Mika

as my family needs another vehicle and i am thinking about new gen of honda crv or jeep liberty..i personally prefer jeep liberty as it is more powerful and leather interior as an option and 2WD and 4WD are switchable..most important is shifter is on the centor console unlike crv on the dashboard ...
and EX AWD CRV is over $2000 cheaper than Jeep Liberty limited..but some car magazine test drive the CRV and claims that it is 4 cylinders drives like a 6 cylinder...my wife prefer Honda CRV...
buying a suitable is a difficult as it is a large amount of investment and that car is going to be driven at least for 3 years...i do not want to end up driving a vehicle which i do not like..as i will want to know the advantages and disvantages for both of SUVs..thanks dude

Melanie

I don't have the new CRV but for about two years I drove a '99 CRV and I liked it. It drove nice and gave me absolutely no problems. I switched cars with my mom just because I wanted to CL for the commute to school but we still have the CRV. I personally don't like what Honda did with the CRV, I'm a fan of the older body style and you could probably get a good deal if you were willing to get a used one, like a 2000 or a 2001.

Melanie

RAdams

My mom had a 1997 CR-V, 1999 CR-V and now has a 2002 CR-V. Since she had each of the models that represented significant changes, I'll comment on them all briefly.

The 1997 was fine for around town driving, but on the highway it was pretty bad. It'd cruise at 80 without much trouble, but passing had to be planned hours in advance. Wasn't a big fan of the driving position, either. At redline (6250 RPM) it sounded as if it had asthma. FWIW, topped out at 100mph.

The 1999 was a bit more comfortable on the highway, but all the additional power was at the top end. You had to rev the crap out of it to make use of the additional power -- not exactly glamorous in an SUV. Had trouble holding 90mph into a moderate headwind on a trip just before it was traded for the 2002. Driving position still kinda bothered me. At redline (6700 RPM) it sounded like the 97, but with a case of emphysema to boot. Top end of 105mph. Don't ask.

The 2002 is, not to bash the previous ones, WORLDS better than the previous generation. It actually feels quick. Torque peak is 3000 RPM and you feel every bit of it. Around town or at highway speeds, power is never lacking. I've driven a Ford Escape with the 200hp V6 and I honestly think this is as quick, not to mention much smoother -- the new K-series motor is very nice. It's just better in every way thus far.

Never had a drop of trouble with any of them... so they're all good bets for reliability. Resale value has been amazing, too.

I lied about being brief.

Anthracite6Spd

I just bought my wife the Ex Auto in May. The engine seems powerful enough, although I have never driven the First generation. It is also a lot bigger than the Jeep. The interior space is the same as the Grand Cherokee. If you need leather I think some of the dealers offer that as a dealer option. I love it, but I have had Hondas my whole life.

sundance_gold

Some people may not care about this but ....

I test drove the liberty and it was nice BUT the leather comes in only 1 color: beige.

I've seen way too many cars with nasty, dirty beige leather to even think twice about buying an SUV with seats this color. Do you really want to put dirty stinky kids, dogs, whatever, on leather that shows everything??????

Plus I think there is something inherently wrong with saying you can get whatever exterior color you wnt but if you want leaher you can only get beige.

The other thing is you have good le' American auto engineering AKA Chrylser and you have dependibility on the other AKA Honda.

DaveBlkCL-S

I just purchased a 2002 CRV EX for my wife and it is great. I always found the CRV's until this year to be rather bland and powerless. Not the case now...the truck looks cool, drives great. It is quicker than the 200hp ford escape and has many options that car doesnt. This CRV is like night and day compared to the old CRV. The shifter on the dash at first I thought was weird but its really a non issue once you drive it for like a day. I drove both trucks you are considering and there is NO comparison between the two...Honda quality, great gas mileage, looks, interior comfort...as far as small suv's go this cant be touched IMHO.

Anthracite6Spd

I just bought my wife the Ex Auto in May. The engine seems powerful enough, although I have never driven the First generation. It is also a lot bigger than the Jeep. The interior space is the same as the Grand Cherokee. If you need leather I think some of the dealers offer that as a dealer option. I love it, but I have had Hondas my whole life.

Tom2

LOL, I saw your other post over at JeepsUnlimited on the Liberty forum.

The Jeep is cool, but it rides like shit and gets shitty gas mileage.

Unless you want to crawl rocks and drive thru deep mud, don't bother with the Jeep. It sucks as a daily driver.

The CR-V is a girly car.

Get a Ford Escape 4x4, like me! It has nice road manners, is reasonably good on gas, has a lockable 4x4 system, bigger tires and definitely doesn't look girly like the CR-V.

Tom2

Yeah, I read that road test too. They were comparing a manual trans CR-V to an automatic trans Escape.

To get those numbers out of the CR-V, they had to rev the piss out of the motor and dump the clutch. Not something anyone would ever do to a CR-V, as it wouldn't last long.

In rear world driving, the Escape outperforms the CR-V.

Melanie

Tom,

you really like the Escape? Some relatives are looking into it and would like to know if you have any regrets about getting it?

Thanks

Melanie

Tom2

Melanie,

I like the Escape a lot! In my opinion, it is the perfect SUV for those that prefer to stay on the small side......

I drive my Escape a lot more than I drive anything else and I don't regret getting it one bit.

adfeek28

I would presonally go for the CRV for 2 reasons

1.) Resale value of the Crv is higher. Honda overall ranks second amoung auto companies in terms of resale vaue. #1 was Volkswagon Ag.
2.) Honda motor co. was rated the second most reliabe car company in the world behind toyota

DaveBlkCL-S

not sure where your getting your info on that tom..this is from edmunds
nothing about "revving the piss out of it" ---I drove both trucks and felt the CRV to be better in every way...with the exception of off roading...the old crv's looked girly..the new ones look cool...and last but not least... ones a ford...ones a honda... like I said earlier..there is NO comparison...go drive them both...you will see...

Tom2

I watched the test on TV. Ever see it? It's on TNN.

Believe me, they revved the piss out of it and dropped the clutch.

BTW, most other mags get mid 8 seconds for the 0-60 time for a V6 Escape.

Example:

Car and Driver July 2000 issue

0-60-8.8
1/4 mile 16.8@ 83 mph

No big deal though, these are not race cars anyway.....

bullaculla

Dude, i think Mika is a girl!