2003/2004 CRV or RAV4 A/T

[club25]

planning to buy one this month. which one is better in terms of performance, fuel consumption, space, riding comfort, etc. thanks.

[oldblue]

RAV4. never liked the gen2 look

[mazdamazda]

fuel consumption - Rav4
comfort - CRV (the 5 seater)
space - almost the same
performance - Rav4

[torque2006]

Originally Posted by mazdamazda

fuel consumption - Rav4
comfort - CRV (the 5 seater)
space - almost the same
performance - Rav4

bias si m2 .

not familiar with the rav4, so i'd just discuss the crv.

the famous k20 engine of the 2nd gen CRV is competent to haul you in and out of the city. always remember: k20's camshaft is hollow, which makes it more vulnerable to overheats: so take care of the lubes and the cooling system. a nasty overheat might bring about engine failure.

bear in mind that this version was the one squeezed in as an "AUV", hence the usual 10-seater interior. The AUV badge also brings this CRV into the complaint you hear about most: it has a very firm ride, especially at the rear.

why? because it was designed to be comfy at full load. well, in most cases CRVs arent used as the workhorse for a small business, isn't it? people use it more city driving, picking up the wife of the kids, or the occasional out-of-town trip. but load it with stuff to the brim? i don't think so.

other owners took the case to the neighborhood pimp meisters and had the springs lowered and sports dampers installed. they swore the ride got better.

hope i enlightened you with the CRV.

[Supierreman]

Interior space for the rav4 is cramped. The rear leg room is almost non existent if you have tall front passengers who extend the front seats all the way to the back. The CR-V has longer legroom and wider hiproom Rav4 before.

As for fuel economy Rav4 wins as it does around 9km/L city driving according to some people at gruporav4.com. For performance Rav4 has better power to weight ratio.

You mentioned a 2003/2004 CR-V? then i guess this would be the 5 seater version and not the AUV. ride feel of the CR-V 5 seater is better. As for the rav4 there have been complaints of a bouncy rear as i have experienced before in my 4x2 Rav4

[club25]

many thanks for your replies. am taking them into consideration since i have already started looking for one. i noticed from the autolink and other classified ads that the RAV4 have a higher resale value than the CRV.

[metatron]

The CRV's aircon system sucks bigtime. It barely has enough power to cool the middle row comfortably during the peak of summer heat and it's extremely unreliable. Our unit's compressor died after only 30Tkms. A new compressor from honda costs 26k (and if you're unlucky, a complete cooling system replacement 50+k).