Don't Buy a Honda CR-V or Toyota Rav-4 Before Watching This

today we're looking at the top two most popular and best-selling compact crossovers in america the toyota rav4 and the honda crv believe it or not these crossovers have been battling neck to neck for over 25 years we'll drive through how each crossover evolved in technology and style we'll also see which model years are best and which ones to avoid if you're looking to buy a used crossover and stay tuned you can comment with your preference afterwards so hop in with me and let's go for a ride in the early 1990s toyota wanted to make a vehicle that combined light off-road capabilities of an suv with the comforts of a standard passenger car and so they did in 1994 toyota introduced the rab4 you can see their vision reflected in the name because rab4 was an acronym for recreational activity vehicle with four-wheel drive although later they changed it to robust accurate vehicle four-wheel drive anyway it was the first and only compact crossover in the u.s market you could say that the rav4 created a brand new genre and category in the car industry the rav4 first generation debuted in america in 1996 with a 2-liter 120 horsepower inline-four engine the next year 1997 they introduced the all-electric rav4 with nickel metal hybrid batteries of course being the first to market gave rev for a head start honda followed suit soon after by introducing the crv in 1997. the name crv stood for compact recreational vehicle originally it came in one trim level known as crv lx which included a hideaway picnic table it had a two liter inline four cylinder engine that output 126 horsepower and 133 pound-feet of torque so power output was comparable with the rav4 just a year later crv surprised america by surpassing the rev foreign sales and it wasn't just by a stone's throw but more like leaps and bounds crv sales in 1998 was over 100 000 units where the rav4 sold only about 67 000 units that year toyota realized they needed to keep things fresh so the second generation rav4 came with more power under its hood horsepower and 142 pound foot of torque but it didn't help them gain much ground and sails cr-v was still way ahead in the meantime the second generation crv got a full redesign it was based on the seventh generation honda civic and powered by the k24 a1 engine the new cr-v retained the fuel economy of the previous model because of the iv tech system american versions of the new engine produced 160 horsepower and 140 pound feet of torque this prompted toyota to make dramatic changes for the 06 rav4 toyota introduced the rev4 with a v6 engine with a 3.5 liter unit with 269 horsepower the us version of the rav4 also grew by 14 inches that's more than a foot crab 4 also came with a third row seating this made the crossover more practical for american audiences and america loved these dramatic changes in fact crab for sale doubled from almost 71 000 units in 2005 to over 152 000 units in 2006 but it was still lagging behind crv and sales in the meantime honda redesigned their crv starting with the 07 model year the crv knicks the folding picnic table feature and manual transmission this generation crv also saw softer smoother lines with the new horizontal slat type chrome grille and redesigned bumpers honda also moved the spare tire under the floor then for the fourth generation honda upgraded the crv to output 185 horsepower with the 2015 model year honda offered the crv with the cvt continuously variable transmission and improved suspension this moved toyota to re-strategize and so toyota went back to basics they backtracked and reversed the features that didn't succeed in the previous generation they dropped the v6 option from the rav4 they nixed the third row they shortened the car length by about two inches and height by one inch then they fattened the width a bit and deleted the signature gate mounted spare tire feature and instead hid the tire under the floor they replaced the single hinged liftgate door with a traditional door that's hinged at the top they also upgraded the four speed to a new six-speed automatic the rav4 was less fun but more practical now 2015 was a significant year because rav4 got a facelift and also saw a dramatic increase in safety ratings rare four started gaining major ground and sales that year and the gross trajectory continued after toyota introduced the rav4 hybrid with the 2016 model it shared the same gas electric powertrain as the lexus nx 300h it was more powerful than the standard rav4 2017 was a huge milestone for the rav4 because it made an incredible comeback and sales the rav4 outsold the crv for the first time in decades this was the turning point in the toyota honda race and the rav4 has held its ground ever since you can see honda's reaction in its fifth generation the crv became more masculine than previous generations it was bigger had sharper lines and looked more aggressive it grew an inch taller and its wheelbase was 1.6 inches longer so more space and comfort for passengers for the 2020 model year honda introduced the crv hybrid variant in america honda had already been selling it in europe and china a year prior but now honda brought it to the u.s market in the meantime toyota launched the ramp for fifth generation it was boxier and more rugged it sat on toyota's new global architecture tnga which improved the ride quality and handling for the 2021 model year toyota unveiled the rav4 prime a plug-in hybrid variant that can travel 42 miles on electricity alone so for more than two decades the rav4 and crv have been neck to neck and power look and features they have a lot more in common than differences today they're still at it the toyota rav4 is the fourth best-selling vehicle in america last year they sold 430 000 units compare that to the honda crv which is the fifth best-selling car in america they sold more than 330 000 units last year if you're looking for a brand new crossover and want to compare these two 2021 models here's a quick rundown in terms of base price both start at around 25 to 26 000 although the rev force price is slightly higher if you're interested in reliability ratings jd power gave the rev for an average score whereas a cr-v earned an above average rating both cars offer a three-year 36 thousand mile basis warranty and a five-year 60 000 mile powertrain warrant both vehicles offer great fuel economy for its class but the rav4 has a slight edge here although it's really a close call between these two let's talk about seats both crossovers have five passenger seats the cr-v offers a bit more legroom for the backseat passengers both come standard with gloss upholstery but you can upgrade the crv with real leather whereas the rav4 only offers synthetic leather both offer heated front seats but the rav4 can be upgraded with ventilated front seats and heated rear outboard seats in terms of cargo space both vehicles are above average for their class so it's a lot here that said the cr-v offers a bit more cargo value if you want acceleration the rav4 has a leg up it has a 2.5 liter inline four that outputs 203 horsepower compare that with crv's 1.5 liter turbo 4 with 190 horsepower as far as the interior quality and style both are practical and of good quality but the crv looks more upscale because it uses soft material on most surfaces while the rav4 has some hard plastics if you're looking to buy a used rav4 or crv which model years should you consider and which one should you avoid as far as the toyota rav4 is concerned the 2017 and 2018 model years are a good bet in general both models rated well for reliability performance comfort and styling there has been a few complaints about the 2018 model like paint issues minor steering issues and brake problems but in general is still a very good year the least reliable ramp for the model years 2001 2002 2007 and 2008 the 2008 model was the worst due to higher repair costs the most common problem with the used rav4 is excessive oil consumption at 100 000 miles average cost to address this was around 3 300 out another common issue was problem shift and eventual transmission failure around 112 000 miles the average cost to address this was about twenty six hundred dollars in fact customer complaints led toyota to change its powertrain warranty from five years sixty thousand miles to ten years a hundred and fifty thousand miles for both the transmission and ecm if you're looking at used honda crvs reliable model years include 2005 2006 and 2016. complaints about these models were quite minimal and those years were reported to be reliable overall and provide good handling minor issues were only about the ride being a little stiffer than other model years some people complained about the noise level but that seems to be across the board for crvs in general but all in all these are reliable model years if you want to use crv the least reliable crv models are between 2007 and 2011. those received the most complaints including tires wearing unevenly door lock issue and failing ac compressors because the shaft was too thin and it would snap off in particular the 2010 and 2011 models received complaints around oil consumption problems due to faulty piston rings 1010 also saw recalls for problems around the airbag electrical system and transmission control modules the toyota rav4 and honda crv both have a reputation for reliability it's no surprise why they're so popular they're formidable competitors for good reason but now you tell me what you think about the toyota rav4 or the honda crv which do you think is better comment below and share your opinion if you enjoyed this episode please subscribe to my channel thanks for your support

Channel: Scotty Kilmer

Views: 743,940

Rating: 4.9058256 out of 5

Keywords: auto, auto repair, car, car diy, car repair, cars, diy, how to, mechanic, repair, scotty kilmer, car review, toyota rav4, honda crv, toyota rav4 review, honda cr-v, car advice, honda crv review, suv comparison, rav4 vs crv, rav4 vs cr-v, toyota rav4 vs honda cr-v, new rav4, honda review, crv review, honda crv vs toyota rav4, car buying, compact suv, car comparison, new car review, 2021 rav-4 vs cr-v, 2021 honda cr-v, 2021 toyota rav4, which is better

Id: nWS_ru5pM30

Length: 10min 11sec (611 seconds)

Published: Fri Apr 30 2021