Review of 2018 Honda CRV AWD E Model
This is my first Honda, and my first new car since the late 90's. I have not covered many miles yet, still breaking it in, so it's hard to make a judgement based on longevity or performance. I did my research before purchase, regarding the type of car and dealership I was seeking. I wanted a compact to mid-size SUV, big enough for two people, with good gas mileage, room for travelling in comfort, and both - good auto press reviews and a general reputation for quality and longevity. A mid-size was bit more money than I wanted to pay and I didn't need the space anyway. I purchased a mid-range model in the CRV lineup with the AWD 'E' SUV, which has the comfort and safety features I desired. I wanted the car to last a long time and myself and my wife needed to be comfortable in it all that time, to derive the most value from the purchase in our retirement. After the purchase I thought I had bought the cream of the crop, although, learning the functionality of the electronic systems was a brain teaser for this old guy. First impressions were it was easy to drive, tactile steering, good brakes and it went where it was pointed. Nice turning radius smaller than my old Subaru and about the same cargo space. It felt much bigger than my old Subaru, which was also lower. Consequently I was consequently checking I was centered in my lane. However, it is also relaxing to drive. The seats are firm but comfortable and higher than a lot of sedans, which I like, being as it's harder for me to get in and out these days, and it gives a good higher view of the traffic ahead. The side windows at the back end are small and cluttered, consequently the view out the sides has what we used to call 'blind spots'. Apparently, styling wins over safety these days. However, the styling is pretty good in my opinion, and the car beeps if you try to change lanes and there's another car there, and lights flash in the door mirrors. The driver's seat has power everything, and I really like the adjustable lumbar and seat angle. No power on the passenger side, but I elected not to spend the money as my wife didn't need it and didn't mind. Heated front seats were a must and they have three settings, not just on/off, which I like. Also love the heated door mirrors. I like the 18 inch road wheels, love the alloy rims and powerful disc brakes, and the system that lets you know if your tires are soft. Anti-lock braking is just about standard these days. The interior is roomy, front and back. Sufficient chargers for devices, front and rear. A good size cargo area and a cargo cover, and fold down rear seats for more space. Two cargo lights are oddly placed on the sides, but seem out of the way. I miss the 12V outlet back there which my Subaru had. 'Oh heck' handles (assist handles above the doors, inside) are good for hanging onto for nervous Nellies. Cup holders where they should be up front and a good center storage bin with padded armrest. A good stereo, it won't break any records but not bad. Nice interior accents and upholstery (cloth for us not leather). We got the color we preferred, silver outside, grey inside. I like the push button starting, which knows you have the remote in your pocket, and the spare key holder in the remote case. You never have to take the key or remote out of your pocket. Park, press the start button (to stop the engine) put the car in park, apply the parking brake if you like, get out of the car and walk away and it locks itself. When you come back, touch the handle and it unlocks itself. That works on the back hatch as well. I so like the remote start for cold mornings though mine lives in my garage. The car is quiet on the road, lots of soundproofing. Ride is a little firm but I like that better than rolling and mush. We have the four cylinder, turbocharged gasoline engine. Not because I drive fast, or wanted a turbo; it's just what comes with it when you want an efficient four banger with enough power to get out of it's own way when merging, etc. Love the fuel economy. Effortless first-time starting, throttle is a little jerky though when in traffic for a brand new car, not even as smooth as my 1999 Subaru. When sitting at stoplights with the engine idling, a vibration can be felt in the driver's seat as if the engine isn't balanced right. The 'rubber band' constantly variable transmission is very smooth. The parking brake is very strange, it's novel, pull a small lever and you hear it come on with a motor somewhere, (added complexity which is unnecessary), push the lever and you hear it go off. Apparently it also goes off if you forget and drive away with it on, but I haven't tried that yet. Right behind it is the odd lever you push to engage the 'brake hold' if you are sitting stopped in traffic and get tired of having your foot on the brake. But then you have to remember to turn it off to get going again. When I first bought the car I just thought all of this was so redundant when only a handbrake handle and cable are needed. I can't remember if this car has the stop engine feature and auto restart to save gas at stoplights, probably. If so I turned it off, they are really annoying and will wear out the starter prematurely.The fuel filler is odd, it has two little plastic doors inside the exterior filler door. But no unscrewing caps and screwing it back on anymore, or losing it. The rear hatch is not powered on this model, the 'hatch latch' hangs up a bit when opening it. I love that Japanese cars have a place inside the door for my hand to pull the hatch down for closing, to keep my hand clean. I can't understand why there isn't a switch back there to unlock the rest of the car though, once the hatch is open. The back deck in the cargo area is a different height to the passenger floor, strangely, but it gives more cargo space. Technology overload! I was not used to it at first, but I am appreciating it now. Technology which is now commonplace didn't exist when I bought my last car. I enjoy the central screen with menus for all functions including maintenance, settings, phone and entertainment, and the driver's console has a smaller screen with selectable functions too. The menus are customizable for the look you want, kind of like 'skins', but I rolled my eyes when I realized there was yet another selection to be made. Luckily, you only have to do it once! (Unless you're a fidget or a masochist). There are secondary controls on the steering wheel for entertainment, phone and functions, and it is bluetooth enabled. It does take a while to learn what it all does though. Confusing for us older folk, and some frustrations I have center around the fact that there isn't just one place to look for the clock, there are two. There are several places you can go to set the dash fan speed and speaker volume, etc. Just too much too remember! Probably most people will pick one location for each and stick with it, but it's a puzzle for us older folks. The dash is more like a smart phone than a 'real' car! And if the center screen ever dies, you're screwed. I've read the screen scratches easily, I bought a protective cover but haven't installed it yet. I did buy and install splash guards (mud flaps) and it was easy. I bought interior mats, and guards for the lower interior panels for the doorways. I also have a cargo area floor protector. Unfortunately all these are optional extras, as are the door trims to prevent dings, and the roof rails. The roof rails are so hard to install, you are better of letting the dealership do it. The car is a delight to drive, except the lower edges of the windows are so high, that after being used to a lower sedan, I have trouble parking very well etc, because I can't see the ground, stall lines, edges of concrete sidewalks etc, next to the car. The computer has to be loaded with your setting preferences for the miriad of locking, unlocking, when locking, who's locking, all that. There's a code to memorize (who can remember that) for all the windows to go down together and the sunroof to open...or is it close. Millenials will love it, but I'm a baby boomer! Our car was made in Canada. You can tell this because the lines between the body panels and so on around the rear hatch, are all at different angles, but from ten feet away you can't tell. Other cars have it too. Remember when the tv ads showed a marble rolling down the panel joins and they were all the same? I expect cost has a lot to do with this, it's not an expensive car for all you get. And you get a lot. Body finish was very good but all paint jobs this century seem to look a bit like orange peel (which was scandalous back in the day). When I took delivery there were only two extremely hard to see (I mean extremely petty) marks on the paint, and we had to look real hard to find them. I was given some touch up paint for free which was fine. After a few months I noticed the body panel above the left rear wheel was imperfect, it had some very slight bend lines which shouldn't have been there, I'm sure it came from the factory that way; it's hardly noticeable unless the light hits it just right. Which brings us to front collision avoidance, rear cross traffic avoidance, adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assist, 'keep the driver rested' assist, I forget what else, safety systems which quite frankly are worth their weight in gold, if a little annoying. The car always seems to be beeping about something and I find I have to just stop, and look around to figure out just why the car is beeping now. But that's the whole point isn't it?You can turn them off, but why would you? Smart locking is a boon, except you are never really quite sure if it's really locked. It knows to unlock when you get close, locks when you walk away, locks when you get up to a pre-determined speed (which you pick), will unlock (or not) when you arrive at your destination (you pick). quite honestly, the first few weeks I was really confused and I still don't really know when the safety systems are on or off, it's not that clear. So that's all I can think of, except for the gasoline in the oil issue, which apparently will be improved on the 2019 models, but we, with the 2017 and 2018 turbo models will have to watch in case it turns out to be as much of a problem as has been touted. Would I have bought the car if I had known about the turbo model gasoline in oil problem? No, I would probably have bought a Honda Pilot or Kia Sorento or Toyota Highlander, mid-sizes to be sure, but all have good reviews (and no turbo!)
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