Forester Vs. CRV? Cannot decide

[GenSan]

Have a look at at the 3rd generation Suzuki Grand Vitara as well, you may be surprised.

A fully loaded 2010 Forrester or CR-V will run around $30,000.

A fully loaded Suzuki Grand Vitara will run around $25,000.

My cousin in the UK has a first generation Vitara that he uses as a daily driver and last I spoke to him last year he was closing in on nearly 500,000 trouble-free Km's.

Review of 2010 Suzuki Grand Vitara Limited

 

[Scienceman]

There is like 0 space in the CRV or Escape for groceries, or other random stuff though. What about the Forester?

 

[hounddog]

12k a year is not the norm mileage wise.Its 15k a year.Anyhow the GM makes have excellent ratings these days.I know a of couple Cobalt owners with 150k to 200k with mostly maintance by the book and no other issues.GM was bumper to bumper 4/50 and 5/100 powertrain.

 

[Steve S]

How bout the cost of maintenance? Is there a cam belt ? warranty ?

 

[unDummy]

I'm glad that I don't drive on rollers. Any of the AWD systems will work well enough on the road year round. BTW, the AWD systems in the '08 Highlander and Sportage worked flawlessly in all the snow storms of the past two years.

Also consider the Kia Sorento and Sportage which comes with decent power, warranty, and usually better incentives if you know how to haggle with a dealer.

I've always liked the Honda and Subaru. But, the last dozen new vehicles purchased in the family were not either because of their arrogant, obnoxious, incompetent..... dealer network.

One of my colleagues has a Grand Vitara. Its has a real 4wd system with low range.. Engine is a little weak but its worth a test drive.

And, if you have a small boat, jet skis, motorcycles, snowmobiles, small camper, or tow any type of trailer, you should take a look at tow capacities of the vehicles. I know a bunch of the cute-UV's were crossed off the list because they couldn't tow ANYTHING and useless for trips to Lowes, HomeDepot, or to pick up a cord of firewood with the little trailer.

Here's a list. Drive them all and peruse the owners manual prior to purchase:

Compact Suvs

 

[Al]

Lots of good information. I'll dare to sumarize some points.

Subaru AWD is better..hands down

CRV is probably going to be less maintenance even with the new Forester engine..(Yes its NEW this year..wild card.)

CRV is boring to drive.

I think CRV has better interior room.

Visibility is better in the Forester.

As mentioned the dealer and local support could make the difference.

Subaru needs matched tires. I think the CRV should also personally.

Subaru will likely have more HG issues.

Drive em both.

 

[2002 Maxima SE]

Nothing but good things to say about my wife's 2004 Forester XT (bought new in 2003). The fuel mileage is not the best (20MPG overall this year) but the AWD system is flawless.

http://www.fuelly.com/driver/triton46/forester

We've had very few issues with the car. The only major one being a burned out sunroof motor (huge sunroof on this car). We appealed to Subaru corporate and only had to pay 50% of the bill. No mechanical issues with the engine or the rear bearings (so far). The coolant system loses about a cup of coolant per year (despite using Subaru Coolant Conditioner with each flush). The leak does not appear to be going into the oil, so we soldier on with 85K miles.

 

[OutlawTitan]

Never owned a Subaru but I have considered a Forester over the CRV for my wife's next ride but I doubt she will have any part of it. We have a 2002 CRV-EX with 163K miles and the only unscheduled maintenance EVER done on it was an O2 sensor in 2009. Little thing is bulletproof and holds a lot of cargo. The only complaint in 10 years is highway road noise but it is a small price to pay for such reliability.

p.s. The oil filter is truly a pita. I use the K&N filters only because I can get to it easier with a rachet wrench.

 

[shadow7]

The 2010 CRV uses an old style spin on filter!! Convenient for DIY oil changes.

 

[rcy]

How is a spin on filter more convienient than a cartridge style filter?

I'd pick the Forester over the CRV purely because of the superior AWD system.

Leaking head gaskets? Who can say, since it's a completely new engine.

Personally, though, I don't like the look of the new Forester. The Outback, though, I like a lot, if it's in your price range.

 

[rcy]

Originally Posted By: fdcg27

The Subie probably has a better AWD system.
The Subaru would likely be as reliable as the Honda.
The current 2.5 NA will probably not have head gasket problems, but the Subaru will certainly cost more to own. Timing belt service is 2X the cost on the Sube that it is on the Honda, for example.



Not "probably has a better AWD system", it does have a better AWD system.

Timing belt service will cost nothing on a new Forester as it has timing chains. I know some Hondas now have chains as well, but I don't know for sure if the CR-V does.