New car decision - Honda CRV (or similar)?

northpole

It can only be better than the shocking piece of cr@p that goes by that name at the moment. The CRV is an infinitely better car than the current X3

Indeed, the press have been saying for years that the X3 is 4xfar the worst vehicle with a bmw badge - seems their friends in Austria didn't read the brief very well. Conversely, recent press reports indicate that bmw have learnt their lessons. Comparisons with the old model are frankly irrelevant but as others have mentioned, car buying is a funny old business, one man's chalk, etc.
My car is not ideal for bikes but it still works for me even if I do have to take off both wheels to fit it in - happens so infrequently that I really don't mind. Then again, I enjoy driving so none of the above would be of interest to me unless I could have them as a second car - due to parking permit restrictions this is not possible.
Good luck with your search & let us know what you decide on.
Peter

ilm_zero7

as our roads as so bad - even without the snow - an no sign of any cash to make repairs I decided it was time for a 4x4 - regrettable - but this is no chelsea tractor and it will live in a bit of the UK which is pitch black at night. But wanted a bike transporter without going to the size extremes of the X5 and range rover - not to mention the Audi Q7 (which frankly is so large it should be banned in the UK) so its the Tiguan for us

V5ade

Just a word of warning, I don't think that current CRV is as reliable as previous Honda's that we've had. I bought one in late 2007 for my wife. It done just over 30k miles so far, and had problems with oil leaks, diff fluid leaks, the rear brakes have stuck on several times (apparently the handbrake cable gets sticky and it £250 per side to replace and it's not covered by the Honda warranty). It needed new rear disks and pads at its 20k mile service. The clutch is starting to slip (we've not had a clutch replaced on any of our previous cars), and we've been told that it normally has to have a new flywheel when the clutch is replaced. We've had it from new and it's only been to Honda dealers for service and repair.
We've been told this level of reliability is not uncommon for the new CRV by the various AA guys that have been sent out from Honda assist.

mrbeacham

Over the past couple of weeks our decision to get a Freelander 2 has been proven right. My view was that if youre going to get a softroader and put up with some of the negatives this entails ( i.e. its not exactly a sports car and uses more fuel that the average hatch) it makes sense to get one which will actually do the business off road when needed. Having seen CRVs, VW Tiguans and a particularly comical BMW X5 unable to deal with the snow around here it confirms to me that simply having 4wd is not enough. If you have no form of locking diffs then as soon as one wheel loses traction all the power goes into spinning that wheel and you're going nowhere, as the embarrassed CRV driver found out. In the Freelander 2 one simply pops the terrain response system into 'grass/gravel/snow' mode and it locks in 4wd and uses the brake system to simulate a locked diff and halt spinning wheels, sending drive to those with grip. My next door neighbour has a 4wd Ford Puma which has been unable to get out of the Close for 48 hours, whereas the Freelander just casually pulled away uphill on 6" of snow in a manner which left me simply amazed. He was too embarrassed to accept my offer of a tow! Once this winter is over and the lanes around here again look like a runway which has been attacked with small cluster bombs, I shall again be glad of the Freelander's Jag-like ride and comfort.

meanredspider

mrbeacham wrote:

Having seen CRVs, VW Tiguans and a particularly comical BMW X5 unable to deal with the snow around here it confirms to me that simply having 4wd is not enough. .

Or, frankly, necessary. I'll say it again (as tedious as it might seem) - my 2001 E Class Merc (RWD, automatic, diesel, no LSD) with winter tyres (Michelin Pilot Alpins) has sailed through snow and ice here in the Highlands. I've never once felt as if I'm going to lose traction (unless in "hooligan" mode :twisted: ). Not only that but I also have the ability to brake and steer - neither of which AWD helps with much.

I'd always wondered why Mercs (and BMWs) continued to be so popular in Germany - a country that sees plenty of snow. Now I know.

AWD is great off-road. On it (where 99% of cars stay), it really isn't necessary.

V5ade

meanredspider wrote:

mrbeacham wrote:

Having seen CRVs, VW Tiguans and a particularly comical BMW X5 unable to deal with the snow around here it confirms to me that simply having 4wd is not enough. .

Or, frankly, necessary. I'll say it again (as tedious as it might seem) - my 2001 E Class Merc (RWD, automatic, diesel, no LSD) with winter tyres (Michelin Pilot Alpins) has sailed through snow and ice here in the Highlands. I've never once felt as if I'm going to lose traction (unless in "hooligan" mode :twisted: ). Not only that but I also have the ability to brake and steer - neither of which AWD helps with much.

I'd always wondered why Mercs (and BMWs) continued to be so popular in Germany - a country that sees plenty of snow. Now I know.

AWD is great off-road. On it (where 99% of cars stay), it really isn't necessary.

Agreed 100%. My neighbour has an M3 DCT (the auto box, so no clutch control) with winter tyres. He's been out every day, when most of my other neighbours are stuck. My wife's CRV has mud and snow tyres and have not got stuck. Where as my car on summer tyres wont go forward or backwards, only sideways!

Lagavulin

Dad has just gone from AWD manual X-Type to a rear-wheel drive automatic S-Type and, while the beautiful limousine ride is sublime, it is bordering on horrific in the snow. The big fat 18” low profiles probably have a lot to answer for. It took two of us to help him get it into the drive this afternoon. During the last flurries where we were hit pretty hard it didn’t move for 9 days.
He commented that he hasn’t had a car this bad in the snow since a 2000 model Volvo S40.

My sister conversely has recently moved from a Focus to a Freelander and in the wilds of Northumberland is finding the conditions merely a slight inconvenience rather than debilitating.

My uncle is also looking pretty smug with this A6 Quattro All-Road. Nice for carrying bikes too.

bigpikle

I looked at Freelanders (again) when we bought the CRV earlier this year. Was very put off by the ludicrous running costs (services etc) but most of all by the build quality. The showroom car had trim falling off it in the showroom, and the demo car was even worse - cant believe they actually let people see it!

I'll admit it did drive well but was obviously like a 4x4 and fairly heavy feeling, whereas the CRV drives like a car and is considerably bigger inside. A 5 year all-in service deal makes those costs MUCH less and all things considered we're really happy with ours. We had the previous model 04 one before and it was more practical, but less refined, inside but this one copes with the snow and crap round here with no issues and drives right past the Audi quattros of my neighbours every time it gets slippy, despite not (yet) having winter tyres. I also saw a friend of mine drive his in a demo of very impressive off-road mud plugging across a very steep muddy off-camber hillside that I frnakly expected to be only the territory of a Landrover or similar, but he had no issues at all, which frankly surprised and impressed me - not that I'll be trying the same thing!

Its horses for courses but after 4 Hondas I have found them to kick the ar5e of all my past BMW's and Audis for reliability. My A3 was at the dealer for 12 weeks solid waiting for the DSG gearbox to be fixed at one point!

Anonymous

I have an S-Max, it's great for shoving the bike in the back.

That said, I did have a Fiat 500 and I could fit a bike in the back of that with the back seats down and the passenger seat forward without removing wheels...

meanredspider

Lagavulin wrote:

The big fat 18” low profiles probably have a lot to answer for..

Of course they do. A set of secondhand alloys (16-17") with some winter tyres and it'll be great. There's absolutely no need to get a 4x4. On top of that, the winter tyres will perform better in all conditions below 7C including wet & on ice than summer or all-season tyres. I'd have thought cycling people would get this principle.

northpole

Without switching wheels and tyres to winter specific thin'n'grippy alternatives, rear wheel drive cars are a disaster in the snow and ice. Particularly bmw m sport versions which come fitted with standard very wide/ low profile/ low tread depth sports tyres. Anyone who goes for a drive in them will usually be located at the bottom of the first hill they come across - if they are lucky! Sports versions of X5's and X6's aren't much better. Best left in the drive or garage until the ice goes away!

Peter

Mr Dog

Its about the engine.. get the VTEC. 8)

meanredspider

northpole wrote:

Without switching wheels and tyres to winter specific thin'n'grippy alternatives, rear wheel drive cars are a disaster in the snow and ice.

Thin is less of an issue - grippy is the way to go though not ridiculously wide. The tyres I have on my Merc (which has a zillion Nm of torque) are the approved winter type for BMW M-series, Porsches etc. They work brilliantly. I'd pitch my Merc against any 4x4 in a similar price-bracket for all-round useage on the road:

It has 7-seats, 40mpg capability, 0-60 sub 9s, tows like a train, handles/corners well, attracts no 4x4 premium and is perfectly comfortable on snow.

I can't see why you'd want all of the downsides of a 4x4 (the current Discovery weighs in at over 2 tonnes - that's what my Merc weighs towing my race car) when you can get a saloon to do just about everything better.

kfinlay

How about something such as a Ford Smax - really spacious, drives well enough, good in the winter with the right tyres and decent diesel engines available.

Personally I'm with meeanredspider - no real need for a 4x4 - too many compromises 80% of the time. Also I feel that many people buy these sort of vehicle as they cannot or will not learn to drive properly in the snow (or any weather - don't get me started on this one :twisted: ) There's no real hassle changing your tyres for winter driving - keep a set of steel wheels with the winter tyres on, much cheaper than changing car and none of the other expenses with 4x4s such as higher tax, (often) sill mpg etc

StillGoing

One of the selling points for me with the Lexus RX400h is the fact it is 2 wheel drive and rear wheel drive at that. In the dry weather it is responsive by having the drive from the rear wheels. In snow, the hybrid which drives the front wheels, kicks in whenever the rear wheels start to lose traction effectively turning it into 4 wheel drive.

None of the modern SUVs are proper 4x4 vehicles though. If you want true 4x4 capability you have to buy a Landrover.

StillGoing

One of the selling points for me with the Lexus RX400h is the fact it is 2 wheel drive. In the dry weather it is responsive by having the drive from the front wheels via the petrol engine or if you're economical with the right foot, the front electric motor. In snow, the smaller hybrid motor which drives the rear wheels, kicks in whenever the front wheels start to lose traction effectively turning it into 4 wheel drive.

None of the modern SUVs are proper 4x4 vehicles though. If you want true 4x4 capability you have to buy a Landrover.