I am currently looking to buy a SUV and was wondering what the resident car experts make of the Honda CRV.
I know very little of cars and currently have a 2004 Saab 93 2.2 diesel that i have owned since 2007, has covered 43,000 miles in total and owes me nothing.
The vehicle i have seen is a 2015, 2.2 diesel EX which i would like for the comfort value as next year, i am planning on doing some lengthy travel.
Cars do not float my boat normally and i cannot get excited by them though look at as means of getting me from A - B, though now would like to have a bit more comfort.
Thanks for looking and hopefully some positive replies.
Keith.
My son works for Honda and has a car included in his package. He has a car for 9 months and then it gets swapped for a new one. He has tried every model and he now stays with the CR-V. I have been in it as a passenger and it's spacious, quiet and seems very drivable.
The 1.6 diesel is a very good engine and my Civic averages 64mph if the computer is to be believed.
David Cameron drives one is that means anything.
We've had 2 of them covering approximately 150k miles between the 2 of them for urban and long distance duty, including multiple trips to the Alps. 1st was the previous generation bought used, and the 2nd was the current generation bought from new. Genuinely great utility cars. Comfortable with great usability and Honda reliability. They are the VW Golf of SUVs - classless and never out of place. The only issue is that they are underpowered compared to modern cars - even with their biggest engine, and it was the reason we did not go with a 3rd CRV instead choosing a more powerful SUV. Good residuals too.
We own one for two years now. 2.2 diesel / manual 6 speed g/box. We bought our CRV when it was nearly 3 yrs old and had only done 11K miles. Just this weekend we clocked 100k kms/60K miles, doing 50k miles in two years. And... previously we had a Saab 9-3 TiD Estate. So I think that I am in the position where can compare both cars. In short: if you like the Saab, you will like the Honda. Honda drinks a little more diesel, perhaps. The EX level has a different name here, I suppose so it is hard to go into details. Our CRV's satnav isn't the best around - not BMW territory, but it will get you everywhere.
It hasn't missed a beat (nore did the Saab, for that matter). The interior is roomy, especially the back seat passengers and luggage compartment are a lot bigger than the Saab's. For us with two tall boys and/or a ton of sailing equipment a bonus. Seating position is always a matter of taste, body contours and length of limbs. I am 6' and can find a perfect seating position in both cars. Both cars' seating position is created for long trips.
Our CRV came without PDC, so we had that installed afterwards. You'll need it.
Two useful upgrades: when hauling a large/heavy trailer: have additional springs installed. And the headlights can do with more brightness by replacing the halogen bulbs for projector headlights units. Available aftermarket and very good.
I had a 1.6 diesel / auto as a courtesy car from the garage when ours was in for a service. TBH I was not impressed: no significant step forward compared with our (now) nearly 5 y/old CRV. We will keep it for at least two years/ 50k miles.
Menno
Last edited by thieuster; 27th November 2017 at 19:14.
How does the HRV compare?
"Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."
'Populism, the last refuge of a Tory scoundrel'.
Have a 2011 crv. Best vehicle I ever owned, ever. Underpowered? No, has a grade 1 tune, makes it super flexible through the gears and effortless on journeys. The tune maps out the ghastly egr too.
I’ve got crv 2:0 petrol 2015 my wife love sit. seats are a bit soft. Massive boot. Honda custom service AAA (Reading)
Never use BMW Coppers Reading custom service 💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎 👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎
Sorry for this sestrel - but egr??
Also how long have you owned the vehicle?
Regards.
Keith.
I've not had a CRV, but had a couple of Honda's and my wife has a Civic as her daily driver. You generally can't go far wrong with a Japanese manufacturer such as Honda, Toyota or Mazda. All good solid reliable cars.
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I bought a second hand (2003) 2L petrol CRV in 2011 and have had it ever since.
It has a VVT engine which was a new design when the model came out and as they were a bit concerned, given its newness, they gave it a 6 year warranty. They made millions of these engines and (I was told) didn't have a single warranty claim.
I've had it 6 years and its been absolutely faultless. I've done about 50K miles and haven't had any problems with it at all. It's not a thrilling drive (are any Japanese cars?) and above 70 it tends to drink petrol but it's an utter workhorse. So if - like me - you value a car that won't let you down, doesn't need any TLC and just works time after time, day after day go for it. It's the best car choice I ever made.
I should have added that the 2L petrol model certainly isn't underpowered.Originally Posted by Johnnie
Exhaust gas recycling Keith. It’s a valve assembly that returns exhaust back into combustion chamber. Put on to meet awful Americans emissions standards, it tries to re_ burn some of the exhaust, strangling the the performance.
In effect they fractionally lower the emissions, but eventually soot up, lock the vehicle in limp mode, and cost £400 to fix.
The tuning bypasses this, and improves emissions by more efficient combustion of the diesel.
I have owned it since 2011.
Last edited by sestrel; 28th November 2017 at 08:35.
I had an accord 2.2 diesel and the engine was a dog, It blew through a clutch and flywheel in a year, the exhaust manifold cracked, engine sensors blew, constant limp home mode triggering when accelerating. I'd avoid hondas diesel engines like the plague. Also it looks like you don;t do many miles, your 2.2 saab diesel engine probably doesn't have all the modern eco gubbins on it (dpf, egr, etc.) and so can cope with low mileages, a more modern honda diesel will need to be driven in a particular manner to keep these bits in order and working, if not you're going to face expensive bills. Probably.
My parents had the previous generation Accord to mine and it only died when it was scrapped after a minor accident as uneconomical to repair. The very definition of tank like build quality, my accord was far off this.
How old was your Accord? Did it have the I-CDTi engine or the later I-DTEC engine? The former was Hondas first attempt at a diesel engine and it was problematic. The DTEC on the other hand is a much more reliable engine albeit I found it a bit thirsty.
We had an older 2nd hand one a few years back and it was utterly reliable and very practical. Would've bought another but a used Kia Sportage came up at the right price.
it was the i-cdti which as you say was problematic. I also felt the overall build quality wasn't as rock solid as the previous model - but it did have more gizmos and looked better. It was a real shame as I like Honda cars in general but that experience really put me off them.
My Dad has now had 3 (possibly 4?) CRV's now, each one swapped for a newer version when 3-4 years old. Mileage was about 15k per year. He loves them and has never had a problem with any of them, albeit the mileage was very low for a modern car.
They are a tad dull for my personal taste, but if you aren't 'into your cars' as you have already said, then I don't think you will go far wrong.
I had mine for 12 years and put 137000 miles on it. Apart from putting fuel in and a service each year it was impeccable and always strong. Would have another in a heartbeat but would like them to look as cool outside as they are amazing under the bonnet
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My wife has the 2.0L auto petrol 2015 model and it is very nice in every respect except low end performance, it is as sluggish as hell imho.
Odd - maybe the later model is a bit more sedate. I can wheelspin mine from a standing start, which then automatically engages the 4wD.
Thanks for all the replies and i will update once i have chosen the right one.
Regards.
Keith.
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