KarenPC You Asked for This: CRV vs. Forester
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!
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.