Just bought a new 2012 Honda CRV EX!
 

My wife and I have been in the market for a new car for her. She wanted a compact suv that got good MPG and drove like a car. She did not care about power, fuel economy and reliably were number one on our list. So it was between the RAV4 and the CRV. We were definitely going to get a RAV4 until the we checked out the new CRV. The CRV blew the RAV4's interior away and with standard lcd color display that has many features in it including a backup cam with 3 view angels, bluetooth streaming, etc. So far all freeway I got 34.5 mpg which is not bad since the car only has 110 miles on it.

Overall we are happy with the decision. The looks of the CRV have grown on me and I think I will buy a factory rear spoiler for it. My parents have a 2009 CRV and this one is much quieter than the previous model which is a good thing.

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I'm sorry :D :D :D

I probably would have made the same decision if the Rav4 was the only other choice seeing as how its old and about to get a refresh. That said, I think I like the last gen CRV exterior better

Very nice. I would recommand getting some wood dash kits installed, got mine done and it looked 10x better than all plastic.

congrats. probably one of the better looking honda's as of late

Congrats on the new car. Was the new Mazda CX-5 on your radar at all?

My wife and I were really just considering the Toyota Rav4 or Honda CRV. She did not want anything else like the Mazda CX-5. Maybe if the compact SUV from Lexus was out already we could of considered that if it got similar mpg to the CRV.

Since the RAV4 really looks dated now, especially the interior it was a no brainer to get the CRV over it. Only reason I see someone would get the RAV4 now over the CRV is if they wanted a V6. The CRV's power is enough for her. Fuel economy was on the top of our list and not power. I also like the traditional opening rear gate rather than the barn door style on the Rav4.

Can't go wrong with purchasing either car though. Both of them are great cars.

I just went thru this same process for my wife and came to the same conclusions as the OP.

Although I've always had a lot of respect for the previous CRV's utility and reliability I always thought (based on my 2003 test drives) it was a little noisy on the road,, this newest generation however is very quite and has a, dare I say, sporty feel to the steering.

Needless to say we have a '12 EX-L NAV in our driveway. :)

Congrat's on your purchase and enjoy it in good health.

Thank you, congratulations to you as well!

One of the things that sold my wife on the CRV is drives like a car and not like an SUV.

The CRV's seem to be selling very well. I see more and more of them on the road.

Congratulations on your new car. :)

I agree that the new CR-V's interior is noticeably better than the existing RAV-4, though there has been some slight cheapening from that of the old CR-V's interior. The bodywork and overall assembly-quality also seem to be slightly higher, although the RAV-4 has a very smooth, if somewhat antiquated drivetrain with the 4-speed automatic.

Remember, with a new car, even though the break-in procedure is not as critical today as it was in the past, it's still a good idea, for the first 1000 miles or so, to keep engine RPMs down, don't accelerate or brake full-force unless you have to to avoid an accident, don't drive long distances at steady speeds, don't tow anything, and get an oil/filter change within a reasonable period...say the first few thousand miles.

Congrats on the new CRV - Honda has always made the best CUVs because they get the concept - a compact SUV can have style, room and reasonable performance. I spent several years on the CRV forum and Edmunds before selecting an RX. Today you can buy the EX-L with practically all the options of a Lexus. Like the aftermarket dash, too.

Thank you for the suggestions. I have been keeping the RPM's down and going to change the oil at 3000 miles.

Although the new CRV level of cabin road/engine noise is greatly improved over the previous generation, I think the RAV4 is still quieter than the CRV. Not by a significant margin but you do notice that when test driving them back to back. Nothing that would keep me from buying the CRV though.

The quality of the cloth of the RAV4 is not up to par to the CRV's especially the leather. I was little shocked when I saw a limited RAV4 with leather when shopping last month. It just seemed like vinyl, the CRV leather blows it away. I'm sure Toyota will bump up the quality of the materials in the upcoming new generation RAV4.

Looks good

More manufacturers, IMO, should be doing that at the factory to start with. It would add a lot to an interior's looks, and probably not affect the car's price much.

Strangely enough, when I was working at Subaru, there were many complaints from customers that they did not like the wood trims, it made it look too old and they would have prefered regular plastic or aluminium or along those lines. See a regular Outback and Outback limited (in which you get wood instead of aluminium-like plastic).