07 CRV vx RAV4

Wife wants to move out of her 03 Pilot into either the new CRV or the RAV4. Although Consumer Reports gives the nod to the RAV4, I am more partial to the Honda whereas she puts more emphasis on the CR review. Any opinions out there from those of you who looked at either vehicle?

Reply to
tww1491
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"tww1491" wrote

Time to rant: the seats in both the CR-V and RAV4 are too small and not anywhere near as nice as those in my '04 Accord EX's cloth seats. The RAV4 was worse. The seat bottom is too short for me, providing little thigh support. The RAV4 looks far more nicely appointed than the CR-V, and seems to have a lot more nice features, but as soon as I sat in it it was all over. I was very disappointed. But, this is just how MY body fits and responds to them. I'm 5'9", with longish legs, and slender. (No, I'm not looking for a date!) ;-)

I did test drive the CR-V and it wasn't bad, but I'm not used to the lack of rear visibility, and I've gotten spoiled by the relative luxury of the Accord. That rear window is quite small -- and so is the one in the RAV4. I guess they appear small because they're much further back than those in a sedan. Still, larger SUV's don't have that problem.

Reply to
Howard Lester

Seats! My wife does not like the seats in the Pilot because they are too short for her -- she's 5' 11". I agree with her that the seats (in the Pilot) are not near as comfortable as my 06 Accord. If the seats in the CRV and RAV are small, it sounds like the same problem.

Thanks for the input.

Reply to
tww1491

"tww1491" wrote

Yep - since buying the Accord 3 years ago I've become a "seat guy." If I'm going to feel miserable driving a vehicle, even if it better serves my needs (such as 4WD and more cargo room for hauling stuff), I'm going to hate it. I sat in a couple of Subarus, too, and they didn't feel much better. But let her try them so she can decide for herself.

Even the seats in a 2001 Chevy S-10 and 2002 Dodge Dakota 4-door are much better than those of the CR-V and RAV4. (The 2007 Jeep Liberty's seats are atrocious. You might as well be sitting on short boards.)

Reply to
Howard Lester

I think it only depends on which car you like the feel of better. They're both reliable, good cars, so there's no problem there. But the new CRV might be a little overpriced since it's the first year of sales for it.

Reply to
Robert

When Rav4 came out awd sucked. It was too slow to engage. People were complaining that the front tires would start slipping before they'd engage. It might be better now but if I were in a market for a brick I'd get a forrester. At least the awd is engaged at all times with 50/50 front to back split. When it helps to keep it on at all times? It's when you start to skid :-)

Reply to
isquat

I've looked at the new CR-V and it's very nice in many respects, but I have one major and a few minor concerns. I found the seats very good, very good leg and head room and even a full sized spare which I require.

The deal stopping concern I have with the CR-V is the lack of a mechanical (non electrical) method of opening the hatch, where I keep "minor" things like a jumper cable.

Three minor concerns I have are the very small battery, the reach (for 6' me) to the shifter and the high weight. I have yet to drive the CR-V.

Reply to
Just Facts

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Since the OP is trading in an '03 long term reliability appears not to be an issue. Yup, time to look at a domestic like the Saturn Outlook or perhaps a more comfort-oriented import like the Nissan Murano. I gotta agree with you regarding the small, unsupportive seats some automakers put into their smaller vehicles.

Reply to
ACAR

Ooh I forgot about the Nissans...I absolutely love the Nissan Murano/ Infiniti FX35/45 SUVs. A relative of mine has one; I don't know about long-term reliability but as far as comfort, style and features go they can't be beat!

Reply to
Robert

I like the looks of the new CRV, but there are two problems:

The CRV could use a bit more power. It's pretty gutless compared to a Rav4 with a 6 cyclinder.

Discounts on the new CRV are awful. The best I can do locally is around $700 off sticker. When the dealer wants $26,000 for a small SUV (CRV-EXL AWD) that's a bit much in my book. Wait a few months, and I'll bet the discounts are up to $1400, maybe more. Actually, a few buyers claim they're getting discounts around that level already.

The Rav4 looks quite a bit roomier, and I believe 3rd row seating is available. Consumer Reports rates the Rav4, Forester and a couple of other smallSUVs higher than the CRV. MrB

Reply to
Mister Bear

When I looked at them last year, the RAV4 was not roomier than the '06 CRV and, though the 4 cylinder RAV4 had more horsepower on paper, the CRV felt quicker and more responsive to drive. The V6 is a hot rod and Honda does not have anything to compare to it. The third seat is a joke & only viable for small children. Don't make your decision based on solely on reading specs or consumer reports reviews. Consumer Reports is useful for identifying which cars have dismal maintenance histories and which ones roll over too easily. If you wade through the babble on the CRV and RAV4, you will find that Consumer Reports actually rates them extremely close to each other.

Bottom Line - You really have to drive them each and be honest with yourself about what you like and dislike about them before you buy anything.

Reply to
E Meyer

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