By Wang’ombe Kibunja
When you take a closer look at our roads two of the most common Compact SUVs that you are most likely to see are the Honda CR-V and the Toyota RAV4. Both of these vehicles are from Japan and are built by two of the biggest manufacturers. They rival each other in terms of comfort, space, fuel mileage and reliability. Their price list is not that far from each other either, this makes it hard for car buyers to choose between the two. With the current market trend where we buy cars that are an average of 7 years old from Japan, a head to head comparison of the 2013 model is the logical choice. Here is a head to head comparison review of the 2013 Honda CR-V and the Toyota RAV4
Size
The two have almost the same body sizes. The CR-V has a wheel base of 103.3inches whereas the RAV4 has a wheel base of 104.7inches which isn’t a huge difference. The RAV4 has slightly bigger body dimensions with its length at 183.5 inches and a width of 72.6 inches. The CR-V comes close to that with a length of 180inches and a width of 70.3inches. The CR-V however is a bit taller than the RAV4 with a height of 71inches compared to 67.1inches of the RAV4. The room. The Toyota has bigger cargo space with the sits folded down with 126662.4cubic inches compared to 122515.2inches in the Honda. This figures are not that much different and the difference is almost negligible. The leg room and Head room are also not so different either.
Power
The RAV4 comes in standard with a two wheel configuration and a six speed manual or automatic transmission with also the CVT transmission an option. It comes with engine sizes varying from 2000cc up to 2500cc and a hybrid is also available with the 2500cc engine. The CR-V comes in with either real time all-wheel-drive with intelligent controls or two wheel drive and a 5speed automatic transmission. It has a 2400cc engine with the famous Honda i-VTEC system.
Looks
Both cars are elegant and beautiful. Although the RAV4 has more elegant curves and stream line looks. The interiors are pleasing to the eye but are both blunt just in like most budget Japanese cars, although the CR-V has a more comfortable seating position compared to the RAV4 and also is more quiet and refined in the interior.
Fuel consumption and reliability.
Both vehicles have the same fuel rating for the 2500cc RAV4 and the 2400cc CR-V with both having 9.3kms per litre for city driving and 13kms per litre for highway driving. However the RAV4 has smaller engine variations, diesel variants and the hybrid which makes it have a lot of options to choose from. True to Japanese engineering, both cars are reliable and do not have a lot of mechanical issues except for the RAV4 with the CVT transmission which can be troublesome if not properly maintained. The CR-V and RAV4 were both ranked as the second and third most reliable compact SUVs with a rating of 4.5 and 4.0 respectively out of a maximum rating of 5.0.
Budget
The two cars do also vary much in terms of price although the RAV4 has a variety of engine sizes to choose from. The 2500cc RAV4 goes for up to 3.2m whereas the 200cc can go for up to 2.2m. The Honda CR-V goes for up to 2.4m and there is no variety to choose from except from colour options.
Both cars are reliable, fuel efficient, comfortable and good to look at. They both will take you from point A to B and will allow you to carry some language and comfortably sit 5 people. The availability of spares for both vehicles is abundant. The two also have an excellent resale value. The major difference is the exterior looks and the price tag between the two.
