I am looking for a new car and have narrowed it down to 2--2014 Subaru Forester2.5i Touring or Honda CR-V EX-L . I realize that everyone here has a Forester. Please let me know that things that you like most and/or dislike about your vehicle to help me decide. Thanks!
Undecided
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There are many comparisons on this subject on the board.
The CRV is boring, bad rear visibility, and not really AWD.
The Subaru is probably less reliable, a pleasure to drive. The NA engine has been known to use more oil. The problem seems to have been addressed about a year ago. The KA Honda series engines are bullet proof.
If I were forced to buy a new vehicle again I would choose the Forester knowing the reliability may not be as good. One other thing..Subaru Safety..there are tons of pictures around where people that 100% should be dead and Subaru saved them. If Safety is paramount for you the choice is Subaru.
We have 2 vehicles..an 08 Forester and a 01 Nissan Sentra. I almost never tell my wife what to do. But when it comes to her driving..she is under orders to take the Forester.
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This guy lived in a forester!!!
The CRV is boring, bad rear visibility, and not really AWD.
The Subaru is probably less reliable, a pleasure to drive. The NA engine has been known to use more oil. The problem seems to have been addressed about a year ago. The KA Honda series engines are bullet proof.
If I were forced to buy a new vehicle again I would choose the Forester knowing the reliability may not be as good. One other thing..Subaru Safety..there are tons of pictures around where people that 100% should be dead and Subaru saved them. If Safety is paramount for you the choice is Subaru.
We have 2 vehicles..an 08 Forester and a 01 Nissan Sentra. I almost never tell my wife what to do. But when it comes to her driving..she is under orders to take the Forester.
This guy lived in a forester!!!
Safety, visibility, AWD capability.
Safety is superior, as mentioned above. The CRV has a marginal rating for the small overlap crash test, while the Forester has the top rating of good.
CRV:
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Forester
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CRV:
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Forester:
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Visibility is far superior on the Forester.
Forester:
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CRV:
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AWD:
Video comarpison, if you can call it that. The CRV should barely be called AWD.
X-mode off
X-mode on
Excellent comparison images here: 2014 Subaru Forester vs Honda CRV | Get the Facts without Hype
Safety is superior, as mentioned above. The CRV has a marginal rating for the small overlap crash test, while the Forester has the top rating of good.
CRV:
Forester
CRV:
Forester:
Visibility is far superior on the Forester.
Forester:
CRV:
AWD:
Video comarpison, if you can call it that. The CRV should barely be called AWD.
X-mode off
X-mode on
Excellent comparison images here: 2014 Subaru Forester vs Honda CRV | Get the Facts without Hype
But on the other hand..those whose Forester's use a quart of oil every 1200 miles might feel differently. (in the interest of full disclosure)
I actually bought a 2012 CR-V EX-L with navigation in Jan 2012. Was hoping to keep it till it ran into the ground and was hoping for 200k+ miles since I have friends and family who had great luck with the CR-V. That didn't pan out and ended up trading it in for a 2014 Forester 2.5i Limited the weekend before Christmas in 2013.
I know you are looking at the 2014 CR-V and it's possible that Honda ironed out the issues I experienced with the 2012 which was the first model year for the current body style. I wasn't planning on trading in the CR-V so soon. I got the Honda because of their reputation and reliability. I put on miles fast and I put on 45k miles 1 month shy of 2 years. In less than 2 years my local Honda dealership had to crack open my engine TWICE to fix the VTC actuator problem. My battery was bad around Nov 2013 and since I put on miles fast the battery was out of warranty. If you search "VTC Actuator Problem" you'd be surprised how many people experience it. I believe it's mainly the 2.4 liter 4 cylinder Honda uses on their Accord and CR-V. It only shows itself during cold winter days. When it sits overnight and you start it the next morning it has a painful HARSH metal on metal grinding noise. As for the battery problem, I'm not sure if it plagued the 2013 or 2014 model year but there were quite a few 2012's that were affected. Honda had to reprogram the ECU that supposedly fixed that problem. If I don't take my engine issues into account I did love the CR-V. Very comfortable for long trips and fuel efficient. However, because of the miles I do, I go through vehicles pretty fast and haven't had engine issues this quickly. Having Honda crack open my engine twice and a battery go bad in less than 2 years was unacceptable. They did the first VTC actuator fix in Jan 2013 and the second one Dec 2013. I wanted to get out of it before the warranty was done at 60k miles. Like I said, maybe Honda ironed out the issues in the 2014 model year. You may want to check the Honda forums (HondaSUV and CrvOwnersClub)
I had the Forester for only 3 weeks and have only 1500 miles so didn't have much time with it yet. I do have to say the ride is as comfortable as the CR-V. The seating in the forester does feel higher up than the CR-V. During my short stint with the Forester I do have to say it's as fuel efficient as the CR-V if not slightly better. As someone already has mentioned, the visibility in the Forester is much better than the CR-V. Don't let the HP ratings fool you. Even though the Forester has 170 hp compared to CR-V's 185 hp, the Forester feels just as strong as the CR-V. What I do like about the Forester over the CR-V is there is more power lower in the rpm range. Typical with the Honda motors I had in the past, the CR-V's power is in the higher end of the RPM range. I see you are in Michigan and not sure if you run dedicated winter tires. I've always ran dedicated winter tires from Dec-Jan. If you do stay with the OEM all seasons I have to say both the Honda and Subaru OEM all season tires weren't that great in snow/ice. Both are capable vehicles in blizzard conditions with snow tires. The Honda is still a predominantly FWD car and sends power to the rear when it slips. The Forester feels more stable in the snow/ice because of it's AWD system. I find the headlights on the CR-V much more dim versus the Forester. I would highly suggest test driving both at night. I tried 3 different sets of aftermarket performance bulbs and I still found the CR-V dim that I ended up doing a HID retrofit project on it. Definitely was not cheap but needed better lights for night driving. Before I get burnt on the HID's I put on the CR-V, I didn't do the plug-and-play version. I did a retrofit with projectors. Had a sharp cutoff line and I did not blind anyone.
As many have mentioned, Subaru is known for its safety. I can attest to that as I had family members get into accidents in their Subaru's and walk away. My cousin was T-boned on the passenger side in her 2010 forester by a Lexus LX SUV running a red light and her car flipped onto its roof. She was able to walk away from it. My brother in his 2 month old 2013 Outback was T-boned on the driver side when a Prius ran the red light. Most people are doing 55-65 MPH at that intersection my brother was crossing. He was being followed by his wife in her Rav4 and my mother in her Rav4 since we were all meeting after work for dinner for my late father's birthday. His wife and my mom were traumatized because they saw the prius crash into my brother at 55-65 mph, heard a heart wrenching crunch and saw his outback get spun 270 degrees and ended up facing on-coming traffic on US highway 18 south. When I got to the scene of the accident, my brother was walking around fine and talking to the cops. Granted he ended up with herniated discs after the fact but he was able to walk away right after the accident. After his wife witnessed it she didn't let him get any other car than another 2013 outback even though he wanted to look at the CR-V and Sante Fe Sport. My mother and sister-in-law said when they saw my brother get hit they thought he died because they thought the prius hit the driver's door. My brother saw the prius coming at the last second and slammed on his brakes to try avoid getting hit but the prius didn't even try to swerve around my brother and caught the front quarter panel on the driver's side head on.
Here was a shot right after the accident:
Here's a picture the day after at the junkyard:
Sorry I can't really say much about the Forester since I only had it for 3 weeks. However, I am loving the Forester. This past weekend, NJ had some torential downpours and the Forester with winter tires felt stable and didn't feel the Subie slip at all. On the Garden State Parkway where most people are doing 70-80 MPH they were slowing down to 50mph and I had no issues doing 60mph when the rain was coming down hard.
Hope that helps.
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I'm not a fan of the CRV at all, I don't own a Forester but I would still recommend it 9/10 times
It's a great bargain and they are safer and arguably more reliable than the CRV
Nick C.
It's a great bargain and they are safer and arguably more reliable than the CRV
Nick C.
We are talking the FB engine.
What about the CR-V do you like? For me, it was "not much." The design inside and out as well as under the hood all felt antiquated to me. (That duck bill and bubble butt...) In the end my search came down to the Forester and the CX-5 2.5L - I opted for the Forester mainly because it has a bit more utility and I didn't like the guys who ran the Mazda dealership.
If I could do it over again, I may have went for a 2.0XT rather than the 2.5i, but I likely would have still chosen the Forester. I looked for 2 years and tried every competitor in the segment (Except the new Rogue, which looks great too), so I'm quite familiar with the various options...
Subaru Forester hands down. It's AWD system is one of the best on the market. I am in the process of dealing on a 14 Forester. It's either going to be a 2.5i Touring with the 6MT or an XT Touring. The XT Touring and 2.5i Touring with CVT are pretty much the same cost in Canada which has me scratching my head as to why. Sure you loose the power tailgate on the XT Touring but I hate that damn thing anyway. It takes too long to open.
Not that I don't think that Subarus are better than CR-Vs as far as SUV traits go, but can you say "false equivalence"?Machester Subaru said:
Thanks to all of your for your comments. You helped me to FINALLY make a decision. My head was reeling from all of the research that I did online. I have the dealer searching for a blue or green 2.5i Touring Forester tomorrow! Two more questions:There are many comparisons on this subject on the board.
The CRV is boring, bad rear visibility, and not really AWD.
The Subaru is probably less reliable, a pleasure to drive. The NA engine has been none to use more oil. The problem seems to have been addressed about a year ago. The KA Honda series engines are bullet proof.
If I were forced to buy a new vehicle again I would choose the Forester knowing the reliability may not be as good. One other thing..Subaru Safety..there are tons of pictures around where people that 100% should be dead and Subaru saved them. If Safety is paramount for you the choice is Subaru.
We have 2 vehicles..an 08 Forester and a 01 Nissan Sentra. I almost never tell my wife what to do. But when it comes to her driving..she is under orders to take the Forester.
![]()
This guy lived in a forester!!!
Do most of you put winter tires on your Forester's? I live in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and we get a lot of snow. I am wondering if that is something that I should do.
The dealer is supposed to call me with prices after he locates the colors that I requested. If you have recently purchased a 2014 Forester, would you please tell me what you paid for it so that I will know if I am getting a good deal or not?
KarenPC You Asked for This: CRV vs. Forester
When we decided to move up to a CUV we looked at the CRV EX-L, CX-5, RAV4 and Forester 2.5i; Glanced at the Santa Fe and Rogue offerings but we know owners of the latter two with horror stories to tell. The CRV EX-L and the Forester were clear standouts for different reasons.
We initially loved how the CRV handles and feels just like our Civics. We also like the reliability of Honda products. As to what else we like about the CRV? Well, almost nothing. Visibility to the sides and rear: horrible. So-so storage, tiny moon roof, hard seats. Alas, just like our Civic VTECs, the real torque is out of reach, sequestered in high rpm ranges that are fun on the track but have nothing in common with every-day driving. Just like our Civics, the highway ride is busy while there is plenty of tire and engine noise in the cabin. Forget about using the cruise control in New England; If the hills don't kill your speed, the constant variation of traffic around you will cause you to cancel cruise control soon enough. I could go on...
We ordered the 2014 Forester 2.5i Touring with Eyesight and Keyless entry in May 2013, just before the cascade of good news began- IIHS crash tests, Consumer Reports, Motor Trend Car of the Year, the good news just kept on coming. I could go on... however others on this forum have done a superb job extolling the virtues of the Forester and highlighting reviews.
So far, with 4400 miles on the odometer, we feel like our Forester is a luxury car by comparison. The CVT/engine rpm are nearly always perfectly aligned for a reasonably quiet and smooth ride with plenty of power any time we want/need it. Subaru really got the CVT/ECU programming right in our collective opinion. +Quiet interior, huge moon roof, great visibility all around, great stereo, fully functional (and useful) adaptive cruise control. I could go on...
Forester dislikes- Navigation unit. Our five year old, $69 Tom-Tom is superior in many respects. We really have considered asking Subaru for a refund of the portion of the car price the NAV represents, and may yet. To be honest, the NAV has a few good features. We have the latest version firmware and Q3 2012 maps complete with late instructions and map inaccuracies. The list of negatives can fill another thread. I could go on...
The only other negative I can think of is we can find little to complain about but the NAV. Our Forester starts and runs wonderfully in New England cold, doesn't appear to use oil, factory remote starter works from about 125', gas mileage is reasonably good considering the time of year and winter gas mix... I could go on.
Between my wife, two daughters and I, we have had 6 Honda Civics, mostly EX models: 1987, 1992, 1996, x2 1998s (drove 228k miles in one), ending with a 2002 which we use as a DD. We put over 150K trouble free miles on every Civic; The '02, bought new, has 160k miles- it looks and runs great and we plan to keep it for another eight years. I have a great respect and fondness for Civics. We treat them well and they reciprocate. I could go on about Civics but they're not what you asked about.
When we decided to move up to a CUV we looked at the CRV EX-L, CX-5, RAV4 and Forester 2.5i; Glanced at the Santa Fe and Rogue offerings but we know owners of the latter two with horror stories to tell. The CRV EX-L and the Forester were clear standouts for different reasons.
We initially loved how the CRV handles and feels just like our Civics. We also like the reliability of Honda products. As to what else we like about the CRV? Well, almost nothing. Visibility to the sides and rear: horrible. So-so storage, tiny moon roof, hard seats. Alas, just like our Civic VTECs, the real torque is out of reach, sequestered in high rpm ranges that are fun on the track but have nothing in common with every-day driving. Just like our Civics, the highway ride is busy while there is plenty of tire and engine noise in the cabin. Forget about using the cruise control in New England; If the hills don't kill your speed, the constant variation of traffic around you will cause you to cancel cruise control soon enough. I could go on...
We ordered the 2014 Forester 2.5i Touring with Eyesight and Keyless entry in May 2013, just before the cascade of good news began- IIHS crash tests, Consumer Reports, Motor Trend Car of the Year, the good news just kept on coming. I could go on... however others on this forum have done a superb job extolling the virtues of the Forester and highlighting reviews.
So far, with 4400 miles on the odometer, we feel like our Forester is a luxury car by comparison. The CVT/engine rpm are nearly always perfectly aligned for a reasonably quiet and smooth ride with plenty of power any time we want/need it. Subaru really got the CVT/ECU programming right in our collective opinion. +Quiet interior, huge moon roof, great visibility all around, great stereo, fully functional (and useful) adaptive cruise control. I could go on...
Forester dislikes- Navigation unit. Our five year old, $69 Tom-Tom is superior in many respects. We really have considered asking Subaru for a refund of the portion of the car price the NAV represents, and may yet. To be honest, the NAV has a few good features. We have the latest version firmware and Q3 2012 maps complete with late instructions and map inaccuracies. The list of negatives can fill another thread. I could go on...
The only other negative I can think of is we can find little to complain about but the NAV. Our Forester starts and runs wonderfully in New England cold, doesn't appear to use oil, factory remote starter works from about 125', gas mileage is reasonably good considering the time of year and winter gas mix... I could go on.
Thanks for the input. I just posted another question and I believe that you answered it. Do I have do get the Nav system if I get the eyesight package? I definitely want Eyesight, but not Nav. If they come together, I wonder if it would be possible to negotiate the price down so that I am not paying for a system that most people dislike. Thoughts?
I do. The way I always explain is to people is that AWD may help you accelerate and avoid getting stuck, but when you have to slam on your brakes, it doesn't matter if you have AWD, FWD or RWD, it has everything to do with your tires. The softer rubber compound will also be better in the really cold weather. All-seasons have a harder compound because they need to work when it's 100+ degrees. Winter tires aren't designed for that so the softer compound keeps them sticker on the pavement in cold weather.
I run dedicated snow tires. I agree with everything Straz85 stated and the video below pretty much says the same thing. The Video shows a Subaru with All Season tires versus a FWD Mini with snow tires.
There's also a discussion on here where some of us feel the OEM Yokohama's aren't great in snow/ice:
http://www.subaruforester.org/vbulletin/f72/terrified-oem-tires-snow-268986/
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