Honda CR-V Sport (Off Road)

[c32kompressor]

Hi guys,

Just joined the group recently after purchasing my new Honda CR-V Sport last Friday. So far I love it! The interior, sunroof, everything seems to be great! I traded in my RAV4, which I bought in late 2008 brand new. The RAV was a really good car but I just wanted a change and something more premium.

I've always loved Hondas and Toyotas. The only other Honda I have owed in an Integra at uni.

Anyway, my question is, has anyone used the current generation CR-V for 'soft-roading' purposes. I used the RAV on the beach, snow and national parks and it coped pretty well.

I was wondering if people have used the CR-V for similar purposes. At the dealership they had a whole brochure on the CR-V's off-road capabilities and it looked pretty impressive. Unlike the RAV the AWD system in the CR-V is completely computer controlled. In the RAV you could lock it in 4WD mode for speeds upto 40 km/h which was very useful in sand.

Anyway, if anyone has any stories to share, it would be most welcome. :)

[Jccck]

Just a few things to consider.
Ground Clearance, Ramp-Over Angle, Approach & Departure Angles.

Your CR-V scores poorly in all of these.
Not to mention you won't have any form of protection on the underside of your front bumper when you do scrape on something.

Call up your nearest Pedders, TJM or ARB.. Try and find a 35-50mm lift kit for it.
See if you can source a bash plate of sorts for the underside of the front bumper (It's well worth the expense for any Soft-Roader)

I have a Ford Territory, and in terms of power and traction it makes the Sand look easy (So i kinda know where you're coming from =P)
But bottoming out due to poor clearances is it's let down, as with all Soft-Roaders.

Imo the Rav4 is a more capable car off-road.. But i'm sure the CR-V will be a close competitor.

[c32kompressor]

Thanks for response mate. Totally agreed about the bash plate and the ground clearance. I think the RAV had more ground clearance and better approach and departure angles.

It will be good to see how the 4WD system in the CR-V copes.

[UNLS1]

honda aus took us out to a 4wd proving ground with the current CRV. u would be amazed with what it can do! we have some wicked pics of the crv going down rivers, through mud and crushed rock pits and extreme angles. good times

[c32kompressor]

Yeah the sales person actually showed me a brochure, it was pretty impressive. Can't wait to try some of it myself!

[Bludger]

honda aus took us out to a 4wd proving ground with the current CRV. u would be amazed with what it can do! we have some wicked pics of the crv going down rivers, through mud and crushed rock pits and extreme angles. good times
please post pictures.....

[c32kompressor]

Just an update on my soft road adventures over the holidays. I just had a 4,000 km round trip holiday in the CR-V (Canberra to Brisbane and back – plus trips around Brisbane and Gold Coast). Anyway, I was both keen and anxious about trying out the CR-V on the beach. So, I took a trip to Bribie Island to test the CR-V out.
Though the sand on the beach was firm and no problem for the CR-V the tricky part was getting to the beach which has lots of soft sand.

I reduced the tire pressure to 18 psi and had the VSA off the entire time. The pictures posted are of the CR-V on beach on the hard stuff. I really didn’t want to stop on the soft stuff to take pictures just in case I get bogged!
Before I took this trip, I read a lot of forums which had negative reviews about the transfer of power to the rear wheels and not having the option to lock in the 4WD mode like the Rav4. Some of the forums also said, for the power to transfer to the rear wheels, the front wheels need to spin extensively which causes the front end to dig in to the sand.

I am happy to report that the power transfer is brilliant and extremely quick. As I mentioned earlier, to get to the beach there was a whole trail full of deep soft sand. To make things worse, the last bit, just before the beach has a slight decent which was filled with deep soft sand and was very uneven. This didn’t pose a problem getting to the beach (as it was down hill) but more on the way back. This was the trickiest part of the trip. Not only was I nervous about the getting bogged but I also didn’t want to rip parts underneath the car (especially as the exhaust at the back is hangs lower and I didn’t have this problem in the Rav).

Anyway, back to the transfer of power to the rear wheels. The front wheels do not need to spin extensively to transfer power to the back wheels. On the way back, the part where the CR-V has to climb the soft sand, I stopped about 10 metres from the incline and then floored the accelerator. The front wheels did spin but I’m pretty sure it did not even make a full rotation before transferring some of the power to the rear wheels and then all 4 wheels were ploughing through the sand and the climb up the soft sand was performed very well.

After this trip my confidence in the 4WD system in the CR-V has increase and I do not think that it is in anyway inferior to the Rav4 (owning both vehicles). But I do miss the 4WD lock button on the Rav, but this may be more of a psychological ‘confidence boost’ as the CR-Vs transfer of power is very quick. I may look in lifting the CR-V though. But the ground clearance may be sufficient for my needs (the CR-V is has slightly less ground clearance than the Rav4).
I’ll try Stockton Beach next and keep you guys posted as to how it goes there on the sand dunes. The Rav was really good in the sand dunes and I’m sure that the CR-V will be just as good. Once I’ve done that trip I’ll post more pictures.

[Alpine]

Nice story and pics! Not too sure about driving thru that actual salt water though!! Let us know what effects that has in the long run ;-)

I've got a 2001 gen 1 CR-V and have also taken it to Bribie with no problems at all. Also done the Straddie and Condamine trips, no dramas at all. It's a great and capable little SUV!

Taken at Stradbroke Island in 2004:

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The next bunch marks our return to Condamine Gorge in 2006:

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This last bunch shows us cruising along the beach on Bribie Island, also in 2006:

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[c32kompressor]

Nice pictures mate!!! You had better luck with the uploads than I did. I tried to load other pictures but it kept saying that the file size was too big. I cropped them a few times and they were still too big...so in the end just gave up lol...

For my CR-V, I might go to Pedder’s and ask how much a lift kit would cost. Wouldn't mine a bit more ground clearance!

Driving through the salt water shouldn't be too much of a problem if you give it a good wash, which I did straight after. Also the car comes with a 5 year corrosion warranty and I'm pretty sure I won't have the car for that long so not too worried.

Definitely want to do a bit more beach driving with the CR-V!