Topic: Cr-V vs. X-trail

[first_car_buyer]

Hi,
I am a first time car buyer, plenty of highway and city driving, debating between a 2003 cr-v ex, 2005 cr-v ex, and 2005 x-trail se i think it is (the middle model)
As someone with no experience whatsoever, I would appreciate any advice, especially telling me which car to buy.
Thanks

[cableguy]

what are you using the vehicle for?

[Mdxtasy]

Welcome to the forum First_car_buyer.

What are you looking for in this new vehicle?  How many people will it be transporting regularly?
What's your price range?
Does a new car warranty mean a lot to you?
Have you driven either one?  If so, what do you like about each?

What features do you look for and/or need in this vehicle?

Giving some more info about what you're looking for in a vehicle will help.

[first_car_buyer]

Thanks for the warm welcome!
I'm using it for driving to and from school and from London to Toronto occasionally. I need the space for transporting my stuff from one houe to another, etc, and I like the AWD aspect for London winters (very snowy and icey). The cost is very comparable for both and not enough to make a difference. My mom has had a honda odyssey for 8 years so I know how reliable they are, but I have no experience with Nissan. They are very comparable in specs, space, mileage, and new warranty. The Nissan has better features - heated cloth seats, sunroof, but is that really enough? The honda imght have better safety features, and I like the armrest. They drove about the same.
Please help me out!

[metablob]

The cargo room in both the 2005 models is bigger than the 2003 CRV. Used prices on the CRV seem to be excessively high, so it may be a better value to buy new depending on how long you plan to own the vehicle. The X-trail will be cheaper and does offer an option to go 2WD which will be much cheaper still. The Hondas are bulletproof in terms of reliability, while the X-Trail is also rated highly in international markets where they have been selling it for the past few years. My wife absolutely hated the swingout gate on the CRV with the spare tire attached. The Xtrail has a rear hatch that is much more convenient. The X-trail is probably the better off-road vehicle, although not on par with true truck platform SUVs. Note the X-trail has a timing chain which does not require the $500 every 5 year service.  

You can't go wrong with either vehicle. If you are looking for a grocery hauler, you probably should get the CRV, unless 2WD is an option. If you want to do some hauling or camping - the Xtrail probably fits better.

[mrthompson]

Isn't the CR-V 2wd (fwd) unless slippage is detected?

[Craig]

X-Trail is still getting a lot of attention in this forum.  We certainly like ours.

Like others have said, you've spec'd two good vehicles, hard to go wrong with either.  I prefer the hatch of the X-Trail as well, and never liked spares hanging off the tailgate ever since my 91 YJ.  For reliability, hard not to bet on Honda, but the Aussies and other countries who had the X-Trail in 2001(2?) aren't reporting many problems at all.  Try www.nissanforums.com for more background on the X-Trail.

[ovr50]

"Isn't the CR-V 2wd (fwd) unless slippage is detected?"

Yes.

[fitz318is]

Firts_car_buyer

I sent you a PM.

[johngenx]

The cure-ute segement is dominated by the CR-V, X-Trail, RAV-4, Hyundai products and the Subaru Forester.  All of them are pretty good at what they are designed to do, and the Honda and Subaru offer the best economy (unless you opt for the turbo Subie).

The reason that there are that many choices is the popularity of the segment in Canada.  Makers have poured time and energy in making good products across a fairly wide price range, which is great for consumers.

Drive some, and pick the one you like best.  They're all pretty safe bets.

[fhw]

You should get insurance quotes on both.  CRV may be higher to insure due to the rear-mounted spare (can't remember if X-trail has this or not)...a few hundred in insurance costs would quickly eat away at difference in resale.

Another thing I can point out from experience is that for winter, snow tires will make a much bigger difference than AWD.  A decent wagon or hatchback might cost the same as a cute-ute, but give more cargo/passenger room and/or more features.

[johngenx]

snow tires will make a much bigger difference than AWD

Good point!  And too true.  Due to timing, we ended up with our Forester on all-season tires for the last half of the winter, and it was horrid!

[Smainville]

Both vehicles are very good, I opted for the X-Trail because of the price in relation to features and content.  The AWD is better IMO, others will debate that.  Fuel economy is an X-Trail strong point and it may very well be the best one out there.  Road noise appears to be a CRV weekness from other posters on the web.  The tire on the gate can cause a lot of damage in a minor collision.

[Craig]

Yep, my understanding is that the X-Trail, CRV and Forester will all get you ~10L/100km in real-world driving, depending on your habits.

Bonus with the CRV is stability control standard on all models.  It's only available as an option on the top 'o the line X-Trail LE.  But as was mentioned, the X-Trail has the better AWD system.

Bah, get the one that you think looks better.

[angasal]

Recently test drove the CR-V EX and X-Trail LE, and rented the X-trail for a week cuz it was high on our shortlist.

CR-V's upside: handling/steering; 5spd auto; reliability; resale; rear legroom; cargo space; storage well cover becomes a table - great for camping & picnics; it's a Honda.
CR-v's downside: didn't have enough leg room on the passenger side as the glovebox smacked my knee when I opend it; limited headroom with the sunroof; d-bar is a bit big & creates blindspot on the r-side; spare tire reduces visibility for backing up (wifey had a tough time shoulder checking); AWD is hydraulic (requiring pressure) & doesn't kick in after 30kph; noise.

X-trail upside: AWD is electronic - "instant" response; awesome cargo space; lotsa rear legroom; new to market; versatile cargo area i.e. pass-thru space in rear seat; removable cargo floor panel for washing; lotsa headroom even w/the sunroof; relatively good visibility; less body roll than the CR-V.
X-trail downside: interior plastic scratches a bit too easily; handling/steering response is a bit soft if you're an agressive driver; the rear wiper stopped working during my test drive although it didn't really effect my decision.

I eventually ended up with an Outback.  CR-V vs. X-trail ... my preference is for the X-trail b/c of its got lotsa goodies and a better vehicle (imho).  However, if you're always hauling goods in your vehicle & bang things around inside then watch out for the scratches.  they are both pretty safe cars.  x-trail scored well in Euro crash tests.

good luck

[powman]

Drive them all and see how they feel.  I think they are all great vehicles.  Also consider the Hyundai Tucson.

I bought the Tucson because I needed leather seats so dog hair would not stick.  And it was an excellent decision, looking back 6 months later.  I would have paid much more for all thsoe same features in a Honda or Nissan.

What I like about the CRV is the exellent cargo space.

For the Nissan X-Trail and the CRV, I like their 4-cylinder engines better than Hyundai's 4-banger.  But the 6 cylinder in the Tucson is smooth.

If you do not need leather seats, consider any of these vehicles.  They are all very nice.

Also, you will be amazed how good a 2WD with snow tires performs.

[Craig]

If it's the dog in the sig, he/she is beatiful.  My 'rents get leather seats for the same reason (but different dog).  If we had a dog, the Hyundai Tucson/Kia Sportage with leather would have been higher on the radar.  In the end, the fuel economy of our Matrix (since stolen) sold us on mileage being a major concern in our next vehicle choice.  But vacuuming dog hair from cloth seats would sure make lower gas bills look less impressive.

[first_car_buyer]

Wow,
thanks everyone so much for your responses. Next question: there appear to be a lot of complaints about the X-trail in the lemons section of this forum. Any thoughts? I didn't see any on the cr-v.
Thanks

[Smainville]

555 had issues with his, but all have been resolved and we have not heard of him since.  XTrailer reported some vibration issue and has never reported back to us.  Other than that I don't recall anything else, if you research the net you will find some issues with the CRV as well.  One I can remember is a sticky shifter lever which resulted in a campaign, warp rotors comes up fairly often as well.  A broken in X-Trail engine like mine (54500km) is as smooth as a V6 IMO, at highway speeds 120+ you can hardly hear it and it has plenty of passing power.

[xtrailguy]

I own the 2005 X-trail base model with the manual tranny.
It now has 40,750km on it, and yet to have any problems.  The only time it has seen the garage is for regular servicing.  My wife uses it to commute each day, and the gas mileage is awesome for an SUV.  I can tell you we are VERY happy with our X-trail.