Honda CRV vs VW Alltrack

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Nobody in our household likes my wife's '16 Honda CRV EX AWD...the transmission is SLOW to engage reverse on cold start-up, she doesn't like the CVT the oil level climbs between changes, presumably due to fuel dilution. Short version, I think we're going to try to unload it. Initially I was thinking about a VW Tiguan or Atlas, but I looked at the Alltrack wagon the other day and I wonder how she would feel about that...lower liftover height so the dogs could just climb in the back hatch, still kind of looks like a CUV, not a station wagon, DCT instead of CVT. LOTS cheaper than a Tiguan or Atlas too.

This doesn't seem like an apples-to-apples comparison, but they are really more similar than they appear at first glance.
 
I have the same creeping-up oil level in my 2015 CRV (must be the nature of the beast) and, while our CVT is just fine, have had the same early-trade thoughts. The good news is that CRVs hold value pretty well.

While the Alltrack sure looks good, I would be reluctant to pull the trigger on a VW just because of the brand's lousy reliability reputation here, personal experience with the marque and the so-so dealer network (not that Honda has done us any favors). And are you sure your wife would be happy with the lower driving position?

I assume you've considered alternatives, but an Outback or Mazda CX-5 may be a viable, less-troublesome choice.
 
user BOOMER, has one....
I think for about a year already....

Have you tried driving one?

I'm torn between a Prius V and a Golf Sportwagen....(I know, apples to nuts...)
 
I have never owned, driven or even ridden in a Subaru. I'm open to at least looking at one, I guess.

My wife is fine with the lower driving position. Reality being what it is, if Honda made an Accord wagon she would be happy with that.

She really wants AWD, even though it only engages maybe a half dozen times a year in our climate, but the few times it comes in handy, it comes in REALLY handy because we live on a hilly street and getting into the subdivision in FWD can be iffy and RWD would be nearly impossible. That's when the neighbors park at the bottom of the hill and walk home...then retrieve their cars once the road is plowed and salted.
 
If you don't care for a late model Honda CVT you're probably not going to care for a Subaru CVT either. Shift delay F-R is terribly slow on Subarus too. Atleast it is on my 2016 Forester 2.5i CVT.
 
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Originally Posted By: CincyDavid
...She really wants AWD...

Whatever you decide to go with, may I suggest good Winter tires beside the AWD?
 
Originally Posted By: CincyDavid
I have never owned, driven or even ridden in a Subaru. I'm open to at least looking at one, I guess.

My wife is fine with the lower driving position. Reality being what it is, if Honda made an Accord wagon she would be happy with that.

She really wants AWD, even though it only engages maybe a half dozen times a year in our climate, but the few times it comes in handy, it comes in REALLY handy because we live on a hilly street and getting into the subdivision in FWD can be iffy and RWD would be nearly impossible. That's when the neighbors park at the bottom of the hill and walk home...then retrieve their cars once the road is plowed and salted.


This reminds me of when we built our house and our next door neighbors told us we would "just have to get used to" parking at the bottom of our nasty hill and walking half a mile home during winter storms.
I bought an Outback and snow tires and never came close to walking once, have always had AWD since.
My wife sticks with FWD and all seasons and I get to come rescue her about once a year...she always says she won't drive on bad days (works part time) and then just HAS to go in for something REALLY important pretty much whenever a storm hits.
 
Originally Posted By: JTK
If you don't care for a late model Honda CVT you're probably not going to care for a Subaru CVT either. Shift delay F-R is terribly slow on Subarus too. Atleast it is on my 2016 Forester 2.5i CVT.


+1 - not sure if the Outbacks are also CVT now, at least with the 2.5l Foresters you can still get a manual.
 
The CRV's slow reverse engagement is irritating...on cold start-up in the morning it will barely pull itself out of the garage sometimes...been like that since new.
The dealer says it's fine, not throwing codes or anything, they have reflashed the software as part of a recall.

I just can't justify winter tires for how little real weather we get anymore.
 
I just remember something:
since BOOMER is retired, so I don't know when he is going to answer questions,
I think our resident VW specialist/former VW mechanic is user RooflessVW.
Also our resident mechanic/injector guru/engine cleaning/paint wizard is user TRAV (he follows the German auto industry closely)

.... if no winter tires, I guess tires with enough thread/bite? (have no idea, never drive an AWD)
 
Boomer here. Yes, I have had one since early January this year and love it! Using mid grade octane I can get as high as 39 mpg on a trip. I have a 2013 VW Passat diesel (now modified) and sold back a 2014 Jetta Wagon TDI under the diesel program. I have never had ANY of my VW's in under warranty so I don't get all the talk about poor reliability. The GM cars and trucks I used to drive were in 5 or 6 times under warranty so I am really pleased with the quality, driveability and fit/finish on my vehicles. The Alltrack showed excellent traction in the snow last January, February and March here in central PA. The car handles very nicely and is "crisp" on the road. The seats are very comfortable for long periods of time.

As an aside, I am dealing with two VW dealers, one where I bought the Passat and the other where I bought the Alltrack. Both have been very professional and provide excellent service. Unless something changes, they have made me a loyal customer.
 
The main thing I would be leery about on the VW would be the DSG. Some (most) have no problems but they are $$ to fix. I wouldn't be too worried about reliability, the 1.8 TSI seems to be doing pretty well in that department and I believe it rides on the MQB platform which everyone raves about. Just keep up with the scheduled maintenance and don't beat on it and it should treat you well.
 
If going automatic i would take a look at the new Tiguan. Might as well have a bit larger car since it has the new platform as well.
 
Hah turning into a VW family now eh? The Alltrack does sit higher than say your Jetta or regular Sportwagen, so I don't think it would be too much of an issue. IMO the interior is nicer than the Jetta's that I've been in. While I've never test driven one, they felt nice inside and out. The 1.8T should be more than adequate to do anything you need.
 
You're probably not going to want to hear this but you should check out the new gen. CR-V which now has a year of production under its belt. It has been getting rave reviews, better than its predecessor. Also, the CVT has larger torque converter and new software in this gen. which, along with the torque of the turbo, should address your issue. What's more is you'll probably get the highest trade-in value at a Honda dealer and again come away with high resale. At least check it out.
 
Originally Posted By: gofast182
You're probably not going to want to hear this but you should check out the new gen. CR-V which now has a year of production under its belt. It has been getting rave reviews, better than its predecessor. Also, the CVT has larger torque converter and new software in this gen. which, along with the torque of the turbo, should address your issue. What's more is you'll probably get the highest trade-in value at a Honda dealer and again come away with high resale. At least check it out.


One of the reasons the OP was considering a trade was his CRV's propensity for fuel dilution. If he didn't like the fuel dilution from the Honda 2.4 na engine, he'll hate the fuel dilution produced by the 1.5T in the new CRV. Hard to find a UOA for this engine where viscosity isn't trashed from fuel in short order. On the fuel dilution front, the 2.4 is bad, the 1.5T is awful.
 
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