2015 cr-v ex

4508 Views 43 Replies 9 Participants Last post by zroger73, Oct 16, 2020

mcgluro

Discussion Starter · Nov 30, 2015

Hello fellow car lovers. In January, 2014 we traded our 2008 DCP Ridgeline RTL with 62K miles, for a brand new 2014 Ridgeline RTL in Obsidian Blue with Gray leather interior. While negotiating the deal on the 2014, we decided to also lease a new 2013 Honda Civic to use as our commuter car. My wife and I commute together into the city so the plan was to put all the commuter miles on the Civic and leave the Ridgeline parked in the garage for weekend or work use. The Civic is a fine car but after 22 months (of a 39 month lease) I could no longer stand being stuffed into the little car. In the last 2 years we've purchased or leased 4 new Hondas from our local dealership (including a HR-V for my Mom - she loves it!). We have an excellent sales lady who has really become a friend to our family and we're convinced that we'd do no better at another dealership (we tried!). Our local dealership just underwent a $6M expansion by buying an empty mall next to their former dealership and totally remodeling it into a huge indoor showroom with future plans for a Honda museum, a gym, and a buffet all within the same complex. Anyway, my wife and I normally avoid the crowds of Black Friday shoppers but I wanted her to see the new dealership so we stopped in "just to look" of course. Fast forward a few hours to us leaving the Civic at the dealership and driving home in a new 2015 CR-V EX. The entire transaction was mostly painless and even after owning the CR-V for only 2 days we're very happy with this new vehicle. It's my wife's car and will be our commuter car. We're already enjoying the room and utility the new vehicle offers. I wasn't sure of the color at first, Mountain Air Metallic, but it's really growing on me. We're looking forward to having this car as our daily driver and letting the Ridgeline rest in the garage which will hopefully maintain it's current average of less than 7K miles per year. I'd be happy to answer any questions I can about either vehicle. Thanks for reading!

See less See more

1 - 20 of 44 Posts

rollinhonda

· #2 · Nov 30, 2015

my wife is sitting a ways behind me..I'm trying to block the screen.. one of her favorite colors..

anyway, you can rarely go wrong with a CRV. I've read a few complaints about this or that..I wish it had a v6 like it's Acura equivalent, but then it would likely have VCM!!!

Speaking of small SUVs, I think the CRV has always been leading the pack. Especially in space utilization.

But I just read where the Toyota RVA4 is coming out with a hybrid version still staying in the price range. And it will have the most HP 194hp.
Smart move, I think. Probably wiill not satisfy those who miss the 269hp V6 version they had a few years ago.

mcgluro

Discussion Starter · #3 · Nov 30, 2015

Thanks for your reply! I see I'm in good company, not only does your wife like the Mountain Air Metallic but you have my favorite Ridgeline color. My first Ridgeline, a 2008 RTL, was Dark Cherry Pearl with a tan/gray leather interior. I bought it used but it was in great condition and very rarely did I not get comments on what a pretty color it was, especially due to my OCD detailing efforts. DCP was still available when I bought the 2014 but you could only get a black interior which I didn't care for, especially with hauling around our 2 rescued greyhounds and the unavoidable dog hair.

I think we're going to be very happy with the CR-V for the 39 months of the lease. I just couldn't stand the Civic any longer so I'm very happy my wife agreed to terminate the lease early and move up to the CR-V.

This is our 6th Honda including 2 V6 Accords (2005 & 2008) that we liked very much. Before we leased the 2008 Accord, we drove the CR-V at that time and while a nice vehicle overall, it wouldn't get out of it's own way and made a lot of noise trying.

There are a lot of beautiful products in the Honda showroom these days including, dare I say, the 2016 Civic. Our dealer is fairly large (1000+ cars on the lot) so they have several examples of every model, color, etc. We sat in the new Civic and while it was much improved from our 2013 model, it sits MUCH lower and we both felt like we were in a Miata. I guess we're not the age demographic for the Civic but heck my Mom is in her 70s and is love with her new HR-V so I guess the moral is you should buy whatever you like.

See less See more

henni

· #4 · Nov 30, 2015

Did something similar recently but avoided the 2015 models due to several issues reported on the CRV Owners Club forum, not the least being the dreaded vibration plus other 1st year "issues" which Honda apparently is addressing (they have released several videos on the vibration).

So, instead we picked up 2016 CRV Touring models. The new lane-watch, collision mitigation, Homelink for garage door similar to our Ridgelines, 18-inch wheels similar to our Ridgelines, blindspot camera on passenger side mirror with activation by turn signal or by push button, rear-seat climate vents similar to our Ridgelines.... these are all very welcome additions

rollinhonda

· #5 · Nov 30, 2015

henni... 2wd or 4wd? I wonder if the vibration in the '15 models was more prevalent in 2 or 4wd. Your CRV sounds sweet also!

larryr

· #6 · Nov 30, 2015

There are 3 different 2015 vibration issues - insist that the Dealer apply all 3 to your new 2015 CR-V - some do not show up for a few thousand miles. others only in drive while idling with everything turned off.

All 2016 built after October 1 have the fixes - earlier ones may or may not as parts were not available for the fix and dealers ran out of 2015 CR-V so about 3 days worth (about 2400) have the same radiator and engine mounts as the 2015. The tailgate damper adds about 40 lbs to the weight and keeps the rear from shaking the CR-V in the 2000 to 2400 rpm range - the fix changes the sympathetic vibration to somewhere in the 5000 rpm range.

I have had a 2013 CR-V EX-L and have 40,000 miles so far and averaged 31 mpg. Almost 50% better than the 2009 Ridgeline which averaged just at 20 mpg.

See less See more

AG87BlkLX

· #7 · Nov 30, 2015

larryr said:
There are 3 different 2015 vibration issues - insist that the Dealer apply all 3 to your new 2015 CR-V - some do not show up for a few thousand miles. others only in drive while idling with everything turned off.

All 2016 built after October 1 have the fixes - earlier ones may or may not as parts were not available for the fix and dealers ran out of 2015 CR-V so about 3 days worth (about 2400) have the same radiator and engine mounts as the 2015. The tailgate damper adds about 40 lbs to the weight and keeps the rear from shaking the CR-V in the 2000 to 2400 rpm range - the fix changes the sympathetic vibration to somewhere in the 5000 rpm range.

I have had a 2013 CR-V EX-L and have 40,000 miles so far and averaged 31 mpg. Almost 50% better than the 2009 Ridgeline which averaged just at 20 mpg.

Man, talk about not wanting to buy a 2015 model.

OP, I hope yours doesn't have all the issues listed out. That would suck.

On the bright side you'll get significantly better fuel mileage than a RL.

zroger73

· #8 · Nov 30, 2015

Had the vibration issues on the 2015s not existed, there is a very good chance both me and my parents would have bought one. Honda was slow to acknowledge there were problems and slow to put out fixes. I've been keeping up with the issue periodically, but not sure how effective the fixes actually are.

I believe new struts are also required in back to compensate for the added weight of the damper? I also believe that Honda is applying fixes only for the specific vibration mode(s) of which the customer complains. I don't know how successful one would be if they just blindly went to the dealer and demanded all three "vibration modes" were fixed as a proactive rather than reactive measure.

rollinhonda

· #9 · Nov 30, 2015 (Edited)

Thanks for the clarifications. If we go for one, it will be a 2016+

You have to wonder what kind of design departure happened between 2014 to 2015 to cause such issues? Was it 2015 when the HP was bumped up?

zroger73

· #10 · Dec 2, 2015

I'm reading reports that the 2016s don't have the vibration issues and that the fixes for the 2015s may be effective. I also just noticed that there is an SE trim for 2016, which must mean a full redesign in less than a year.

rollinhonda

· #11 · Dec 2, 2015

zroger73 said:
I'm reading reports that the 2016s don't have the vibration issues and that the fixes for the 2015s may be effective. I also just noticed that there is an SE trim for 2016, which must mean a full redesign in less than a year.

2015 was the year for a whole new engine, and hold on to your hats..!!! CVT!!

That explains a lot. Hopefully the 2015 upgrades were integrated into real design changes 2016, not just the same band-aids from the earlier model.

zroger73

· #12 · Dec 2, 2015

rollinhonda said:
2015 was the year for a whole new engine, and hold on to your hats..!!! CVT!!

That explains a lot. Hopefully the 2015 upgrades were integrated into real design changes 2016, not just the same band-aids from the earlier model.

CVTs don't bother me - I understand and appreciate their simplicity and efficiency. What does bother me is that manufacturers are starting to add simulated shift points to their CVTs so that they feel more like conventional automatics.

However, my brother has been complaining about the CVT in his 2015 Civic - mostly that it shudders and is reluctant to "upshift" at times. He likes the Civic very much overall, but he liked the CVT in his 2010 Altima much better (even though I found it to be very jerky at low speeds).

rollinhonda

· #13 · Dec 3, 2015

CVTs don't bother me if they are well implemented and that seems to be the issue.

The point is, that is a major departure in the drivetrain of the 2015 which may have well contributed to the vibration problem. Nothing else seems to stand out.

Dnick

· #14 · Dec 3, 2015

CVTs are just fine, as long as they don't shudder, whine, shift awkwardly, break down, etc. etc. etc.

I'm not arbitrarily "biased" so much as simply un-trusting of a technology that has not been fully "wrung-out" and is applied with a sharp focus on how much torque is being generated by the engine.

I could be totally wrong, but my instincts tell me this will represent the weak-link in your power train, and might bring with it unforeseen reliability issues down the road, given it's limited track record (relative to conventional automatics & manual shift trannies). Maybe when we start seeing them in performance vehicles I'll relax a bit more. It's probably fine for the typical 100K mile owner.... but I wouldn't be buying Honda if I were satisfied with "probably fine".

I'm just sayin' ........

See less See more

zroger73

· #15 · Dec 3, 2015

rollinhonda said:
The point is, that is a major departure in the drivetrain of the 2015 which may have well contributed to the vibration problem. Nothing else seems to stand out.

I understand. Assuming the 2017 CR-V will be all-new, I'm surprised Honda made such major powertrain changes for 2015 unless they were trying to edge out the competition.

rollinhonda

· #16 · Dec 4, 2015

zroger73 said:
I understand. Assuming the 2017 CR-V will be all-new, I'm surprised Honda made such major powertrain changes for 2015 unless they were trying to edge out the competition.

I don't know either. Despite this CVT fever the last couple of years, there are still some 'standard' car models coming out with 9 spd + transmissions.

zroger73

· #17 · Dec 4, 2015

rollinhonda said:
I don't know either. Despite this CVT fever the last couple of years, there are still some 'standard' car models coming out with 9 spd + transmissions.

And, people are complaining about the shift feel in the 9 speeds or that the transmissions shift to often or never shift into their highest gears.

Let's all go back to vacuum-modulated 3-speed automatics!

rollinhonda

· #18 · Dec 4, 2015

zroger73 said:
And, people are complaining about the shift feel in the 9 speeds or that the transmissions shift to often or never shift into their highest gears.

Let's all go back to vacuum-modulated 3-speed automatics!

Slip 'n Slide with Powerglide!!

zroger73

· #19 · Dec 4, 2015

rollinhonda said:
Slip 'n Slide with Powerglide!!

I had one of those in my first car - a used, '69 Skylark. It got off the line fast enough with the 4-bbl. 350 under the hood and didn't shift from 1st to 2nd until about 70 MPH at WOT.

Gas was about $1.00 per gallon. I averaged 12-14 MPG with my teenage foot. My grandfather and father could get 15-17 - not dramatically lower than what I'm getting out of a 45 year-old-newer Ridgeline!

rollinhonda

· #20 · Dec 4, 2015

Oh, yeah.. I can remember my dad's Chevys, slow response to the pedal but buttery smooth take off.

1 - 20 of 44 Posts

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.