Honda CR-V 2WD Vs 4WD

b-t on 23/06/2016 - 22:26

Hi guys,

My girlfriend's mum got into a car accident recently. Luckily, she didn't get any injuries, but the car's been written off by the insurance company and she's received somewhat around $15K to get a new car.

She's pretty much set on buying a Honda CR-V by adding a bit more cash on top, but mostly looking at used cars (around 40k KMs driven).

However we're at a decision point right now. Originally I thought a 2WD with a 2.0L engine would be fine, but looking around (and suggested by some friends) the 4WD is better as the car is really heavy and with a 2.0L+2WD, the car lacks a lot of power. Unfortunately, the 2WD pricing vs the 4WD pricing is quite different (around a $7k difference).

Can someone with either a 2WD or a 4WD CR-V please provide their comments?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

Automotive

Comments

  • spackbace on 23/06/2016 - 23:04
    +1

    Let her drive both and see which she prefers vs money spent…?

    • b-t on 23/06/2016 - 23:27

      Yeah, I think that's probably what we'll be doing. But I guess what I was trying to get at is whether anyone had any experience with the 2WD / 4WD and could comment…

  • tanksinatra on 24/06/2016 - 07:45

    Haven't driven it but I read the 4WD system on the CRV is no good. Apparently the rear drive line doesn't have enough torque to move the car up a mild slope.

    http://www.autoblog.com/2014/10/24/honda-cr-v-fails-swedish-…

  • chillwok on 24/06/2016 - 08:10

    not worth the extra 7k imo. my mate has a x3 awd and was driving in the bucketing rain on the highway around 100klms, still aquaplaned. awd didn't save him as he thought it should have. from my experience driving awd cars, i find that they lack power as apposed to 2wd cars as the engine has to distribute power to all 4 wheels as apposed to 2.

    • Euphemistic on 24/06/2016 - 08:22
      +1

      AWD is never going to save you from aquaplaning. It does help when you are accelerating in slippery conditions. I watched a p-plater struggle to get moving with the front wheels spinning in the wet taking off from the lights up a hill recently, AWD would have got the car moving easily.

      I drive a forester and it's AWD. I haven't spun the wheels on take off in the wet since I got it. It accelerates out of roundabouts much better than my old corolla front wheel drive ever did and I enjoy giving it a bit extra with the AWD grip, but I'm aware it wont help me in braking or 'just driving along' situations.

      Sorry OP no experience with driving a CR-V, but unless they have changed the drive system since the early models I wouldn't buy an AWD model for the reason tanksinatra mentioned.

      • chillwok on 24/06/2016 - 08:31

        you're right about the aquaplanning. i was saying my mate thought the AWD would save him. you're also right about accelerating in the wet with the subaru. their awd system is actually fulltime AWD. where i mentioned the lack of power was when i drove the 2.0 impreza in the dry. the hrv awd system kicks in once the rear wheels lose traction from what i've seen in some videos and also my mates crvs. maybe OP should consider the subaru XV?

        • Euphemistic on 24/06/2016 - 08:45

          I was just trying to clear up the point about aquaplaning for the OP, there are lots of 'drivers' out there that don't have a clue about proper driving given our low licensing standards.

          The lack of power in an impreza in the dry probably came from … the lack of power. Other than the turbo models Subaru's aren't known for being powerful.

          I think the reason a lot of people go for AWD is the extra bells and whistles on those models, not the extra traction. The car companies limit features and put lower power engines on the 2wd models to keep the entry price down then hope they can talk you up into the flash model.

        • b-t on 24/06/2016 - 22:10

          @Euphemistic: Hey guys, thanks for the discussion!

          I forgot to mention one critical point which is we're most likely not going to buy a new car, but a used car between 2012 to 2014.

          In this case, I'm assuming the AWD performance is most likely poor compared to the current versions…

  • Euphemistic on 24/06/2016 - 20:19

    Guy at work has a pretty new CRV. Got the 2wd as funds were tight, but loves it.

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