Is Honda CR-V good enough to get you to most objectives?

Is a Honda CR-V a good enough car to get you to most places in areas like Pacific Northwest. I'm looking into relocating to PNW so I can focus on mountain objectives, so need to make sure I'll be able to access at least 80% of the good stuff out there.

Yes

It works. Has enough clearance To handle all the forest roads I’ve put it through on the way to some obscure crags here in Oregon.  Has also  gotten me to the mountains during winter for snowboarding.

Don’t trade it for a Subaru 

Gabe Mager wrote:

It works. Has enough clearance To handle all the forest roads I’ve put it through on the way to some obscure crags here in Oregon.  Has also  gotten me to the mountains during winter for snowboarding.

Don’t trade it for a Subaru 

How come you wouldn't trade it for a Subaru? Because that's the idea I had in mind. 

The maintenance! All engines break down. They’re brutish little machines that vibrate a ton. CR-V will be wayyyy cheaper to service. You might even be able to do it yourself!

Do subies have timing chains or belts usually? I CR-V might be running a chain...chains always keep the 100K Costa at bay for at least another 100K 

Mike Climberson wrote:

How come you wouldn't trade it for a Subaru? Because that's the idea I had in mind. 

Don’t be like everyone else in the PNW

If you learn to drive one can get to many places with a 2wd vehicle that does not have a lot of clearance.

As for trading it for a Subaru, IMHO and some experience they are good for 100K.

Indeed, one can go many places with a 2wd vehicle with a little clearance. My 2009 Honda CR-V for instance. Though it can take a little more planning ahead.

I commonly bring chains if snow or ice is in the off-ing.  And I once brought a come-along and old rope for one spot on the way to Ellingwood Ledges.  That's not to say it'll perform like 4wd/Awd ... just goes many places that may surprise.

My last episode was three weeks ago looking for a dispersed camping spot near Molas Pass CO (turns out I didn't need to but that is another story).  In my search and after driving for 20 minutes on dirt roads, I went down a one-lane dirt road that got steeper and steeper to a point where I was really concerned about getting back up in the morning - my bad.

It took four tries to return up that 200 foot section which started down at a sharp switch back with only about 1 1/2 of a car length level for building up momentum.  

The last try, I disabled the VSA and kept the gas pedal floored thinking I'd let up if the wheels started to spin excessively. They never did.

The system reduced power to the point where my speed was about as in 1st or 2nd gear of a 4x4 in low.  And it seemed the front wheels hardly spun.  It covered the last 50 feet that way, and then returned to a normal power level when the steepness lessened.

I imagine that would be a torturous / harsh state for my non-4wd/non-Awd to be in for long periods.  Hopefully ok for short periods. And I recall a computer update a while ago that was advertised to prevent high engine revs if in neutral with throttle open.  Perhaps the update did more than just that.

... just anecdotal I know, but am super impressed with Honda engineering in this and other ways.  Maybe other makers are doing similar.

4wd will be very nice to have. If mountain objectives include winter work, such as skiing etc. then I'd say no the CRV isn't good enough. You'll want a pickup 4wd with a shell, imo. But its not a decision you need to make right now. Move on up there and see how far the crv will take you.

Is your CRV 2WD or AWD?  That might have a big influence on how people answer this question.

What kind of climbing do you want to do?  From your tick list it looks like you're primarily a rock climber, not a winter ice/mixed/skimo person.  Is that accurate?  That will also have a big effect on recommendations.

The idea that you need a 4WD pickup to go skiing in the PNW is inaccurate for 99% of situations, any AWD car or small SUV will get you to the vast majority of normal locations.

I drive a 2015 CR-V. When I first got it I was nervous about the clearance, however I have taken it on some pretty rough terrain and its done great. Think big river cobbles and rutted out roads, just requires a little bit of spotting and patience.

I have a first gen crv AWD... I love that little car. One thing that has not been mentioned is it has a tiny footprint, you can walk it around gullies and rocks and straddle stuff that pickups can't. I have taken mine down 50 mile rd to hole in the rock in Utah and it does fine. I tend to hesitate on steep loose stuff but that is because my tires do not hold that well on downhills. 

First gen is timing belt which sucks, I believe second gen they went to chain.

Used 2climb wrote:

First gen is timing belt which sucks, I believe second gen they went to chain.

yup. we have an '08 AWD and its a timing chain. 

great car. last year i did the 100k maintenance myself and it took me 2.5 hours and $250 (spark plugs, coolant drain and refill, trans fluid, rear diff fluid, oil, new battery, air filters etc..). this car has given us 0 issues in the 8 years we've owned it.

As long as you have an AWD you're fine. Honestly I think if you're in the PNW, you're better off with something like a CRV or Subaru rather than a truck, because if you're living anywhere in greater Pugetopolis you're gonna be driving a while on highways to get to the crags and mountains. Better gas mileage pays off.

I used to drive an old Dodge pickup but have had an AWD Honda for the past couple years and it's never held me back in winter or summer. 95% of your outdoor commuting is gonna be on paved roads, and that unpaved 5% is rarely that rugged.

My friend Roland had a 2006 CR-V and just upgraded to a 2019 or 2020 one. Great cars! The old one got up most of the way to park in the lot for Crestone Needle, although if we had just stuck with it no doubt it would have gone the full way over the big steel pipe like my friend's Forester did. The only mechanical issue it had was with some mysterious electronic bug that cut engine power and would go away if you restarted the engine. But that was unusual and not typical of all CR-Vs from what I understand and that would not strand you anywhere.

You guys are making me want to upgrade to a newer CRV... Although have you seen the sick look of a 2 in lift and spacers with beefy tires on a 1st gen CRV? 

Oh an no one has mentioned the cool easter eggs that CRV's come with. Mine has a table built in, I cannot remember what the newer ones have.

Kyle Tarry wrote:

Is your CRV 2WD or AWD?  That might have a big influence on how people answer this question.

What kind of climbing do you want to do?  From your tick list it looks like you're primarily a rock climber, not a winter ice/mixed/skimo person.  Is that accurate?  That will also have a big effect on recommendations.

The idea that you need a 4WD pickup to go skiing in the PNW is inaccurate for 99% of situations, any AWD car or small SUV will get you to the vast majority of normal locations.

I should have been more clear. I don't own a car at the moment. I am primarily a rock climber, but recently climbed some peaks in the Sierra Nevada. I also enjoy hiking some obscure peaks (which obviously cannot be ticked off on mountainproject), and sometimes have rough access roads. Over the next 1-2 years I want to go to places like North Cascades, Sierra Nevada, Squamish, Bugaboos, Grand Tetons. If I move out to PNW I'll definitely want to dabble in some winter climbing.

I'm actually thinking that a Toyota RAV4 might be the best option. Everybody seems to like their CR-V, but it seems like it's better suited to drive on pavement than dirt roads. I hear good things about Subaru Outback and Foresters, but I also hear they are expensive to fix and end up leaking oil. Never heard anything bad about a Toyota.

 we have an '08 AWD and its a timing chain. 

great car. last year i did the 100k maintenance myself

Wow you barely drive that thing, less than 10k per year. I'm curious - is that mostly climbing mileage? Or are you mostly not driving to climbing destinations? 

I should have been more clear. I don't own a car at the moment. I am primarily a rock climber, but recently climbed some peaks in the Sierra Nevada. I also enjoy hiking some obscure peaks (which obviously cannot be ticked off on mountainproject), and sometimes have rough access roads. Over the next 1-2 years I want to go to places like North Cascades, Sierra Nevada, Squamish, Bugaboos, Grand Tetons. If I move out to PNW I'll definitely want to dabble in some winter climbing.

I'm actually thinking that a Toyota RAV4 might be the best option. Everybody seems to like their CR-V, but it seems like it's better suited to drive on pavement than dirt roads. I hear good things about Subaru Outback and Foresters, but I also hear they are expensive to fix and end up leaking oil. Never heard anything bad about a Toyota.

I own a 2015 RAV4 with 135k miles on it. Its a great car and typically Toyota maintenance free, except for a recalled torque converter issue for which Toyota paid the bill. Its AWD and I frequently drive it to the mountains. I know that Toyota has a sportier version of RAV4 now but make no mistake, this is a street car with AWD and any clearance is an after thought. Mine is not a high clearance vehicle and there are many Sierra roads I would not attempt. 

IMO Subies are the better dirt road vehicle, but you already counted those out.

And for my money the RAV4 AWD does not get it done for me. I also own a stout 4wd that can get me up most anything but trials type jeep tracks.

The points many folks make that the 4WD is only used some tiny fraction of total miles are spot on imo. Its just in my case that tiny fraction isn't as tiny as it is for most and that fraction is actually the money when it comes to actually getting to the trailhead or destination. When you start throwing in obscure and winter and all those destinations you envision, maybe you end up with two vehicles as well; one for mostly paved road access (the bulk) and one for The Shit. If you throw in 30-40 days of skiing a year you may rethink the whole thing. If fresh snow becomes your game, tire chains will not produce bliss. I know more than one person who bought 4wd simply to bypass chain controls, but that's a powder hound thing.

Cherokee Nunes wrote:

Wow you barely drive that thing, less than 10k per year. I'm curious - is that mostly climbing mileage? Or are you mostly not driving to climbing destinations? 

it's my wife's daily driver, but her commute is a whopping 1.2 miles to work. We've taken it all over western CO, UT, WY, AZ and NM. Good little adventure vehicle!

with 2 kids though, our road trips have slowed down a little bit...plus we are likely going to buy a popup and tow it behind our truck. the little cr-v is getting too small to support a family of 4 and 2 dogs + gear for a road trip.

I loved my CRV! Awesome adventure cars. When my dad and I were on a mission to climb all the 14ers in CO, we got that thing up so many gnarly 4wd roads. I think it was a 2004 AWD, it performed really well on rough roads. It never had any major problems and was running totally fine at 212,000 miles. Unfortunately my parents sold it when I left for college.