HONEST Review of the 4th Gen Honda CRV

We all here just how superior Hondas may be. How they, along with Toyota, beats every other car in regards to reliability. Well, is that always true?

In this article I will go through the interior, exterior and finally all of the most common issues with the Honda CR-V 4th gen form 2012-2016.

Thank you Drive512AutoRanch for allowing me to go through their inventory to potentially help out others!

Specs

The Honda CR-V I am going through has the 2.4L I4 motor with the AWD drive train

The MPG is pretty solid getting 25-31 MPG in the AWD and the FWD model gets 26-33 MPG.

There are two transmission options: CVT or the 5 speed Auto (which both have their own small issues that I talk about in this article)

Exterior

Dressed in the Basque Red Pearl II, the CR-V looks so good. The front fascia and the headlights fit so well with the style of the car. Honda really did a good job. One thing that I have always been impressed with all CR-Vs is the fact that they all look good and age so well. This CR-V from 2012-2016 is no different. Sporting 17 inch wheels and 10 spoke wheels soak up a lot of the bumps on the road giving it a very nice ride. The side profile has a nice sloping design that allows it to get such great gas mileage.

Walking to the back of the CR-V, the tailgate is very reminiscent of previous CR-Vs. Th big difference between the 4th gen CRV and the previous models is the lack of quirks.

Interior

When I step into a car and close the door the very first thing I notice and hear is the door thud. The noise the door makes when it closes. Well, the thud is a very light sounding thud with a ting. The thud the 2006 Lexus ES330 I reviewed had a much more deeper thud because it is a luxury car with a pretty solid foundation. The CR-V is an economy car which results in such a thud.

The first thing I notice when I sat into the CR-V was the location of the shifter, very CR-V might I say. Steering wheel and all the controls in the cockpit can get confusing with some manufacturers but they are very easy to understand and use here. Behind the steering wheel lies a very three dimensional looking instrument cluster which comes to life as you turn the car over. (see this in my video review)

Since this is the top trim, it has wood trim throughout, heated seats, backup camera, electric seats covered in leather. The leather on the seats feels of high quality and decently rugged.

Speaking of the seats, I have a good amount of leg room, which is important in my book. There is fake leather on the door panels, however. It is an economy car, so not everything could be lined with the high costing leather.

In the back seats, I am 5’8 and it is decently comfortable with a lot of leg and foot room. One thing that I like about this car is the lack of floor hump in the back seats giving the feeling of more space. After all, it is a FWD chassis so having a hump in the floor would not make a lot of sense.

The size of the 4th Gen CR-V is pretty elusive. Open the trunk and you’ll see loads of room that can expand even further by throwing down the seats. Pretty impressive.

ISSUES

Just like every car on this planet, issues arise. This is not to say that EVERY CR-V will have these issues.

VVT Rattle:

All Hondas with VTEC can get VTC (variable calve timing) rattle upon cold startup for about 1-2 seconds. The simple answer is to replace the VTC, which is roughly $100 in parts and is doable by a DIYer and a YouTube video.

VTC:

Valve Cover Gasket:

While you are in there you could also replace the Timing Chain:

2.4L Honda CR-V Timing Chain:

But here is the thing: there are many reports of owners never replace the part, dealing with the annoying noise, past 200k miles with zero issues. So, it is not mandatory to replace, however, I would replace it.

Transmission Issues

The CVT transmission that was placed in the 2015 model and up likes to vibrate. There is a TSB written on this issue and the dealer will try to fix this issue under warranty, however, it seems that the majority of people who take their CRVs to the dealer still have the vibrations after the TSB fix. So, maybe it’s something folks will have to live with, sadly. With that said, when/if a CVT trans goes bad, you’ll have to replace the entire transmission. Although it does get better gas mileage, I still prefer the Auto trans because they are generally tougher.

Auto transmission, it can also develop harsh shifts from 1-2nd gears. This is usually due to owners prolonging transmission oil changes, which should be done between 38,000-90k miles depending the type of torture it goes through. The transmission doesn’t have a filter, so the oil can become dirty and clog things up within the unit and cause harsh shifts. Usually a few transmission fluid flushes with fresh fluid will fix this issue. You may have to do the flushing sequence with Hondas approved trans oil up to three times to relieve the harsh shifting. Ill have some links below for your convenience, and that would also be one way to support this channel, thank you!

If you opt in for the CVT trans, more frequent oil changes the better due to the CVT trans usually getting hotter than the typical auto trans.

Starter

The starter has been reported to fail, which is decently easy to replace. You’ll know it fails when you don’t hear the chirping it usually makes and the car’s lights are illuminating like normal. You can try to whack it with a hammer and see if it temporarily fixes the issue, though. Ill have the process and the replacement part linked below

How to Replace the starter: https://youtu.be/A2g1sJU6-mY

2014 Honda CR-V Starter:

Final Thoughts

The 4th Gen Honda CR-V from 2012-2016 is a good looking car with gas mileage that does not disappoint. Although it does have a few issues, the CR-V is still a very reliable ride. I personally really like the car and if you are in the market for one, pull the trigger.

This car is currently for sale as of writing this article in Austin, Texas. Check them out if you are interested! They specialize in 0% down financing.

Thank you Drive512AutoRanch

If you want to learn more then check out this video: