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      01-21-2013, 04:08 PM   #1
Ant Man
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new Honda CRV

Previously I had my mind (not heart I hasten to add) set on an X3 but given the number of issues reported on this forum alone and difficulty in finding a 30d or 35d with the spec I want, I decided to look at the new CRV.

Not yet had a test drive as waiting for a diesel manual in EX (top spec) to arrive but from viewing the car, it's very tempting. EX spec comes fully loaded and whilst some of the interior trim quality is not on par with the X3, the fit and build quality certainly is. The leather trim is just as good too. Interior space is much better, especially the almost flat rear floor as no bulky transmission hump. It feels much more spacious in the back, particularly width wise and the rear seats recline too. It's 7cm shorter than the X3 but the boot is 589L. I put this down to the X3 needing to accomodate a straight six longitudinal but CRV is transverse 4cyl. No doubt the weight distribution is better with the X3 too.

CRV comes with a full diameter but 70% width spare tyre and normal tyres.
Honda (from What Car, Which? and JD Power surveys) seem to have great reliability too.

Having driven a 30d Msport last year I was most dissappointed with the steering and brakes. I reserve judgement on it's cornering ablilities as yet to try. Though I'm fairly sure dynamically the X3 (with VDC) will trounce the CRV but then I'll be coming from an M3 so both will feel shite.

New CRV has received good reviews save for the steering and seems to offer better value for money, in depreciation the X3 loses less % wise, but in absolute terms the CRV wins.

Therefore once I'm able to test drive one properly, I'll then retest a 30d properly and make an informed decision. If I can handle the lack of performance (I am now used to joining motorways and getting up to speed very quickly) and recalibrate, the 2.2 diesel might be all that I need after a remap. It also passifies the wife and will allow me to get another M3 in the future as a 2nd car for w/end fun and track days.

I just wondered if anyone on this forum has looked at the new CRV and had relevant feedback?
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      01-21-2013, 04:17 PM   #2
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I was at the VW dealer testing a Touraeg and Tiguan, asked the sales guy what he thought of the CRV, he said "dude, given what you're looking for, you realize the CR-V has 185hp and 163 ft/lbs of torque, no other option?"

For someone looking for fun, agility, and a burst of speed when needed....as you can imagine I drove right by the Honda dealership that day.
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      01-21-2013, 04:50 PM   #3
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Ant Man - we still have a 2nd gen CRV and have owned it for over 7 years - brilliant reliability and a good allround car.

We wanted to wait for the 4th gen (didn't like the shape of the 3rd gen) CRV to test drive it before we made our mind up - we looked at and test drove the CRV (2.2d) / X3 / Q5 and looked at quite a few more. We waited about 6 months for the UK launch in October.

No-one could have been more disappointed in the new CRV than my Wife, then me in that order.

SWMBO is 5' 3" and her knees were literally against the steering column when driving. The shape of the car is a little strange, both our opinions were that it was like driving a mini bus. The drive was completely uninspirational, it did not handle well at all, the engine was flat and despite numerous attempts I would still never find 6th gear if I was still trying.

In my opinion, the car had barely moved on regarding the drive experience from our 2002 car.

Undoubtedly, you get many more gadgets and higher spec for the money - but the price you pay regarding the drive cannot be quantified, the two cars (CRV vs X3) simply are not on the same page.

Of course, we all want different things and that's why there are hundreds of different models of cars on the road - test drive it to find out if it suits yourself and needs.
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      01-21-2013, 06:58 PM   #4
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As a Honda lover and an M3 owner, I just have to wonder if this is a joke? I love Hondas but let's be real.

First, what are all the problems reported on this forum? I frequent forums every car I get and these may be some of the quietest ones I've seen. X3 reliability is tops according to Consumer Reports, and there have been no major issues. You know things are good when people are complaining about wind noise!

Honda CR-V has 165lb/ft of torque with a 4-cylinder tuned for economy and does 0-60 in almost 9 seconds, with absolutely no sporting quality to its character at all. Meanwhile the BMW X3 does 0-60 more than 3 seconds faster (!), a relative Ferrari by comparison.

The only thing these cars have in common is that they are both mini-SUVs.
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      01-21-2013, 09:34 PM   #5
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I used to own the 2006 honda CRV, and we loved it, then in 2007 we bought mitsubishi outlander .. was better.

In 2008 we switched that to Acura MDX... we thought the best... after owned it for 4yrs...

we thought we will need something better fuel .. and we bought the 2013 X3 35i... is good quality & powerful.... but compare the my previous MDX...

Is very hard to compare... all four cars we owned... are difference... CRV is good and value.. but hard to compare with a luxary X3...\\

I guess difference stages will have different thought.. we also have a mini van as well. (that I never think I will buy one before)... is because of family need.. KIDS>. LOL..
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      01-21-2013, 10:26 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ctwickman View Post
...First, what are all the problems reported on this forum? ...
I can't speak for the OP but if you want a car with Navi, you pass over the X3 till the LCI this summer. Since you read the forums, you'll know there's an active thread on it here.

I don't know about the CRV but the Audi Q5 Navi has Google Earth and voice enabled Google search for POI fully integrated with their Navi and it's local gas station and traffic services.
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      01-22-2013, 02:58 AM   #7
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Maybe look at 2014 Forester XT being released, very tempting!
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      01-22-2013, 06:11 AM   #8
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I did look at the CRV sometime ago. But I really couldn't bring myself to buy a car that has the gear shifter coming out of the dash. I'm sure it works well in some markets for some buyers.
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      01-22-2013, 07:05 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ozbmwx3 View Post
...I really couldn't bring myself to buy a car that has the gear shifter coming out of the dash. ...
I thought the same thing when I saw that (on a couple of other vehicles too but I cannot remember which).
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      01-22-2013, 07:07 AM   #10
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Test drove the CRV, and loved much of it. Great car for the money, and very nice set of features. Couldn't get past the noise. Worst car we drove for road noise. I attributed this to ultra thin and light door panels, which is where you get the extra space. Started to think about what would happen if I was hit. End of test drive.

Also Japanese cars have the worst controls and dashboards, including our MDX ( Great car, though, compared to CRV, except for MPG)
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      01-22-2013, 07:14 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ErnestHouse View Post
I can't speak for the OP but if you want a car with Navi, you pass over the X3 till the LCI this summer. Since you read the forums, you'll know there's an active thread on it here.
We still have not seen anything definitive with regards to the LCI. In fact, many members pointed out that LCI's are typically introduced in the 5th model year of 7 - meaning it would be 2015. If you have any definitive information besides the spy shots and previous speculation, would love to hear it before I go scoop my 2013!
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      01-22-2013, 07:16 AM   #12
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prior to getting the x3, the missus and me did visit all the various dealers including hyundai sante fe and ix35, vw toureg and tiguan, audi Q5, ford kuga and the honda crv...

the hyundai was too plasticky... vw was just souless... ford you gotta be kidding me at that price... crv was just too small... audi was nice but premium pricing for a reason...

it was by stroke of luck that we decided to pop by bmw and within 2mins of seeing the x3, our minds were made up... best of all worlds and pricing... and i think the accolades since then has justified the purchase..
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      01-22-2013, 10:03 AM   #13
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i dont think CRV is in the same class as X3
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      01-22-2013, 11:51 AM   #14
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Prior to owning an X3, we had the Civic with the 2.2 diesel engine in. I have to say the engines are fantastic, it was rapid. However the fuel efficiency in the Civic was less than our X3 20d. Also I'd suspect that the 2.2 may struggle in the CRV due to it being a much bigger car.
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      01-22-2013, 12:02 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nyalpine90 View Post
i dont think CRV is in the same class as X3
Me neither... Like saying I want an M5 but like the price of a Peugeot 508
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      01-22-2013, 12:09 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rory breaker View Post
We still have not seen anything definitive with regards to the LCI. ...If you have any definitive information besides the spy shots and previous speculation, would love to hear it before I go scoop my 2013!
From the thread on the Satnav:
http://x3.xbimmers.com/forums/showth...satnav+x3+2014

It says April 2013 for the X3 to get the new SatNav:
Here's the BMW announcement:
http://www.f30post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=716464
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      01-22-2013, 01:25 PM   #17
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I bought (for my wife) a 2012 (new gen) Honda CR-V. It is loaded EX-L with Nav. I drive it quite often.

Before purchasing the CR-V, I took my wife to drive the X3. She liked it, of course, but ultimately could not justify the price premium over the CR-V. As you mentioned, it's the better "value" at $30K fully loaded, with a great resale value.

Would I buy the X3 instead for myself? Absolutely. But the CR-V is a very livable ride, looks good, and is a good balance of size/handling for our family with two kids.

Ask me anything you want about it... so far it has met all expectations.
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      01-22-2013, 01:38 PM   #18
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The car I had before I bought my X3 was a Honda CR-V (2.2EX diesel model). I bought it new in 2010 and had it back to the dealer so many times as the heaters were absolute rubbish. After testing out many other (Honda) cars and CR-Vs, we came to the conclusion that the heaters in the diesel Hondas take a long time to warm up. Given that most of my driving is local, urban driving, the heaters never worked well enough to get warm before I arrived at my destination.

The car was only 17 months old when I traded it in for my X3 - and I'm so glad I did. The X3 is in a completely different class to the CR-V. Plus, the heaters work nicely too.

To my mind, there is no competition - X3 all the way.
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      01-22-2013, 03:15 PM   #19
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I have a 06 crv and 12 X3 35i. Cannot compare the two. X3 is far too good. I am not sure of the new crv- not tried it yet. My crv has 100k miles with zero problems so far except for replacing headlights, battery and tires. CRV is a very reliable car for sure, but for driving pleasure and quality, it cannot beat X3
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      01-22-2013, 03:28 PM   #20
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Thanks for all the responses. I've read almost all the reviews online and in UK car mags for the new CRV launched late last year. Autoexpress has one as a long termer. Most reviews comment how quiet it is as has double door seals. Honda were keen on addressing the issue from the 3rd gen model.

To be honest I'm treating it as a domestic appliance and amusingly that's the way I feel about it from looking at the Honda brochure Nothing at all like the specs and dynamic abilities detailed in the BMW brochure.

Looks wise, both X3 and CRV have their bad sides, though X3 does look more butch. CRV looks more people carrier like than a 4x4.

Though as this is a car I'll be buying purely for practical reasons, I'm not overly concerned. The performance may be too inferior compared to X3 but I won't know until I take a test drive. The 2.0D BMW engine offers far better performance than the Honda 2.2D on paper. From my research there is more scope for gains with a remap for the Honda than there is with BMW.

The gear shift is very near the steering wheel, which is a benefit in motor racing cars, so ones hand leaves the wheel for the shortest possible time. I can't see the point with a CRV?

I often get bored with cars but I plan on keeping either the X3 or CRV until it dies. Which should appease the wife.

Anyway, once again, thanks for the helpful responses. I'll check the steering wheel adjustment for both myself and the wife, check the heating (thankfully it's freezing in the UK) and repost post test drive.
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      01-22-2013, 04:10 PM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ant Man View Post
The gear shift is very near the steering wheel, which is a benefit in motor racing cars, so ones hand leaves the wheel for the shortest possible time. I can't see the point with a CRV?
Honda puts the gear shifter there to allow for more room near the floor or between the seats.

In the US, a comparably equipped CRV EX-L AWD w/Nav is $17K less than an X3. Would I spend it to upgrade? Sure. But from a strictly utilitarian/practical purpose, the CR-V is the better value.
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      01-22-2013, 04:20 PM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by plob View Post
The car I had before I bought my X3 was a Honda CR-V (2.2EX diesel model). I bought it new in 2010 and had it back to the dealer so many times as the heaters were absolute rubbish. After testing out many other (Honda) cars and CR-Vs, we came to the conclusion that the heaters in the diesel Hondas take a long time to warm up. Given that most of my driving is local, urban driving, the heaters never worked well enough to get warm before I arrived at my destination.

The car was only 17 months old when I traded it in for my X3 - and I'm so glad I did. The X3 is in a completely different class to the CR-V. Plus, the heaters work nicely too.

To my mind, there is no competition - X3 all the way.
Had exactly the same problem with mine, and they could never fix them. You could forget trying to defrost the thing in winter, utter rubbish. It would nearly take a good 10 mile to get toasty in the car. In the X3 it's usually hot in a couple.
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