranty. Not fix the defect.

You would have better luck, with a Toyota product.

Good luck....

 

[brett]

In general, Honda's reliability, is gone. People's "good" experiences (long lasting vehicles), pertain to when Honda did build good reliable vehicles.

The oil/gas dilution, issue is real. And Honda Mfg. solution is just to extend the warranty. Not fix the defect.

You would have better luck, with a Toyota product.

Good luck....

This is exactly what two different Honda techs working at large dealerships have told us. No fix, just warranty work.

We have a 2006 Accord 6cyl and have been extremely happy with it.