2017 Honda CR-V

[MUSIC PLAYING] JOSH SADLIER: Over here we have the 2017 Honda CRV, fully redesigned for the 2017 model year. We consider it to be the top of the small SUV class. MARK TAKAHASHI: That's the 2018 Chevy Equinox. It's all new for 2018, and it's a huge improvement. Is it good enough to unseat the CRV? We're going to find that out right now. This is your first ish time driving the Equinox. JOSH SADLIER: Yeah. It's also I think my first time inadvertently wearing the same shirt as you. The power of this engine and the responsiveness of the transmission-- nine speed automatic. Some people might be wondering, has too many gears for one gearbox. My experience so far, it's seamless. MARK TAKAHASHI: It doesn't seem to hunt much when you're climbing a hill. JOSH SADLIER: No. MARK TAKAHASHI: You got plenty of punch right off the line. JOSH SADLIER: Yep. MARK TAKAHASHI: And at the top end, the really tall gears give you the best fuel economy you can. JOSH SADLIER: The other thing I noticed on the way over was when I wanted to hit an opening in traffic, get a quick downshift, it was on point. MARK TAKAHASHI: We are now in the 2017 Honda CRV. JOSH SADLIER: It's 190 horsepower. 190 strong horses. MARK TAKAHASHI: And there really wasn't that much of a power difference between the base engine in this and this engine. But there is fuel economy wise. JOSH SADLIER: Well, that's the thing. The turbo gives you good fuel economy. Plus it gives you the torque down low. It's the kind of driving experience that you would ordinarily have to pay a little extra for. But Honda gives it to you standard on EX on up. Performance. Whack it. Just punch it right now. See what happens. Just do it. MARK TAKAHASHI: That's adequate. JOSH SADLIER: Ah. Maybe it's better. MARK TAKAHASHI: It's not inspiring. It's-- JOSH SADLIER: It's that waiting. (REVVING SOUND) MARK TAKAHASHI: Yeah. JOSH SADLIER: It's just this, eh. MARK TAKAHASHI: And there was absolutely nothing initially. JOSH SADLIER: That's what makes me think I can't own a CVT myself. On my drive over to the studio this morning I had checked over my right shoulder, and I was kind of expecting poor visibility because of that upward kink in the styling back there. Right around the seat pillar it kind of swoops up. But I wasn't offended by the visibility. I looked back. I saw what I needed to see. I saw a lot of glass. MARK TAKAHASHI: I am pretty good with the visibility in this car. This A pillar isn't too thick. And it's kind of placed far enough away so I don't have to look around it at left turns. These mirrors are pretty wide. I get a really good view of three lanes. Rear visibility is also about the same as the Equinox. JOSH SADLIER: This is kind of the elephant in the room with this particular vehicle. As tested price, correct me if I'm wrong mark, is about $40,000. MARK TAKAHASHI: It's right below. Like it's brushing $40,000. That's a deal breaker in this class. At $40,000 you can get a base BMW X3 or Audi Q5. (GROANING) JOSH SADLIER: This CRV we're riding in cost us $31,700 I think, $31,800. For the price this is a pleasantly nice interior. Whereas the Equinox, at an as tested price of about $40,000, not pleasantly nice. MARK TAKAHASHI: This is the premiere trim. This is the top of the line. And we've got this really kind of cheapo hard plastic. And it doesn't match any graining anywhere else. And it kind of has the look of a child's dinosaur toy. We're nitpicking here. But I'm not nitpicking when it comes to the quality of that. JOSH SADLIER: And also I think the price invites us to nitpick. MARK TAKAHASHI: If we're paying $9,000. JOSH SADLIER: If the price were more like the CRV then, more or less. MARK TAKAHASHI: Right. This kind of bright chrome work around the vents. Right now I'm getting five hot spots in my vision. JOSH SADLIER: This is why I'm wearing sunglasses, Mark. I have to apologize to our producer, who prefers that we don't wear sunglasses on video. But I had to put them on because this chrome is like attacking me with reflections. This is the facepalm moment for me with GM products. I keep hoping with each new generation they're just going to tone down the chrome on the interior, because whenever the sun hits it, it goes right into people's eyes. Like why do you want that? MARK TAKAHASHI: Hear that? #Tonedownthecrhome. JOSH SADLIER: Otherwise yeah. I will say the interior design came as a bit of a letdown for me. MARK TAKAHASHI: I'm actually OK with these seats. And they're ventilated. I'm not getting a whole lot of support on the edge of my thighs up here. JOSH SADLIER: The bottom cushion seems a little short. MARK TAKAHASHI: It's well shaped. It's adequately padded. JOSH SADLIER: Yeah. I would say overall I'm pleasantly surprised by the seat comfort. There's some firm support here. I feel some shape in the seat, like it's trying to accommodate me. I appreciate that. I would give the CRV the edge. MARK TAKAHASHI: Now we do not have ventilated seats. These are heated only. Comfort wise I think they're pretty comparable. I'm feeling a little bit of a push on my shoulder blades from the seat, but also not a deal breaker. Overall usability in a CRV is really thoughtful. And that's Honda's thing anyway. I mean, you have the conversation mirror here to keep tabs on the kids. You have these nice cubbies that are well shaped and hold everything in place. JOSH SADLIER: The storage is really impressive I think, the way they do this whole center console. There's all these different levels. And there's this tray that slides. MARK TAKAHASHI: And removes. JOSH SADLIER: Yeah. I really like this. I am amazed right now, I have to say, because I'm 6'1". My driving position is usually close to the back extreme of the seat travel. This is as far back as the driver's seat goes, and I've got, what? Two inches? MARK TAKAHASHI: And you've got some space with your feet too that you can scoot forward a little too. JOSH SADLIER: Tons of space. I don't know why I would need a mid-size crossover. This is a compact crossover. But two six footers can sit here. MARK TAKAHASHI: One thing that I do notice about the CRV front versus backseats is the materials quality is quite a bit less impressive back here. But I think that's actually a smart idea because you don't want your kids messing up the interior. JOSH SADLIER: Yeah. Fair enough. MARK TAKAHASHI: And that makes perfect sense to me. That's easier to clean. It's going to be more durable. Otherwise the amenities are good. We've got two USB ports down there. You're covered. Armrests, pretty decent. About the same size cup holders as the front. JOSH SADLIER: Yep. MARK TAKAHASHI: It's totally fine. JOSH SADLIER: As with the CRV, I put the driver's seat where it would be for my 6'1" driving self. And my knees are a little closer to the seat back. MARK TAKAHASHI: But you still fit. JOSH SADLIER: Than they were in the CRV. I still fit. But it's interesting. I was expecting-- you know, the Equinox has a reputation for having an unusually roomy interior. I was expecting it to win this particular category. MARK TAKAHASHI: OK. JOSH SADLIER: And the CRV for me wins by an inch. MARK TAKAHASHI: I'm getting a lot better thigh support. I don't feel like they're just kind of raised above slightly as they taper off. I still have plenty of leg room for myself. And right now because of the panoramic sun roof, my hair is brushing the headliner. JOSH SADLIER: Yep. My hair too. That's a higher bench below you. And that's also cutting a little bit of headroom. MARK TAKAHASHI: So it's a give and take. JOSH SADLIER: Yep. MARK TAKAHASHI: We do have heated seats back here. JOSH SADLIER: Yep. MARK TAKAHASHI: Eh, it's a little shorter. JOSH SADLIER: A little less armrest here than there was in the CRV. MARK TAKAHASHI: A little bit. [DING DING DING] Oh. So that beep. That was the rear seat reminder, which is a new feature for GM vehicles to help you remember that if you had a kid back here to check the back seats. JOSH SADLIER: Could be useful. I just think if I'm the kind of parent who's not going to forget that my kids in the back, I might want to turn that off. You know what I mean? MARK TAKAHASHI: One of the big concerns with any compact crossover is cargo space. And the CRV has a lot. JOSH SADLIER: Yes. MARK TAKAHASHI: 75.8 cubic feet. JOSH SADLIER: Yeah. Over 75. MARK TAKAHASHI: Which is midsize SUV territory. JOSH SADLIER: Knocking on the door. Yep. MARK TAKAHASHI: We have this kind of deployable floor, which I don't know if it really serves that much of a purpose. JOSH SADLIER: Yeah. I'm not sure what to do with it. But it looks cool, right? MARK TAKAHASHI: It also has these remote releases where you don't even have to reach in and push down or go to the back seat. JOSH SADLIER: That's very convenient. Yep. MARK TAKAHASHI: Very convenient, right? And these big scooped out areas by the wheel wells. How many golf bags do you think we can get in there? JOSH SADLIER: Yeah. I think you get about nine. MARK TAKAHASHI: Equinox. Load floor is flat. It doesn't deploy. But you do have a space for your laptop bag and stuff. JOSH SADLIER: Space underneath. So you can't drop it down like in a CRV, but you can put stuff underneath it. MARK TAKAHASHI: Right. Now, there's not nearly as much space. This wheel well's eating up a lot of real estate. Just like the CRV though, these fold flat. But they fold flat really violently. JOSH SADLIER: Yeah. Let's check it out. MARK TAKAHASHI: Whoa. JOSH SADLIER: Whoa. MARK TAKAHASHI: Right. The whole car kind of bounces. Hopefully junior's not in the backseat. JOSH SADLIER: Yeah. Hopefully not. MARK TAKAHASHI: Cause you just squished him. That's still really a huge space. But what's the capacity? JOSH SADLIER: Yeah. This is about 63, and then the CRV is 75 cubic feet. And that's a 20% difference, which is kind of hard to believe it. But still, 20% difference in the same segment? That's almost unheard of. MARK TAKAHASHI: One thing that's kind of unique that the Equinox has is six USB ports. Two there. Two here. Two in the back. JOSH SADLIER: Wow. MARK TAKAHASHI: Everyone's going to stay charged. JOSH SADLIER: Yeah. everyone and then some. MARK TAKAHASHI: This also has a wireless charging pad. JOSH SADLIER: That's a nice little bin there too. Obviously if you're not charging your phone, it's the perfect place to put it. MARK TAKAHASHI: Right. Apple CarPlay, Android Auto are standard. JOSH SADLIER: Oh wow. MARK TAKAHASHI: And as a GM vehicle, this comes with a WiFi hotspot. JOSH SADLIER: This touchscreen interface strikes me as significantly more aesthetically appealing. It's a little bigger. It looks better. It responds well. I would definitely give the Chevy the edge in terms of the infotainment interface. MARK TAKAHASHI: This is an improvement because they have a volume knob. That screen's a little small. It's got the buttons taking up-- there's a lot of missing real estate here. It's not a good use of space. JOSH SADLIER: It looks huge. It looks almost like a BMW kind of widescreen display. But then there's 2 and 1/2 inches over here that are not being used for the display. MARK TAKAHASHI: Right. There's about a third of that space that's not being used for anything. It does come with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. I do love my Apple CarPlay. The steering wheel controls are fine. I don't like this volume slider here. Inadvertently sometimes I'll brush it and the volume goes up. JOSH SADLIER: Yes. MARK TAKAHASHI: Now, one thing I do think it has an edge over is the way they tuned the safety features. JOSH SADLIER: Yes. MARK TAKAHASHI: This isn't sending up all sorts of false alarms and making you crazy. JOSH SADLIER: The Honda system is not great. MARK TAKAHASHI: And this, I know it's one of your favorite features, the butt vibrator thingy, the safety alert seat. If you're kind of backing into a spot and there's an object on the right that's in the blind spot, it will buzz you on the right side. JOSH SADLIER: It's great. No. It warns you visually. But then you get a little warning in the seat of your pants too. And I got to tell you, Mark, it's not unpleasant. [LAUGHTER] Someone coming from an old CRV is going to feel right at home in this one. MARK TAKAHASHI: So we heard a few beeps there from the blind spot. Honda has a recent reputation for their safety features being a little too overprotective, firing off false alarms. This wasn't a situation. But the frontal collision warning in particular seems to be, hrmph, way too vocal about what's going on. Eventually you just want to turn them off, which defeats the purpose of having them in the first place. JOSH SADLIER: Frankly, that's what I do. MARK TAKAHASHI: So we just spent a lot of time driving both cars. And at least personally for me, it wasn't as close a battle as I thought. I am firmly in CRV camp. Josh, where are you? JOSH SADLIER: I think it's a little closer battle than Mark's letting on. I think the Equinox in particular has an edge on the power train front, 2.0 liter turbo, 250 plus horsepower. Plus the nine speed automatic has a conventional field. CVT on the CRV side might take a little getting used to if you haven't had a CVT before. I'm with the Equinox on that one. MARK TAKAHASHI: How important is performance in the compact SUV class? JOSH SADLIER: I think it depends on the buyer. But ultimately this comparison comes down to price. The Equinox came in about $40,000. That's pushing it. CRV, great value at $32,000. I think if the Equinox cost $32,000 like the CRV, different conversation. But as tested, hard to go with the Chevy fundamentally. MARK TAKAHASHI: I'm totally with you on that one. Let us know what you think. Leave a comment below and head over to Edmunds.com to check out the rest of the competition. [MUSIC PLAYING]