2024 Honda CR-V vs Mazda CX-5 vs Toyota RAV4 vs Subaru Forester Comparison / Big (Compact) Battle!

[Music] car guys love to knock compact crossovers maybe it makes us feel better about scaring away our dates with loud exhausts or poor conversation skills but whatever the reason there's no denying that the SUVs behind me can fit a wide variety of Lifestyles and today I want to figure out which one is the best for you and myself let's introduce our contenders so the Honda CRV is the freshest face here it also carries the biggest price tag and a premium disposition the Mazda CX5 is also an upscale competitor it places even more of an emphasis on the Driving Experience too while making a few compromises the Toyota Rav 4 is pragmatic first and comes in more artificial flavors than jelly beans helping it appeal to a shocking amount of people the Subaru Forester which will spawn here soon won't start your emotional engine but it offers versatility value capability and extreme ease of use now most of these come with a wide variety of feature sets so I'd recommend checking out my individual reviews if you want to hear more about those but generally speaking the Toyota Rav 4 Mazda CX5 offer the most stuff like a 360 View Camera LED headlights are standard across the board the Subaru and Toyota are the only ones to offer fog lights though the CRV stands out with some cool daytime running lights on all trims speaking of standing out for 2024 the CX5 actually gets rid of its cladding now it's all body colored even here on the select which is now the base trim it is a strong value proposition just like the Subaru Forester while the Toyota also provides off-road grades the Forester comes with the most serious capability especially with the lifted Wilderness trim something I would highly recommend if you're a fan of some Looney tun styling I'd also like to recommend Royal South Mazda Royal South Toyota and Royal on the East Side in Bloomington Indiana for letting me test drive new and used cars to make this giant comparison impossible Royal is dedicated to the community with an all-around great staff check them out let me know in the comment section which one you think looks the best but for me it's the CRV with its understated and sharp lines and while you will have to pay for the style Honda justifies that price tag on the interior there's a fair amount of hard touch Plastics but they break them up nicely with changes in texture a little bit of soft touch on the dash and where your elbows rest but the build quality is what I'm really impressed by everything that you touch has a nice click to it and speaking of that you have plenty of analog controls I also find the 9-in infotainment Pleasant for the person that doesn't want a giant touchs screen that the person tailgating you could read this is great though I am kind of disappointed by the standard 7-in infotainment not having Wireless Apple carplay and Android auto that's just wired the system itself is simply laid out it has a quick response time and a decent resolution also I do like the throwback Honda speedometer the only area are that doesn't impress me is the features for the money the ex or sport are probably the best value spots and you can get things like leather upholstery a wireless charger and a great Bose sound system for the segment but a few other competitors like the CX-5 can get ventilated front seats heated rear seats a headup display those aren't necessary to have in a car like this but some of them cost over 40 Grand so it would be nice to see the seats are also arguably the most comfortable here they're a bit firm but the back support is great thigh support is good even here at 6'3 and I just find the driving position and how far the wheel comes out to be comfortable for someone even if you're a bit tall speaking of which the space in here is great I have a good amount of knee room the rear seat has an obscene amount of leg room with good support rear console vents available USB ports and the seatbacks easily recline the most out of the four here the cargo area is also ridiculously tall it's long it's wide and It's oddly well lit though unfortunately if you go with the hybrid you're not going to get a spare tire just to fix a the flat kit like the Honda the rav Forest cargo area is quite the luxury living space and when you fold the seats down it's pretty much flat something that the Honda can't boast and also comes with a spare tire on the regular and Hybrid models the rear seats also have plenty of space rear console vents are standard and like all but the Honda heated rear seats are available take note the Rav 4 climbs rapidly in price like a Kleenex after Taylor Swift uses it this nonhybrid XLE premium with options costs 39 Grand up front the driving position just isn't all that comfortable this center console protrudes a lot on your knee room the seat bottoms are a little short they don't offer too great of support though they should be able to fit a very wide variety of people and Lumbar adjustment will come on most materials are class competitive there's some soft touch on the dash and on your elbow rest points but cheap Plastics persist in most areas and this lacks the same satisfying controls or upscale accents of the Honda I think what the rav for does best is a rugged feeling you have these big rubbery tiles a rubbery grab handle and the build quality itself is sturdy so it should stand the test of time well there's also plenty of storage decent sound systems and an easy to use infotainment system it comes in either eight or 10 1/2 in screen sizes response time and resolution are good for the class plus you have the availability for a full digital gauge cluster whereas the lower-end models get a configurable 7-in screen stepping inside the Subaru Forester there's an immediate difference in Ambiance so you have a big windshield really low belt line that creates awesome visibility that to some others may feel minivan esque but it does help it feel spacious it's also just spacious but as a whole the Forester doesn't feel too premium the build quality here isn't bad but it's not as good as the Honda or Mazda it's also simple but the controls here feel cheaper than the others the infotainment system is also the slowest with the worst resolution and screen quality but it too is simply laid out and we also have an analog gauge cluster here on all trims while the Forester can't get ventilated front seats it does have a unique memory setting that actually recognizes the user's face to adjust to your seat and mirror positions it also monitors to see if you're falling asleep while driving the seats in here are also easy to get along with they're softer and less bolstered than what you'll find in the Honda I'd be comfortable driving this for quite some time the Forester is the cheapest car here and if you just step up to the premium trim you will get seats a panoramic sunroof and six speakers unfortunately the Forester and CRV base models do without tweeters so if you care about music listening avoid them like the guys screaming at the pigeons outside of a Marathon gas station unfortunately Wireless Apple carplay and Android auto is unavailable to help you forget about that they gave you a huge back seat rear console vents USB ports and a reclining seat back come on everything except for the base you'll have a giant cargo area and like the Honda the the roof line continues far back further improving the versatility the seats also fold flat with releases in the back on some specs and a spare tire underneath with a full Sizer on the Wilderness dimensionally it's not the largest trunk here but it's well shaped a similar thing could be said about the Mazda the cargo area is shorter in length than the others here but it is at least thoughtful the seats fold down nice and flat every CX-5 gets seat releases in the cargo area this is also the only one to have a 4020 40 split and it's got a respectable height to it for the class the back seat is the only one here that if you have six Footers in each row you're going to have to make some compromises in space maybe not the best for long child seats or road trips either but this and the Honda do have really wide opening rear doors this does have standard rear console Vents and USB ports though they're located in the center armrest of all places but moving up front we also have a crazy amount of features at a base trim level yes this is 31,000 now but that still undercuts the base Rav 4 and CRV all-wheel drive except here you're going to have leatherr upholstery with heated front seats Dual Zone automatic climate control and a decent six- speaker sound system that you can upgrade to a great Bose setup depending on how willing you are to spend money you can probably get the features you want here what's unique to the CX-5 is the approach it takes to an interior this has a very sturdy build quality to it it's extremely straightforward the buttons and dials have a nice to them and Mazda takes analog further than the others by using dials and buttons to control the 10.3 in infotainment system the controls sit where my hand naturally rests it's an oversimplified UI some things take a couple extra steps Wireless Apple car plane Android auto is an option but it's not standard but it's super easy to use while you're driving so I have a hard time knocking it just like the others you can get a partial digital gauge cluster the base model here just has a multi-function display while I appreciate its dedication to being in a straightforward well-built interior there are some low points like the seat bottom they're not very supportive and they're not bolstered too well making for probably the worst driving position out of the cars here and I also think it's starting to look just a little bit old at least there is a lot of soft touch materials that improve on trims like the premium and above on the road these roughly have the same audience in mind but they disagree on what they want let's drive the sales leader first the Toyota Rav 4 so no matter which model you get here in the United States it's going to come with some flavor of 2.5 L naturally aspirated inline 4 here today I have the standard model which generates 203 moaning ponies and it's going to make that toward the top of the RPM range if you want better passing power I'd recommend the hybrid version that bumps your Peak output to 219 horsepower as well and comes hooked up to an ecbt make no mistake Toyota's ecbt has nothing mechanically to do with a regular continuously variable transmission and while it does result in a solid bit of drone as you're picking up speed it does feel more linear and natural especially at low speeds when compared to the usual continuously variable suspects there's also a plug-in Prime version that turns this into a borderline rocket ship for a Rav 4 but that is incredibly hard to get and shouldn't really be compared to any of the other cars here today but it's nice that they offer it it has like 42 Mi of EV range pulling up a Long Hill the 8-speed automatic does like to stay in a higher gear but it's not afraid to downshift when it needs to and because it has plenty of ratios to choose from I usually have a pretty pleasant experience let's face it all the base engines here aren't going to give you butterflies when you plant the throttle though the Rav 4 managing 0 to 60 in the low 8sec range makes it competitive for the class with the hybrid even taking another second off of that and it's not about speed to begin with it's about efficiency and the Rav 4 does that well but especially with the electrified variant we're talking 40 m of the gallon with standard all-wheel drive you have enough passing power to where it doesn't feel stressed out unless maybe you live at high elevation at 65 mph though it's not offensive by any means but it's probably the noisiest here today the Rav 4 also toes the most at up to 3500 lb that's with the upgraded alternator and transmission cooler of the adventure in TRD off-road though most models are going to be about 1,500 on an Indiana back road that I have nightmares about the RP 4 is a great companion it's not the smoothest SUV here but it takes the roughest of bumps and potholes on the chin it isolates you from the road pretty well the small to medium size imperfections only jostle you slightly throwing the raav for through corners the steering as you would kind of anticipate is completely numb it doesn't react super quick to my my inputs it's also weighted a little on the light side which on one hand does make it feel very easy to drive around parking lots or back roads but there's just not a single ounce of fun at the very least it does remain confident which is what matters most in this kind of segment body roll here is I mean what you would expect for small crossover but it does get a little bit more poised if you get the SE or xse with its sport tune suspension behind the wheel of the Mazda CX5 it becomes very clear that this is the anti- Rav 4 under the hood you're going to have a 2.5 L naturally aspirated inline 4 on most models this is going to be direct injected only and on the top specs Mazda will slap a turbocharger on there for you changing your power output from 187 to 256 horsepower on premium it's a bit less on regular but it makes a boatload of torque with either the passing power there is effortless that powertrain is smooth it comes with a little lag for forced induction and that's going to make the SE CX5 easily the best driver's car of the class even here with the standard unit I don't have very many complaints it's going to be hooked up to a smooth and slow shifting six-speed automatic that I think pairs better with the turbocharged engine's torque but still when I go over Hills it down shifts at an appropriate time it's just not going to be as aggressively geared as the Toyota it'll be a little bit slower to 60 but I think most people will be happy the CX5 does have proven power trins at this point but that does come at the cost of gas mileage pulling up to highway speeds is no problem for the base model once we're there at 65 mph it does REV a little high around 2200 RPM but it is quieter than the Toyota now on a bad Road your small to mediumsized imperfections are going to be the most apparent here when compared to the other crossovers tested today and the larger Brakes in the pavement do intrude upon the piece of the cabin I think for most people this should be okay it's not jittery it avoids being harsh on most stretches of pavement too though if Comfort is one of your highest priorities I'd steer you away from the CX-5 but if your choice to buy a compact crossover is a reluctant one the CX-5 makes quite the argument I think the steering finds the perfect weight for a vehicle like this it's not too light it's not artificially heavy to make it feel more substantial than it is it's just playful and as you go through corners it builds up nicely the steering itself isn't super quick but there's very little body roll so it feels like it's ready to turn in at all times and there's like no play on Center so it also comes off as precise fully independent rear suspension just like all others here today helps keep this thing feeling glued I mean that is very stable even though it came out for the 2017 model year this chassis still knows how to do Corners better than any other in the segment visibility out of the CX-5 is good especially out the front the windshield is closed the Belt Line isn't too high and you're going to find blind spot monitoring as standard when it comes to active safety AIDS none will break for vultures or large birds of prey but they do have autonomous braking adaptive cruise control and Lane departure prevention as standard the lane centering only comes on the top trim and it's only going to work up to speeds of 40 mph the others here come standard with Lane centering this is a very safe vehicle when it comes to crash tests even though this is a dated architecture it's just as safe as the other cars here the CX5 has aged well it's one of my personal favorite crossovers because of its quality quality and its dedication to the Driving Experience of all the compact crossovers I've driven the Honda CRV comes the closest to giving you the Mazda experience under the hood you'll have two powertrain choices a 1.5 L turbocharged inline 4 making 190 horsepower that'll come hooked up with a traditional continuously variable transmission when it comes to Flatout acceleration the regular turbo model is in line with the CX5 and Rav 4 but from my experience in the past with that engine even though it has been slightly tweaked for the new generation it's provided great mid-range passing power 0 to 60 should come up in the low eights for that I got 7 seconds flat with hybrid which is what I'm driving today it comes with a 2 L naturally aspirated engine making a potent 24 horsepower and 247 lb feet of torque when paired up with a single permanent magnet Drive motor and it's ecvt which also uses a motor to help change gear ratios has the ability to produce a direct drive at low and high speed this makes for an even more linear and traditional driving experience than what you find with the Toyota hybrids the response is quick it's natural even allowing it to fake shift while the electric motor continues thrust so there's no break in g-forces the only knock I have is that if you put it in sport you get a pretty excessive fake noise I've found the gas mileage to be a little bit worse than the Rav 4 and even more so on the highway but the CRV overall is an efficient vehicle no matter which model you get this has no problem getting up to highway speed road noise even at 65 is under control it's just as quiet maybe a little quieter than the Mazda CX-5 on an abused Road the CRV does not fall apart like the Mazda does make you aware of the road surface beneath you it's a little bit more firm than the Toyota or the subar but it's comfortable avoiding any feelings of jitteriness potholes make themselves known but I haven't hit anything that jars the cabin over the last week that I've had it it may not be the most forgiving SUV here but I think a vast majority of SUV buyers will be happy no matter where they live around corners is also where the Honda shines even when you're hitting imperfections it remains surefooted steering is also well weighted just a little bit heavier than the Mazda but it too does a good job of building up weight it doesn't offer as much feedback through the wheel as the Mazda but there's a hint of Life there body roll is well under control there's like no play in that steering it feels precise and natural seeing out of the CRV isn't difficult either the windshield is close to me there's no huge blind spots in every trim except for the base we'll have blind spot monitoring after driving the CRV my main takeaway is that this makes very little compromises some may label this as a fishbowl but I can't complain when the visibility of the Forester is so good and there's a lot lot else to love about how this drives depending on who you ask one of those things is the engine it's a naturally aspirated 2.5 L boxer 4 its flat orientation does help lower the center of gravity it comes hooked up to a continuously variable transmission the Forester may not have a lot of Pep but the transmission does do a good job of making sure this doesn't get bogged down it's responsive and at low speed leads it avoids that lurching of previous iterations of Subaru CDT expect a 0 to 60 time of around 9 seconds flat making it the slowest here though passing power is fine though I wish they offered a hybrid or Turbo model for those at high elevations and people that want more grunt or better efficiency the latter of which the Forester is respectable at while there's nothing inherently wrong with it the powertrain is about as inspiring as a tuna packet s but just like that decadent Seafood meal the Forester gives you quite a bit for your money so standard you're going to have their symmetrical all-wheel drive system which uses equal length drive shafts to reduce torque steer it can also give well more than 50% of torque to either axle and just like the Mazda and Toyota it offers an off-road mode that uses the brakes to help send torque side to side the Mazda's off-road mode only comes with the premium trim and above but if your main goal is getting through a tough winter any one of these should get the job done the Mazda Subaru and hybrid Rav 4 drive all four wheels as standard that electrified Toyota simply adds another motor to power the rear instead of connecting a drive shaft now the R 4 can actually get a proper rear torque vectoring differential though it struggles at actually powering through obstacles from everything that I've seen and so does the CRV in fact the CRV struggles even more and it only has a snow mode now from my experience the Honda Toyota and Mazda do a great job of making sure power is sent to the rear axles the moment needs it but the Subaru is true fulltime so really in all areas when it comes to all-wheel drive the Subaru is the best the Honda is the only one I'd really stray away from if you plan on taking it to remote areas and through some serious Forest Service Roads pulling up to highway speed 65 mph tire noise isn't too bad I wouldn't say it's as Serene as the Mazda or Honda it's maybe a little less noisy than the Toyota I think on a bad Road the Forester is going to take the W here small to medium size impacts I'm hearing them more than I'm feeling them nothing jars the cabin the subar just floats over this stuff and the reason why they could spring this so soft and still have it handle all right is because one it doesn't weigh a whole lot and two it has a low center of gravity so it doesn't need Super stiff Springs to compensate throwing the Forester around some Corners it stays glued to the road the soft suspension kind of just float over some of the bumps so I wouldn't call it as poised as the CX5 or maybe even the CRV but body roll itself is kept under control which when you pair that with quick ratio steering it makes for a reactive little SUV but not necessarily a fun one the steering here is also very numb it's lightly weighted and there's just some vagueness on Center so it doesn't earn any points for being natural it's just a capable SUV basically anywhere you also can get the sport trim which adds a firmer suspension now when it comes to reliability i' give more in- depth detail on my full reviews to keep things brief all of these are vehicles I would feel comfortable recommending to someone that highly prioritizes reliability Subaru has fixed a lot of their issues from the past Mazda has been pretty consistently reliable they use proven powertrains the current CRV was not all new and I would consider that a good thing because the last one was pretty reliable the problem people are most likely to bring up is fuel mixing with oil which Honda said primarily affected those in cold climates that made fuel frequent short trips while it was a valid issue most didn't experience it because if you look at consumerreports.com or cars.com most people had good Problem free experiences a similar story can be said about the rav Fort I would probably bet my money on that being the cheapest to run in the long term this generation has been out for a while now there hasn't been too many serious issues or really widespread ones plus it uses port and direct fuel injection so there's no worries of carbon buildup over time with the others I would recommend working in a fuel induction service to help keep the intake valves clean as long as possible as with anything it's going to come down to your own priorities though some executed things better than others the Rav 4 is longlasting practical Transportation with a rugged feeling and somewhat cheap looking interior the ride quality can shelter you from degrading infrastructure the hybrid is potent and efficient and the wide variety of flavors increases broad appeal it provides all that most want in a car like this so it earns that sales Crown but the lack of authentic character the middling seats and high price keeps it from being my personal pick I think the Forester does a little better job at being a go anywhere Appliance it may feel the cheapest with the most dated Tech but its visibility Supreme Road Comfort capable handling excellent all-wheel drive and aggressive price for 2024 make it the most rational Choice here in my opinion the Mazda CX-5 Remains the most emotional Choice it's it handling is second to none in the class the quality and materials especially in high grades can still go toe-to-toe with some luxury vehicles and it's overall a straightforward charismatic and thoughtful SUV but its limitations in rear seat room front seat comfort and ride quality on dismal pavement keeps it from being my broad recommendation that honor goes to the Honda CRV not only does it handle well and feel natural it has good powertrains immense versatility and a pre prium disposition this category of car is supposed to do it all and this does that without feeling devoid of Soul so long as you can afford the Steep price your local dealers don't gouge you and you don't need something to tackle Trails this is a knockout so much so that it also wins as my personal pick overtaking the CX5 for me chances are Toyota Subaru and maybe even Mazda will answer back next year but for now Honda should give themselves a pat on the B thanks for watching if you enjoyed the video then leave a like to help me make a run on the YouTube algorithm subscribe and hit the bell for notifications if you'd like to see more and check out my patreon for an additional podcast I'll catch you in the next one

Channel: Realistick

Views: 105,601

Keywords: cx5, cx-5, 2021, 2020, cx5 reliability, reliability, review, car reviews, suv, crossover, new cars, new suvs, cx5 0-60, cx-5 0-60, 0-60, toyota rav4, honda crv, crv, subaru forester, forester, subaru, mazda, cx-50, mazda cx-50, 2023, Forester, Subaru, Wilderness, wildernes, AWD, Review, forester 0-60, outback, jeep, trailhawk, new, cuvs, crossovers, rav4, cr-v, toyota, honda, kia, sportage, small crossovers, 2024, 2024 forester, 2024 crv, 2024 rav4, off-road

Id: lwUgNpyUiSA

Length: 25min 13sec (1513 seconds)

Published: Sat Oct 21 2023