Anyone coming from a CR-V? How do you think road noise and ride compare?

[fegriffith]

I'm so conflicted on whether I should "go for it". I have a 2004 CR-V w 127k miles, original owner, well maintained and no accidents. I upgraded it to have a starter and bluetooth stereo, so from an entertainment "tech" perspective it's actually inline with the Mazda.

The one thing I had told myself is that when I get the next car I wanted a quieter ride. I've driven the Mazda twice now and while the cockpit feels more insultated, I'm not sure I feel it's quieter. I'm wondering if the tires could be largely to blame as I remember well the original tires on the Honda were AWFUL with road noise.

Part of me is feeling conflicted about trading in a perfectly driveable car (no payments is nice)...but with the CR-V being 9 years old I'm concerned I may start having issues with it. I'm being offered what I consider a fair trade for the CR-V and I think a good price on the Mazda (touring, bose/moonroof package, white, roof racks for $27,500 + Taxes & Tags).

10 years ago I wouldn't have hesitated but I think I've become too practical or something these last 9 years. I had loosely in my brain figured on getting a new car when the CRV was 10-years old...so I'm only initiating action a year earlier than my "loose" plan.

So I thought it might be helfpul to get input from ex CR-V owners on your thoughts moving from a CR-V to the CX-5. Good, bad, same, etc. Please share your experiences with me.

 

[xtrailman]

I haven't owned a CRV, but would be quite happy to own a CRV, if the CX-5 didn't exist.

I can only comment on the diesel versions, which maybe of no help to you, but as I own a xtrail I consider myself unbiased.

The engine in the cx-5 is more powerful, with lower emissions than the crv, it is also a more involving drive than the crv, and the cx-5 rear seat folding method is of more use to me.

I find the crv is quieter, its slightly better in quality, and the nav is superior, the boot is bigger than a cx-5, however if you want a auto the crv is only 5 speed, very dated IMO, while the cx-5 is six speed.

In the UK the crv has a 100K mileage limit or three years, the cx-5 only has a 60K limit or three years.

 

[plemieux]

I test drove the 12 CR-V and loved it. I thought the interior was quieter than the CX5 and the handling and performance were similar. Storage space seemed similar as well. In the end I went with the CX5 because of the hwy mpg beat the Honda by 1 (32 vs. 31) Otherwise I would be just as happy in the CR-V. Pricing and options are similar as well. Definitely test drive both and include the Escape and Forester in there as well. The new Forester is getting good reviews.

 

[Gio26NJ]

We strongly considered getting a CR-V as well. There are way too many similarities betwen the two vehicles except the CX-5 felt more alive in our test drives, handling, suspension all felt better with teh CX-5, also appearence wise it was a no contest. Like xtrailman says if there was no CX-5 my choice would be CR-V as well...

 

[ekcooper]

I agree with y'all. I just really like the look of the CX-5 (way!) better than the CRV and the Escape.

 

[deepfriedsushi]

With only 127k on your crv's engine....you've only broken it in. There's tons of life left in that car. Just keep up with maintenance and you'll be fine. (drive)

I think the cx5 would definitely be a nicer ride, but I think that only comes from being a new car. I came from a 2003 Protege5. Definitely not that quiet of a car, so any new car seemed quieter and more refined.

For the price you got for the cx5, is that for an awd or fwd?

 

[CX-SV]

^ btw - Looks like a good pic of Miata at top of Mount Hamilton.

Honda's are known for higher amount of road noise than is desirable, Civics especially.

I drove the previous gen CRV and road noise was quite low. I have owned a CX-5 GT for a year and the road noise compares well with 2 more expensive premium sport sedans that I drive on a regular basis.

 

[MATR6]

My father has a '12 CR-V. It's ok. But the CX-5 definately handles better & rides firm.
Even my wife, who isn't into cars hated driving the CR-V.
I guess I have her sold on Mazdas as this is her 2nd one.
CR-V's headlights suck & are so dim.
I can never drive a car without projectors or HIDs.

 

[Boers&Bernstein]

I have an 04 Accord w/ 250,000 miles. I think you can get another year or two pretty easy out of the CR-V. I compared new cars to mine and it would cost me $350 a year more in insurance for a new vehicle to the accord. Also in about 2 years, Honda will probably put the new CVT and DI 4 cyclinder from the 9th Gen accord in the CR-v.

 

[V8toilet]

Road noise is the only major complaint I have with my CX5. You should download a sound meter app onto your phone and use it to compare your current CRV to the CX5 and test drive a new CRV for comparison. Try to drive on the same roads or at least similar conditions. Mine hovers around 75 db at 70 mph on the highway.

 

[fegriffith]

Great feedback...thank you so much. And a fabulous suggestion on the sound meter.

DeepFriedSushi: The price I got is for an AWD. And the dealership actually let me do an overnight with it. So I brought it home, took DH for a ride...and to be very honest with you the overall ride doesn't feel that much better than what I've got with my 9-year old car. I mean the Mazda is definitely tighter on corners, but I've got really good tires on the CR-V so I dare say the tire/road noise seems to be less in my CR-V. However the Mazda feels more "airtight" in the cockpit.

The bluetooth stereo is giving me some issues...it won't stream Slacker Radio and instead it resumes playback of my podcasts even though I wasn't playing them when I turned the car off.

As stupid as this seems, I'm missing a spot for my purse...if I have a passenger I have to put it in the back. Since there's a hump on the floor I have to put it either behind the passenger or open the back door and put it behind me. Not a convenient location.

I'm shocked I'm saying this, but I don't think I'm sold. I think the Honda will be sticking around a bit longer.

I feel I got a heck of a deal...but I'm not "in love" with the vehicle. The bluetooth streaming issues concern me as I seriously doubt there would be any way to fix that. I can't tell you the last time I listened to the stereo...I exclusively stream content from my phone. So this is a big deal for me. I believe I would not be able to control the playback if I use auxiliary connection.

 

[stw]

I had a 1998 CRV that I sold when I bought my Outback. The CRV had 153k miles and still had the original clutch. It was a solid car. My main two complaints about it were road noise and seat comfort. When I had a really short commute, the seats didn't bother me. However, things changed, and my commute grew to about an hour each way. That made me hate the seats and the road noise. We bought a 2014 GT CX5 for my wife a couple weekends ago. The seats on it are MUCH more comfortable than my old CRV seats. Having said that, we also test drove a new CRV and thought the seats were good in it as well. We are pleased with the road noise as well. Sorry your overnight test drive didn't work out for you.

 

[Okeano]

Don't think CX-5 would be the right car for you if you're looking for smooth quiet ride. It's a sports car at heart with the soul of zoom zoom after all. Not sure about keep old CR-V vs getting new CX-5, but new CR-V vs CX-5 is no contest. And that giant ugly front bumper... *shrivels*

 

[gova]

In my opinion, you should not be too worried about noise levels in CX-5. You SHOULD however be very concerned with noises from the drive side mirrors at hwy speeds (50 MPH and more). You don't normally test this kind of speeds during 'normal' test drives.

Sometimes, especially in windy conditions, the driver side mirror area can be unbearable.

On a side note, as few have said, I'd keep the CR-V for another 100K or so.

 

[BillB15]

I'm so conflicted on whether I should "go for it". I have a 2004 CR-V w 127k miles, original owner, well maintained and no accidents. I upgraded it to have a starter and bluetooth stereo, so from an entertainment "tech" perspective it's actually inline with the Mazda.

The one thing I had told myself is that when I get the next car I wanted a quieter ride. I've driven the Mazda twice now and while the cockpit feels more insultated, I'm not sure I feel it's quieter. I'm wondering if the tires could be largely to blame as I remember well the original tires on the Honda were AWFUL with road noise.

Part of me is feeling conflicted about trading in a perfectly driveable car (no payments is nice)...but with the CR-V being 9 years old I'm concerned I may start having issues with it. I'm being offered what I consider a fair trade for the CR-V and I think a good price on the Mazda (touring, bose/moonroof package, white, roof racks for $27,500 + Taxes & Tags).

10 years ago I wouldn't have hesitated but I think I've become too practical or something these last 9 years. I had loosely in my brain figured on getting a new car when the CRV was 10-years old...so I'm only initiating action a year earlier than my "loose" plan.

So I thought it might be helfpul to get input from ex CR-V owners on your thoughts moving from a CR-V to the CX-5. Good, bad, same, etc. Please share your experiences with me.

I just purchased a CX5 GT after extensive research and road testing directly against the 2013 CRV. The results were very close across all types of analysis from safety through performance. What threw the win to Mazda was the handling and feel of the road test where the CRV felt somewhat "sluggish" in response, whereas the CX5 gave a truer feel of the road through the steering and suspension. The CRV is actually a bit faster in raw acceleration and this is felt in test driving when getting up to traffic speed on the highway from ramp speed and I did not expect this. However this speed difference is proven in tests done by Consumers Reports.

 

[CX-SV]

The CRV is actually a bit faster in raw acceleration and this is felt in test driving when getting up to traffic speed on the highway from ramp speed and I did not expect this. However this speed difference is proven in tests done by Consumers Reports.

Regarding the speed difference, wasn't the last test by Consumers report the model year 2013 CX-5 with 2.0L engine (not the current model year 2014 CX-5 w/2.5L)?

Note: On Feb. 12, CR said they purchased for "$28,090 sticker price (we paid a bit less) for our Soul Red 2014 CX-5 Touring AWD with the moon roof/Bose audio package.", so I expect instrumented testing results soon of that 2.5L version.

 

[sylva143]

I traded a 2007 CR-V for my 2013 CX-5 Sport. Although the Honda was a great vehicle for me, I really didn't even consider trading for the new model. For whatever reason, the CR-V was good all around, and very utilitarian, but I was looking for something a bit taughter and sportier. As for road noise, I feel both vehicles are comparable. Looks wise, I don't really like the new CRV body style, especially the rear, so the CX-5 is the real winner in that category. Another plus for the CX-5, I'm getting about 4-5 more mpg all around, and that is a big consideration.

 

[backpackerx]

Motortrend just measured the 2014 2.5 at 8.1 sec 0-60.

http://m.motortrend.com/roadtests/suvs/1304_2014_mazda_cx_5_grand_touring_first_test/

 

[BillB15]

Regarding the speed difference, wasn't the last test by Consumers report the model year 2013 CX-5 with 2.0L engine (not the current model year 2014 CX-5 w/2.5L)?

Note: On Feb. 12, CR said they purchased for "$28,090 sticker price (we paid a bit less) for our Soul Red 2014 CX-5 Touring AWD with the moon roof/Bose audio package.", so I expect instrumented testing results soon of that 2.5L version.

I'm pretty sure it was a 2014 Cx5 in the comparison but I just tried to find the article and cannot find it anywhere. I looked at the Motortrend review in the post below and then pulled up the same reviewer for the 2013 CRV and the CX5 wins in 0-60 but loses in a tight race in quarter mile for top end speed.

 

[CX-SV]

I'm pretty sure it was a 2014 Cx5 in the comparison but I just tried to find the article and cannot find it anywhere. I looked at the Motortrend review in the post below and then pulled up the same reviewer for the 2013 CRV and the CX5 wins in 0-60 but loses in a tight race in quarter mile for top end speed.

It's not model year 2014 CX-5 so far in Consumers Reports comparo, I have latest CR issues in front of me through latest May 2013 copy.

Latest update: June 2013 edition of Consumer Reports magazine has their first test of the 2014 CX-5 2.5L (versus new Rav4) and it's significantly quicker.