<p>DH is thinking of finally replacing his 10 yr old town and country.
It’s served us fine, fit all the kids/kids stuff when they were little, accommodated his amps and instruments.</p>
<p>So, we think the CRV will be a reasonable replacement. Still enough room for equipment. much better mileage we hope.</p>
<p>The reviews look good. The one knock seems to be acceleration being sluggish on the highway. He’ll test drive of course, but wonder what actual owners think.
I think I saw that the 2010 model has a slightly higher horsepower engine? I really don’t know what I’m talking about so any comments are welcome!</p>
<p>If it matters, we’d be looking at the lowest model, the 2WD LX model I think. That’s the frugal spouse opinion.</p>
<p>Everyone I know who owns a CRV loves it. I have never heard a complaint about acceleration. The folks we know have the four wheel drive version. It is one of two cars we are considering…the other is the Subaru Forester.</p>
<p>musicmom, I bought a 2010 CR-V in May and I would be among those complaining about highway acceleration. It may be more powerful than the previous model but it’s still inadequate upon entering a highway.</p>
<p>thanks for the responses.
I drive mostly in town but DH does mostly highway. He’ll just have to test it out on highway to see what he thinks. I drive a little Scion XD in town and it’s just fine.
DH is used to 6 cylinder. </p>
<p>The other vehicle we were considering is the Toyota RAV4 which seems very similar to the CR-V but the mileage is a bit less perhaps.</p>
<p>We bought a used 2000 CRV in 2006. Have had no problems except rust on the rear passenger side, above the wheel. Have noticed the same on other CRVs in parking lots. I don’t have complaints about acceleration on the highway but hills are a different story.</p>
<p>I don’t have any problem accelerating onto the highway with my 2009 CRV. I haven’t noticed any difficulty with hills either. The Rav4 comes in a 6 cylinder, so it would definitely have more power.</p>
<p>If you get a RAV4, get the 6 cylinder. I have a RAV4 with the 4 cylinder and I think it is underpowered, I wish I had gotten the 6. Gas mileage is only 1 MPG worse than the 4.</p>
<p>I found the seats in the RAV4 to be more comfortable than the CRV (I am 6’3"), and I liked the fact that the RAV4 back seats fold down to make a flat surface from front to back, which is very useful for me.</p>
<p>We are in the same boat as many of you. We don’t need our grand caravan anymore. We usually only have 2 people and a dog in the car. We even downsized the dog from a retriever to a spaniel So my question is, how does the Chevy Equinox compare to the CR-V and the RAV4 or the Santa Fe? I know we had a recent thread on a similar issue but wouldn’t mind some more input. Thanks!</p>
<p>I looked at the RAV4 also. It is a foot LONGER than the CRV. Toyota made that change in the last redo. It’s a very big vehicle in my opinion. Also, the RAV has that spare tire mounted on the back (which I personally hate) unless you get the sport model which is much more costly. And the Rav back door swings open as opposed to opening up like the CRV does.</p>
<p>The Rav is nice and we would have considered it if it hadn’t grown a foot longer.</p>
<p>When your DH lobbies for the higher model, I suggest you give it fair consideration ;).</p>
<p>Sometimes the higher model gives you a lot for a little bit more money. We decided to go with the higher model when we bought our last two cars, and we are very glad that we did.</p>
<p>If you’re considering other vehicles in the similar category then you might want to check the Hyundai Tucson. It has a lot of features for the cost, IMO has much nicer styling than either the CRV or RAV4, and has the best warranty.</p>
<p>I’m another one who has loved her CRV. I drove it for 10 years, and it was still like new, never had to do anything to it but regular maintenance. The most practical car I’ve ever owned. I highly highly recommend it.</p>
<p>There is another thread on the Honda CRV, with a parent looking to purchase one for their college student. Lots of input there.</p>
<p>My husband has a 2001 Honda CRV, has 150K miles on it. He put a very expensive stereo system in it yesterday, as he feels confident it will last another 100K.</p>
<p>We also don’t like the RAV4 tire thing on the back swing open door. But the fold flat seats is appealing and losing only 1 mpg for the 6 cyl is very interesting to us.
Can I mix and match features of 2-3 vehicles together?</p>
<p>musicmom…when we replace cars (probably within the next 6 months), it will be to replace two cars for one. We’ll be replacing a 10 year old minivan, and a 10 year old Volvo. I want the best of both cars in my replacement (it’s “my” turn for the new car). SO…I will be looking at a top of the line CRV…the one with all the things my Volvo has (electric seats, moonroof, power everything, etc) and the ability to haul the trash cans to the dump (which is what we use the van for). I’m not willing to compromise on either requirement…comfort and garbage can room. So…right now, it’s between the CRV and the Forester.</p>
<p>We looked at the Hyundais too…but honestly, didn’t like them as much. They are nice if you happen to like them.</p>
<p>Happy car hunting…is there such a thing as “happy” car hunting?</p>
When I bought my RAV4 I used the “request a quote” thing on Edmunds.com . I knew exactly what I wanted, and had the price finalized before I stepped foot in the dealer.</p>
<p>Could I have ground down the dealer a few hundred more by playing the game? Maybe, but my price was good enough, and virtually painless.</p>
<p>thumper-
have to laugh…comfort AND garbage can room! Two criteria for a new car I had never before seen paired.<br>
Have fun picking out your exact best next car…it IS nice when it’s your turn to get the choice in something of significance like a new car. I think so many of us are finally getting past providing for the (now grown) children and getting to tailor things to our own needs. Enjoy!</p>
So my question is, how does the Chevy Equinox compare to the CR-V and the RAV4 or the Santa Fe? I know we had a recent thread on a similar issue but wouldn’t mind some more input. Thanks!</p>