Help to Decide Honda CR-V or Nissan X-Trail

Hi all,

I would like to buy a brand new mid size SUV. I've pretty much narrowed it down to Honda CR-V VTi-E7 (7 seater) $38315 or Nissan X-Trail ST-L 2WD (5 seater) $36990. My budget is up to 40k. I've test driven both cars.

I don't need a 7 seater, but with CR-V, you can get the leather seat in < 40k in the 7 seater.

I'm leaning towards Honda CR-V because of the following factors:

  • Newer engine and better fuel economy. It's a smaller engine 1.5L but with turbo charge. On paper, it's more powerful than the X-Trail.
  • New infotainment - it has apple carplay / android auto.
  • 7 year warranty during the birthday sale or 5 year warranty. Nissan only offers 3 year warranty.

What I don't like in the CR-V

  • The third row seat when folded (it will be most of the time for us), it won't give a continuous flat surface. There is a gap between the folded seat and the cargo area.

However I also like Nissan X-Trail because:

  • I think it looks better (on the outside).
  • It offers leather seat in the ST-L 5 seater. In comparison, CR-V only offer leather seat in higher end 5 seater (> 40k) or the 7 seater. The 7 seater can be folded flat.
  • It has better safety sensors (moving object detection, etc) - although this is a nice-to-have.

What do you guys think?

UPDATE: We bought the CR-V L7. Thanks everyone for the input, clearly the CR-V is the winner out of the two. Yes there are other options like Rav4 or cx-5, or hyundai / kia. But we felt cr-v was the right car for us. Thanks heaps!

Poll Options

  • 88
    Honda CR-V
  • 18
    Nissan X-Trail
  • 14
    Bikies

Comments

  • +2

    Well…. What was the better drive? Doesn't that come into the equation?

    • Both were good. I couldn't fault any of the two.

  • +5

    Have you considered Subaru XV or Forester.

    • +1

      Haven't test driven any of those. Wife didn't like the look…

      • I've never driven one before, but a friend loves the Eyesight system in his Subaru.
        The AWD CR-V has Honda Sensing and the price is just a bit over your budget.
        Maybe you could negotiate to under $40k?

        • I've tested the Sensing function of Honda, it's pretty good if you are doing lots of freeway driving…

  • +4

    I would go Honda over Nissan, to over come the gap in the rear you could probably get a thick cargo mat for it.

    • The cargo mat is a brilliant idea. Thanks.

  • +1

    xtrail offers more feature compare crv to make it more value for money

  • +4

    Just got the new Forester, choose it over the x-trail
    Get more for your $ imo.
    Looks very similar to the x-trail not sure why your wife doesn’t like the look.
    I’d take it for a test drive, I think it’s worth considering especially if you are thinking of the x-trail.

  • +1

    We bought the 7 seater for similar reasons about 8 months ago. Have only used the extra seats once so far. With 2 young kids, the pram takes up most of the (reduced) boot.

    Assume the 2 extra seats will come more in handy when they are primary school age…which is years away. Probably should have just got the top 5 seater in hindsight.

    Love the left mirror blind spot camera, electronic parking brake and brake hold function.

    It's not limited to CR-Vs or Honda's, but be aware (if you are not already), that if you do lots of short trips, you may have to service more frequently than the yearly schedule. As per below post, mine started saying oil chamge required…after only 8 months/7,000kms. Which kind of sucks if you think about it…I thought the short trip thing was mainly diesels…I was wrong.

    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/429626

    Sorry, don't know much about the xtrail. Have driven one a couple of times, but that's about it.

    • Thanks mate. May I know how much you bought it for? I'd really like to try to bargain hard tomorrow :)
      Did you get E7 or L7?

      Yep, I like the electronic brake, which seems to be standard in new cars now. But not available in X-Trail.

      • +1

        I'm not the best negotiator, plus had a pregnant wife on my back wanting a "new safe car" ASAP…I'm sure you could do better than me. Did it all via email and phone.

        This was at their EOFY sale also. Paid $40,440 with sidesteps, mats and tinting (should have got the tinting aftermarket, but again, was just more convenient to get it at once in our situation). Forgot to get a full tank of petrol! Only came with 1/2 tank! Rookie error. haha

        Mine is the L7 though, E7 didn't exist at the time…not sure what the differences are between the two.

        • I think that's not too bad at all! They have a deal now with the free rego & CTP (worth around 2k) + free $600 extras. But I'm trying to get 38k if not pushing it too far!

          The main difference from E7 is power tailgate, sunroof, satellite navigation, blind spot detection, seat memory, and 4.5k cheaper.

        • Wow, the sidesteps is $991. That price is really not bad at all.

          • @goms: Yeah, I just told them what options I wanted and what my budget was (40k). He tried to charge a bit more, but I stood firm. Was almost going to not accept the price, but wife said it's only over by $440, just do it.

            Looking at the invoice (I'm no expert), but the breakdown doesn't really match the total, so I think he did some "creative accounting" to get me the lowest price out of all the dealers I contacted (eg I suspect he paid less stamp duty)…haha

            Why don't you try for L7 for under 40k if you don't want sidesteps and tinting?

            Good Luck anyways…

            • +1

              @John Kimble: Bought it at $40,125 DA, including 7 year unlmtd km warranty and 7 year road assist. Mats were included but without the tinting and sidesteps. Tinting was separate and couldn't get it priced with the car. I think we'll do tint externally.

              Was your price drive away? Seems that you had a good price with the tinting and sidesteps.

              We were quite tired at the end and we felt that we have negotiated really hard. They offered $39k for a repaired hail damage which we refused. Might be able to get a little bit better if we walked away and tried other dealership, but we're quite happy with the service and price so we went ahead with it. And also we got 2 year extra warranty, which is good for peace of mind.

              • @goms:

                Bought it at $40,125 DA

                What does DA stand for?

              • @goms: L7? Congrats! Yep, mine was drive away. 7 years too.

                • @John Kimble: Yep L7. Thanks! We're pretty excited and already planning to take a road trip in Easter.

                  Wow, you got a better deal than mine then! I will retreat to my room and cry in the corner…

                  • @goms: TBH it was mostly my ball breaking wife. I think EOFYS helped also…

                    Keep an eye on the oil monitoring system…it's in the spanner symbol on the dash. Theoretically it should count down from 10,000kms…I didn't keep track of it straight away…first time I noticed it, it was 7,000kms or something :(

                    • @John Kimble: Will do, thanks. It's great to hear from a fellow CR-V owner :)

  • +2

    Neither. Everyone I know who owns a Nissan X-Trail absolutely hate it. Don’t know anyone who owns a CR-V…

    Buy a Hyundai Tucson or Santa Fe or maybe a Kia Sportage.

    • +2

      I was looking last year at these last year
      Ended up with MY18 Sante Fe diesel for under 40k, great car

    • +5

      Family member got a new MY19 Kia Sportage for $28k drive away. A great car with heaps of features like lane keep assist and AEB. Changed my mind about Korean cars for the better.

  • +1

    We have a 4yo XTrail (current shape). It’s been quite good. Obviously not exciting to drive but good as a family suv. Around view monitor is really good for parking. No scratched wheels. Wife scraped all 4 wheels parking at various times in other car (ok, I added to one of those as well).

    Fake leather seats are good for cleaning when you have kids. Had first back seat spew the other day from sick kid. I thought the smell would be there for ever but gave it a good clean out and it’s fine.

    Big boot. Good for going away.

    Like the engine braking down hills, helps keep to speed limit. Don’t like manual mode for gears though. When in manual it changes down gear by itself but won’t go back up again. In old school auto if you put it in say 3rd it would move between 1st and 3rd as required.

    Rented a Qashqai overseas for 6 weeks a little while ago. Cabin space seemed the same as xtrail but boot fair bit smaller. Cheaper if you don’t need the space.

    Have you looked at Mazda CX-5? It gets good reviews. I’ll prob look at that in a year or so.

    • Is it fake leather? It says leather-appointed which is a combination of genuine and artificial leather. So I guess it's not totally fake haha!

      CX-5 looks good. However the leather one is available in GT which is 46k and AWD. I do not want AWD.

      I test drove Cx-8 for fun.. I think it's too big for us and the acceleration feels a bit laggy. Also it's only available in Diesel which doesn't fit our driving style. Price is out of our range.

    • We actually tried qashqai too. But my wife didn't like the short head space in the back seat. HRV has a better head clearance. So we ruled out qashqai pretty quickly.

    • I drove a Quashqai last December. What a boring car to drive it feels so lethargic with that CVT

  • +1

    2018 Toyota Kluger

    • Kluger is way to big for us. Was considering Rav4 but haven't had a chance to test drive it.

  • UK built v Japan built

    That's why CRV is cheaper.

    • +1

      Isnt CRV built in Thailand?

  • How long are you planning to keep it? Nissan has had some reliability issues with their CVT transmission in the past (and apparently still ongoing). It shouldn't be an issue during while it still on warranty but could be a potential issue in the long run.

  • +4

    Test drive all similar SUVs. Hyundai or Kia also worth a look. Don't limit yourself. But stay away from Nissen, and China brands.

  • if you decide on the CRV 7 seater, you get significantly less head room on your middle 3 seats due to the extra top air vents, then on the normal 5 seater. just fyi.

    source: https://youtu.be/jVtMQQczLvw?t=536

    • Hmm this is interesting. Will watch out for sure. Thanks!

    • Tested this today and I / my wife didn't have issues with the head room on middle seat on the 7 seater with the panoramic sunroof (L7), which is lower than the 7 seater without the sunroof (E7). The third row is quite small, yes…

  • With the gap, do you think the middle seats were at a forward position resulting in a gap between the middle and back seats?

    • The boot with the 2 seats down is actually reduced a bit because they don't lie flat…they take up space in the boot, so you lose about 10 to 15 cm in height compared to the 5 seat version. It is slightly annoying.

      You do get a little movable shelf to flatten it out a bit.

      Also don't get a cargo cover thingy.

      Change below to images amd compare image 1 to image 10

      https://www.google.com.au/search?q=Honda+crv+7+seat+boot

      • I thought op meant the gap between seats.

        Or am I reading it wrong?

        • The third row seat when folded (it will be most of the time for us), it won't give a continuous flat surface. There is a gap between the folded seat and the cargo area.

          I don't think so, your photo is 3rd and 2nd row folded down…who would do that all the time? May as well get a ute or van?

      • I find that there is a little gap between the 3rd row folded and the boot, not as smooth as x-trail or mazda cx-8. I think on those other models, they have the lip which closes the gap.

        The gap between third row and 2nd row, that I don't have issues with (not at the moment)

  • Does the turbo engine need to run 98RON?

  • engine 1.5L

    This going to feel slow when trying to move >1600kg around the city.

  • -2

    Try to avoid any vehicle with CVT - Nissan, Honda, Subaru etc unless it's a bargain

    • Why? Performance? Reliability? Other?

      • -1

        Reliability mostly but also performance and smoothness.

  • +1

    Personally, I'd go CR-V because I feel it is a better overall car (Although its design is pretty boring)

    Have you tried any other small to mid sized cars like a family member recently bought a Jeep compass (for your price range you can go for the limited compass since it has all the extra nice features) and they love the car so far (Keep in mind service costs are a lot higher compared to other non USA companies e.g Japanese car services will cost maybe in the 200s but Jeep charges 350 to 450…for an oil change. So you'll end up spending like 2.5k extra at the end of the 5 years).

    RAV4 is a another one, Toyota CHR koba has a slick modern design and nice interior but the roof was a bit too low for my liking.

    Also, I get the appeal of wanting a brand new 0km car. However, You can get 2018 model that has 5000 on it whilst saving thousands. It could also be ex demo so end up in amazing condition (Make sure to check for any kind.of damage or scratch marks).

    The family member I told you about would have to spend in the very low 30ks for the car they are currently driving if they wanted it brand new but ended up spending 25k because it had around 7000 on it.

    • +1

      Jeep compass

      OP should stay away from these unless want a Made-in-India Jeep.

      Toyota CHR

      The CHR is rather small for a growing family.

      • I agree with the CHR comment.

        I mean I personally don't think the country it's made in is that important unless you plan to own the car for like 10 years.

        Also, Jeep wouldn't have made their warranty 5 years around 2 years ago if they knew it was a bad build and wouldn't last for at least 5.

        The only negative I found so far were the crazy high service costs

        If OP is really concerned about that, just check the driver door, it will tell you what country it is made in

    • To add to the comment, I REALLY recommend getting a 2018 used car.

      If you do plan to get the same car but it has 5000 or so on it. Remember this is a used car salesman, so check things like has it been serviced recently (and when it is due to be services), is it the same design as the newer models, Does it have any kind of scratch or damage and if it's in a dark area, get out your phone light (Check for these things when you first look at the car and just before you plan to pay). Will they be paying for all transfer costs including stamp duty etc..

      Tick all these boxes, check out a few places and you'll save a few thousand on the car.

      Don't fall for tricks like "I can give you this lower price but you would have to give me a despoit today". Maybe go at the end of the month because some are desperate to get certain sales goals for that month.

      If you plan to go private salesman. MAKE SURE TO DO A VIN CHECK (Theres one website that charges $6 for a check). It will tell you whether it is written off or has finance on it. Also, take into account the costs that a dealership would pay that a private salesman wouldn't.

  • Is there any reason you want a 1.5L mid-size SUV? We've got a 2.0L SUV and even with manual transmission, it feels quite sluggish compared to a Camry (which I think says a lot). We thought the SUV was a good compromise because of the boot storage/fuel economy but as it turns out, the boot space on the mid-size sedan is quite large; it even feels more spacious with two car seats on the back. Fuel economy is comparable, too.

    Not faulting your choice — just genuinely want to know why you've narrowed down to a 2WD SUV.

  • You just stated all the positives of Honda but barely any for Nissan, crv then

  • +2

    Btw Don’t confuse the length of warranty with the cost of servicing.

    A 3 year warranty with capped price servicing can save you a lot. Whereas a 7 year warranty with no fixed servicing, could mean big costs as you must do the servicing as specified and pay the cost. Eg if the 45km service is $800 that’s a lot more than a capped price service of say $150.

    Check with both cars and see what these are.

    RACQ says the per km cost of servicing with an av of 15k pa of Honda is 6.17c vs Xtrail 5.5c

    Just something else to think about.

    • THIS x10000

      I made that mistake, never even considered service costs and regret it a little bit.

    • Service is capped at $295

  • +1

    A car sales friend once advised us: make your offer & do negotiations close to the end of the month, when they’re trying to fill their quota. Also make the offer simultaneously at several dealerships (if you have several close by). We did and the difference was quite astounding (several k)

    BTW, we have an 2005 Xtrail (since new) and have been very happy with it. Chose over Honda as at the time had larger boot capacity and better 4wd capabilities (our priorities). Obviously much older models, but the Nissan has been very reliable.

  • I've been um-ing and urring about the same 2 cars for the past few months - I decided to wait for the Australian release of the e-niro. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xj60VcvH0sM

  • -1

    I would buy either. Have you had a look at the VW Tiguan Allspce. Great reviews and they now come with 5 year warranty

  • Can you stretch to the 2.5 litre 4wd X-Trail
    Maybe not as fuel efficient but
    Pretty bulletproof and got some go in them

  • +1

    I have the 7 seater CRV (bought on first release) and its been great. Having two kids, the extra 2 seats came in handy quite often (we often have parents from overseas). Actually the extra seats space are fairly comfortable too. When all seats folded the space in CRV is huge for when carrying bulky stuff.. one of the good thing about CRV.

    And I rarely use the Carplay though. I find it a hassle to plug the phone. I just bluetooth the phone to the car audio.

    But I may be biased. Me and my wife been a Honda owners for awhile. Its been 6 Hondas in total between both of us. And each time it always drive excellent, easy to maintain and at the end a reasonable resale value. Its a great reliable car for us haha. We gave a chance by trying different makers when upgrading last time, but in the end still found Honda to be the best fit for us.

  • We recently bought a 2018 runout model cr-v Vti-s (front wheel dr). This will be very similar to the 7 seat model. I was surprised by how capable the 1.5l turbo engine is, it easily keeps up with the traffic. Pretty good torque. Transmission is smooth, i’m Getting used to the cvt. Fuel economy is surprisingly good and you can use regular 91 fuel (or e10).

    I was worried about oil dilution, but I couldn’t find any reference to this problem in Australia. We have only driven it about 1000km so it’s still very early days (we’re due for our first check).

    Servicing is every 12months or 10,000km what ever is the earlier (with the exception of the first free 1000km check).

    The apple car play isn’t wireless (you need to connect it via a normal lightning to USB cable).

    Parking sensors are good (they don’t beep unnecessarily).

    My car was built in Thailand. Check the vin number, the first three letters will tell you the region and country of manufacture.

    Lots of tech. More than I care for.

    I think it’s a direct injection engine, if so, i’m unsure If carbon deposits will be an issue in the future. Having said that I’ve heard good things about the accord engine and i’m Hoping he same will apply to this crv. Maybe someone more knowledgeable can comment (re carbon deposits on direct injection engines)

    Let me know if you have any questions.

  • +3

    Why do people make "recommend me a car" threads?

    Everyone either chimes in with their own biased opinions or suggests something completely different, providing their own biased reasons for why.

    Then 80% of the time, the OP just in a completely different direction anyway.

    • +2

      Well, I'm the other 20% because I went with the most voted, which is the CR-V :)

      I was hesitant to create another "recommend me a car" thread, but there has been a lot of useful comments here, especially those who have driven the same model cr-v and have been happy with it.

      • Granted. This thread was a lot more specific and narrowed the choices down. Kudos.

        There are so many others where it's "recommend me a fun car for $30k"..

    • +1

      buy a tesla?

      .

  • Go have a check 5+ year old cars and see which ones age better.

    I was about to buy 2nd hand Xtrail for my wife, but RAV4's were constantly in better condition.

    • But the 5th gen CR-V was only released in 2017?

      • My reasoning is not 100% fool proof but I believe it can give some guidance :)

    • I think this is an excellent idea

  • My partner just brough the 2018 5 seater ST-L xtrail for $36,990. We got floor mats, dashmat, first aid kit, rear boot protection mat and tank of fuel all chucked in. She loves it coming from a SV6 commodore.

    She is getting approx 700km to a tank I think she said.

    • +1

      That's a good price. We almost get the X-trail, but we think that CR-V is a little better with newer engine and apple carplay / android auto.

  • bikies.

  • Better be informed about any potential issues.

    See this http://www.hondaproblems.com/ and this https://www.consumeraffairs.com/automotive/honda.html

  • Con grates on your new car purchase op. I bought my Nissan ST last December 2018 for $26500 brand new with 12 months rego, tinted window and floor mat. I have been great so far. I did look at the STL at the time but could not justify the 10k difference in price. Also FYI, Nissan Xtrail also has 7 seater. My brother bought one STL 7 seater for 35.5k DA with roof racks, floor mat and bonnet protecter

  • The old Honda CRVs (2005 and prior) was one of the most reliable SUVs (even though they weren't called SUVs back then).
    Since 2007 onwards, Honda came up with a major facelift and exported manufacturing to Thailand, at that point I stopped considering Honda CRVs all together.

    The Nissan, whilst not the best looking SUV out there is a more reliable choice,

  • +3

    HI All..

    Booked the CR-V E7 for 35000 DA. (Really wanted the sunroof but my budget was only 35k :())

    Included: (35000 Drive Away)

    -12 CTP+ REGO
    -7 years unlimited kilometers warranty
    -7 Years premium road side assistance
    -TINT
    -Rubber Mats
    -Full Tank Petrol
    -FRONT AND REAR parking sensors (after market)

    P.S: Thanks to this thread for all the useful comments.

    • What was the list price? I just want to know how much k they dropped after negotiation?

  • What do you mean by Front and Rear sensors (aftermarket)?

    • Dealer is fitting the parking sensors (third party_Not the Honda ones)

      • I dont get why?
        Wouldnt it void the warranty?

      • Hi mate, do you mind me asking which dealership you went through? I tried pm, but you're not accepting new conversation. Would the after market install matter if I plan to go through novated leasing?

        Edit: are the sensors the same colour as the car?

  • Kia RIO and save 30K

  • Have you had a look at the VW Tiguan?

  • I had an X-Trail work car. It had not traction when it was raining. Wheels spinning on the wet road. Didn't like it to drive. Look at a Suzuki or a Mazda. Even I've had Toyota hire cars and they feel like the new builds are cheap and nasty

  • I was looking closely at the CRV… I was incredibly impressed with it…until.
    https://www.carcomplaints.com/alerts/ss-honda-crv-engine-oil…

    It turns out there are class action lawsuits on.
    Issues with (quite a lot of) petrol getting into the engine oil & either causing damage OR causing the system to alert you that an oil change
    is required (much more often than the 12 months advertised)

    :(

  • For gap between the folded 3rd row seats or other gap in the boot, I use boot lip protectors. I was searching for something to fill those gaps for sometime then realised this is the only thing that will do the job in my case. First one came with car then bought two more. It's flexible, waterproof and small enough to fold it away when you want to use 3rd row seats. Other mats won't be easy to fold and store away when you want to access 3rd row seats.

    By the way, top air vent is great! my kid stuck on a car seat, enjoys cool breeze from the top. Not many cars have that option.

  • Is paint protection worth it? Opticoat or ceramic pro etc

    Edit: will post as new thread topic

  • Op how much did you end up paying?

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