Comments on: CR-V knocks Ford Explorer out of #1 SUV spot

By: jonnycat

jonnycat — Thu, 17 May 2007 16:36:16 +0000

The people that care are people in the snowbelt with 4 or more passengers and luggage.

By: sharpie

sharpie — Thu, 17 May 2007 04:36:09 +0000

This is expected… with the trend towards crossovers and small SUV that the explorer won’t be #1 forever, and really, who cares anymore about that segment with gas price at $3.07 average.

By: deantj

deantj — Thu, 17 May 2007 04:07:47 +0000

All hail the glorious LLN moderators.

Gently cup my nards you aggravated ringpiece raiders.

By: Ian

Ian — Thu, 17 May 2007 00:51:50 +0000

I’m not much of a fan of the CRV….or honda in general. I’d take the Ford Explorer with the Eddie Bower package though.

By: A4

A4 — Thu, 17 May 2007 00:27:08 +0000

and certainly a charger/300

By: A4

A4 — Thu, 17 May 2007 00:26:48 +0000

camrys and accords are crap, the altima and legacy are the only decent ones, and id have to say id take a fusion or impala SS over the accramry duo anyday.

By: robwilliams

robwilliams — Wed, 16 May 2007 23:57:32 +0000

The rise in popularity of the more compact SUV reflects the ongoing popularity of the smaller family sedan in the US. I can see that drivers are “wising up” and maybe just taking notice of all the doomsday prophets who are predicting the end of the motor vehicle as we know it, by 2050. In Australia, we pay around AU$1.35 per litre for gasoline, which equates to around AU$6.20 per gallon or just over US$5.00.
Compact vehicles and hybrids will be the way of the future and manufacturers are aware of this and that is why the big three manufacturers in the US are well advanced on developing smaller and more economical vehicles

By: mlm1703

mlm1703 — Wed, 16 May 2007 22:15:59 +0000

i think Guadalajara…

By: mlm1703

mlm1703 — Wed, 16 May 2007 22:13:42 +0000

the small SUV’s were bound to take over in sales.. but the U.S. versions are pretty good too. And for global lightning and others.. there is a factory in MEXICO that builds nothing but Honda CR-V’s!!!! look it up.

By: jonnycat

jonnycat — Wed, 16 May 2007 22:04:40 +0000

The only reason Japanese car manufacturers got their great reliability reputations, was their mandatory service intervals, or risk the customer would risk losing their warranty. Meanwhile the “Big 3″ left the ownus up to the customer. 80% of people who own a domestic only change the oil at service intervals, and none of the recommended maintenance.

I’m not saying the Japanese brands don’t build a reliable vehicle, I think they all do, but the reliability reputation preceeds the actual reliability issues that arise, people seem almost embarrassed to admit the beloved import broke down. As shown in religion, people will follow a higher power with blind faith with absolutely no proof. Just like reliability concious import buyers, they were told they are reliable, so they must. If they break down it’s Toyota’s “Master Plan”

By: Ray Sinclair

Ray Sinclair — Wed, 16 May 2007 21:45:15 +0000

Jackdev73… when you’re talking about America building better cars than Japan, you mean the Camrys, Accords, and Altimas built in America, right?

You couldn’t possibly be so stupid as to believe GM and Ford build better cars than Toyota and Honda.

By: dmbpearl

dmbpearl — Wed, 16 May 2007 21:24:21 +0000

Why would we compare the Ford Explorer to the CR-V anyway? Might as well compare the sales of the H2 to the Explorer. Point being, Ford decided long ago to stop caring about the Explorer and when you consider how well it does compared to the lack of attention its maker gives it, then it’s actually amazing it does so well against the CR-V. Personally, I’d rather drive a donkey and a cart before I’d buy a POS CR-V, but that’s just me… and I “crave” and snort crack AND weed.

Wait until people can buy hamburgers from Japan, then homeboy will change his tune after he loses his job at McDonalds.

By: jackdev73

jackdev73 — Wed, 16 May 2007 21:14:33 +0000

Hey homeboy234, I hate to break this to you but Japan does NOT build better cars then America. Sorry to burst your bubble.

By: Mitch Bangowitz

Mitch Bangowitz — Wed, 16 May 2007 16:31:41 +0000

hhhhm they deleted my post
since when are we not allowed to use the f word?

By: A4

A4 — Wed, 16 May 2007 16:25:59 +0000

the CR-V is a pile of shit, and its ugly as sin to boot. Im not saying the explorer is anything to be wowed by, but its solid as hell and can take a beating well beyond anything you could dish to a CR-V. A CR-V isnt an SUV. An Explorer is.

By: Ray Sinclair

Ray Sinclair — Wed, 16 May 2007 15:06:04 +0000

There really is no going back here. Ford will no longer be top of the heap when it comes to SUV’s. It’s like the mid-size sedan. The Camrys and Accords toppled the Taurus, despite all of the fleet sales…and they have not given up their positions atop the leader board yet.

Many of you disagree with me on this, but I am telling you that ownership experience has something to do with the CR-V taking the top spot. Ford and GM are not on par with Toyota and GM when it comes to dependability…I know many of you want to believe that but you are wrong. Even if you were right, perception is what really matters to consumers anyway…Toyota and Honda have a reputation for quality…and the Toyota recalls and stuff that we “enthusiasts” follow, the fact that we know about them, doesn’t necessarily mean that the average person would know about them. As I mentioned, Toyotas and Hondas maintain a reputation for quality.

Servicing your Ford or GM car can be a nightmare. It was always one for me. That’s one big reason why Toyota drivers stick with Toyota and Honda drivers stick with Honda, and the domestic makes keep losing ground to the imports. How else would this CR-V, which the majority of us find to be foul-looking, find its way to the top?

By: deantj

deantj — Wed, 16 May 2007 13:30:27 +0000

No kidding.

15 years ago, you were asked to name an SUV and all you could think of was the Explorer and Cherokee. Now everyone and his mother produces at least two, so where’s the big surprise? I’m suprised the Explorer sells at all, given the loads of superior competition. The CR-V destroys it in every aspect – and don’t start with the bull$h!t about one is made on a truck frame, the other on a Civic platform. NEither can handle anything rougher than a gravel road to some country cottage.

By: Get Real

Get Real — Wed, 16 May 2007 11:13:06 +0000

My sister’s brand new Explorer gets worse mileage than the 120K miles 1994 Explorer they sold to buy this one.

They run the V6 and expected better.

At $3/gallon they are not happy with Ford.

By: Jon

Jon — Wed, 16 May 2007 05:06:20 +0000

Honda has figured out that the CR-V is what Joe Public wants to buy. It isn’t exactly pretty but owners seem to love their CR-V’s. The rising fuel costs have only served to drive more people into Honda’s fold.

By: shumpy

shumpy — Wed, 16 May 2007 04:01:42 +0000

speaking of crack snorting dirtlumps, any aids hooker who doesn’t know that a grand total of 1613 of the 64,951 crvs sold in the USA this year as of April; were made here needs to check their facts.

the vast majority of crvs come from the land of the artificially low yen. 63338 / 64951

Ford announced several months back that they were considering changing the new explorer to a crossover based unit.

By: 0GSharK6

0GSharK6 — Wed, 16 May 2007 03:08:33 +0000

We have a few Explorers and one CR-V on my dealership’s lot. All used, the Explorers are 2003 and 2006, I believe. The Explorer to me.. pretty basic, interior design (chiefly all the black buttons that are in every single other Mercury and Ford produced from 2000 and on) is fairly cheap, and I didn’t find it to be a comfy ride. The CR-V… mostly the same as above, except to lesser extents.. I found the interior to be unimpressive, but the ride was a little more smooth than the Explorer.

By: 1c3d0g

1c3d0g — Wed, 16 May 2007 02:32:52 +0000

Fromes: couldn’t have said it better myself.

By: Impulsive

Impulsive — Wed, 16 May 2007 02:30:01 +0000

There’s no accounting for taste. This clearly shows that the majority can be counted on to buy incoherent, arguably UGLY, design which is ignored due to fuel efficiency and reputation.

By: Fromes

Fromes — Wed, 16 May 2007 01:33:31 +0000

I agree with PrimeGTP, Ford took the Explorer out of the running when it started creating vehicles to compete against it such has the Edge, Freestlye/Taurus X, Escape, Lincoln and Mercury products instead of keeping the Explorer up to date….The explorer is a very nice rig, The only advantage to owning a CR-V is gas milage, at least from what I can see.

By: MC

MC — Wed, 16 May 2007 01:31:50 +0000

well duuuhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! you crack snorting morons japan makes better car than america so i dont know what you were expecting. i personally dont like the new CR-v but it deserves a place as number 1.
Comment by homeboy234,

Well I see homoboy is up to his old tricks again.

By: HalGameGuru

HalGameGuru — Wed, 16 May 2007 01:02:22 +0000

I’m confused as to why all these disparate vehicles are still called SUVs…

By: Htay5500

Htay5500 — Wed, 16 May 2007 01:00:57 +0000

seriously, why does 1487gmsales keep saying shit? u just read that the CRV beats the explorer in sales. show proof that the equinox/ torent is better than the CRV. it handles like a brick and is cheap.

By: LamborghiniZ

LamborghiniZ — Tue, 15 May 2007 23:27:18 +0000

Good, at least now the top SUV isn’t quite as much of a gas guzzling hound as it used to be, plus the Explorer really isn’t at the top of its game anymore, who in their right mind, without discounts and incentives, would choose the Explorer over all of its competitors? It’s old fashioned, and really doesn’t compete anymore, shown through rapidly dropping sales, so don’t tell me it’s still competitive, since I know some of you fools will.

By: ClubF150

ClubF150 — Tue, 15 May 2007 22:43:21 +0000

why does the cr-v look like it has bucked teeth?

By: jonnycat

jonnycat — Tue, 15 May 2007 22:03:37 +0000

I’m just confused as to why the CR-V is such a good seller? To me it’s always screamed, tinny, underpowered, uncapable and not the most asthetically pleasing ride out there.

Oh well, I’ve never seemed to agree with the masses on any of my car purchases

By: Me

Me — Tue, 15 May 2007 21:50:26 +0000

PrimeGTP –bingo.

By: Me

Me — Tue, 15 May 2007 21:49:46 +0000

Not to take away from the Honda, but Ford may have shot itself in the foot. First, Ford sells like ten different SUV and crossover type cars. Edge, Taurus X, Escape, Expedition, Explorer, and so on. Honda offers, what… three? Obviously, Ford has several options for potential Explorer buyers to consider. Too many probably. Add to that the decline of truck-based suvs in general, higher gas prices, poor perceived reliability, and a flooded market –this is no big surprise. Both the Explorer and the CRV are hideous designs IMO so that’s a draw. On a related matter, I bought my wife a 2002 Mercury Mountaineer AWD (essentially an Explorer) and at 34K miles, the tranny exploded. After it took a month to repair, we quickly traded it in for a Nissan. After that, none of my friends, family, or co-workers would dare touch a Ford suv. I’m really suprised that the number one SUV isn’t a Hyundai. Those things are everywhere and anybody making $200/wk can buy one.

By: PrimeGTP

PrimeGTP — Tue, 15 May 2007 21:29:00 +0000

The CR-V didn’t knock the Explorer out of the running, Ford did.

By: Piablo

Piablo — Tue, 15 May 2007 21:00:35 +0000

I’d love to see the market metrics for this vehicle. I see about as many guys driving a CRV as I see them driving VW Beetles.

Given the price of a CRV, I’ll definitely keep driving my XTerra.

By: Htay5500

Htay5500 — Tue, 15 May 2007 20:51:39 +0000

we have a 97 CRV as well (so we’re a honda family) im not a fan of the current crv but the ones from 97-06 were fascinating and very functional, and goes on the snow real well. explorer is decent but i dont trust being in one though.

By: joshthenurse

joshthenurse — Tue, 15 May 2007 20:35:30 +0000

We have a 2004 Honda CR-V and a 2006 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer, so I can speak fairly on both. We love the CR-V, but the Explorer is definitely a better vehicle. Yes, the gas mileage on the Explorer is poor (14-16 mpg), but it is more surefooted, quiter, more comfortable, more powerful, has excellent build quality (as does the CR-V) has tons of space and it feels like you are sitting on a throne while driving it. It is extremely confident in poor traction conditions. The CR-V is probably more practical for most people, especially since gas prices are through the roof. If it came down to a better vehicle taking the top spot in sales, the Explorer would be there. But the market has changed, and people want something more efficient. There is no better choice then, than a CR-V.

By: gbb

gbb — Tue, 15 May 2007 20:22:49 +0000

CRV’s look like crap………well, most ALL SUV’s and their replacement Crossovers look like crap. I know this is a big market, but why it exists is beyond me. I can almost understand why some buy a Surburban/Expedition/Durango style SUV if they tow large and haul large, but the small and mid size crap makes me wonder why they even exists.

By: 1487_GM_SALES

1487_GM_SALES — Tue, 15 May 2007 20:22:13 +0000

I think most people agree that the one to beat in this segment is the Chevrolet Equinox, folowed closely by the Pontiac Torent. Both offer bigger engines, better interiors and the best warranty in the business by GM. Edmunds “Consumers Most Wanted Poll” also backed up these results by voting the Equinox a close number 2 behind the rental special RAV4. I’m sure if you take out the fleets, the RAV4 doesn’t sell nearly as many as people think. And not nearly as popular as the “NOX”/Torent.

All of the import-humping sheep wouldn’t know a good SUV if it drove over them.

By: CTS DRIVER

CTS DRIVER — Tue, 15 May 2007 20:19:59 +0000

i snort my crack with a garden hose, or is that smell my crack? who cars either way you cant do crack with out a caddy.
the explorer was at the end of its life anyways, the escape piced up where the explorer started. mabey we will get lucky and get a new bronco 2 out of the deal…..sarcasm intended.

By: GARY

GARY — Tue, 15 May 2007 20:17:49 +0000

I HATE THAT HIDEOUS LOOKING CRV!!!! HATE IT!!! Apparently, I’m in the minority. Honda’s laughing all the way to the bank with their ugly duckling.

By: Rompn4x

Rompn4x — Tue, 15 May 2007 20:06:36 +0000

Its just because of the gas prices. CR-V is not as capable as the Exploder, but oh well 95% of SUV’s don’t even touch dirt. Rerone is also right. The Escape, Freestyle and Edge are taking sales from the Explorer as well. Id rather take a Escape Hybrid they are waaay better looking then the CR-V. Now lets all snort some crack 8-P

By: global_lightning

global_lightning — Tue, 15 May 2007 19:38:55 +0000

What I meant to say is they’re not sitting on the showroom floor for very long. They’re reporting 12 days average lot time for the CR-V. That’s the average time from rolling off the delivery truck and dealer prep through being sold and driven off by the new owner. Compare that against 68 days for the Explorer. That’s also with the Honda’s typically minimalist media exposure and no pricing incentives

By: rerone

rerone — Tue, 15 May 2007 19:28:51 +0000

Come on guys,this was bound to happen. Ford has itself cannibalized Explorer sales with the Ford Edge, the Ford Freestyle, sorry I mean the Taurus X or what ever,Mercury Mountaineer,Ford Escape,not to mention the Lincoln products. Plus the fact that body on frame SUVs are falling out of favor. It’s not always Honda and Toyota quality. This is about gas mileage. If the Explorer had become a proper Hybrid with great efficiency it would not have lost its place.

By: homeboy234

homeboy234 — Tue, 15 May 2007 19:24:24 +0000

___________________________________>global lighning and bacalao go back up and read my comment, “crack snorting morons” notice the key word morons, only idiotic morons snort crack, not that youd be a genius to mess with drugs in the first place. its smoked fool not snorted. in future read comments properly and make sure you understand them before making stupid replies

By: Fletch

Fletch — Tue, 15 May 2007 19:19:51 +0000

From the bloomberg article, the Escape is #3 on the list. Just wanted to remind folks that it is one of the few domestic vehicles with a hybrid powertrain option before our tree hugging liberal friends start talking fuel economy, global warming and such. Oh yeah, this wasn’t an article about HUMMER so they probably won’t post.