Is The New 2020 Honda CR-V Any Good Off-Road? We Find Out By Taking It Way Out Of Its Comfort Zone!

[@dexxydoo]

TFL by far the hardest working Auto channel!

[@clarencewhite6053]

IF the HONDA CRV doesn't have enough ground clearance then the HYUNDAI TUCSON won't either. For the PRICE POINT i would go the SUBARU FORRESTER, any of these jobs are no JEEP WRANGLER but, it should get you pretty much where you need to go. The HONDA CRV doesn't have the drive modes but, it's not there to break (repair) either.

[@niranjankedambadi]

These off road trails are actually the city roads during rain in India!!

[@raiderrichard7291]

Hahahahaha jai bhole ki!

[@AIDAHAR210]

Or roads in Siberia

[@bhaijaan9319]

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@jd5n03sc]

Gulab jamun

[@qoewou]

LoL 😂😂😂

[@MiguelLopez-fh7vx]

It’s crazy how fast time flies, I remember when tommy made his first appearance in TFL and now he is doing most of the talking 🤯😄 nice video, stay safe!

[@doug2445]

My Wife has a 18 Touring CRV w/ Blizzaks pretty much unstoppable in snow , deep snow etc.. We visit family up in Buffalo area multiple times during the winter .

[@mikebell2750]

Almost all these "soft roaders" are incapable of tackling more than a gravel road, however as far as "all weather" vehicles most of them are great choices come winter.

[@AutoGuyBri]

Dad shakes his head when his son says "Every inch matters" LMAO!

[@camberwellcarrot420]

Thank goodness for this CVT. Said no one ever.

[@johnfrantz5885]

They're nice on the highway

[@jeffy7360]

At least it aint a Nissan CVT!

[@DocHolliday3841]

😂🤣😭

[@afcgeo882]

Says everyone when looking at the fuel economy numbers.

[@Agent77X]

CVT is the best for Honda and dealership! When it goes bad, you have to replace it, cannot be repaired.

[@mizzorian]

who said that it's a must to approach an obstacle head straight?? go diagonally.... with my 2003 Rav4 I go climbing mild rocky hills like that

[@drjprice]

AWD is not 4 Wheel Drive, CRV is NOT an off-road vehicle

[@nhanquach4388]

💢 Slip test request! Honda CRV vs Subaru Forester vs Toyota RAV4 vs Mazda CX-5 vs Mitsubishi Outlander

[@paulabella2922]

We own a 2013 crv and we did not have any problems with it since we bought it and it is super comfortable and reliable

[@tomtalker2000]

What does that have to do with it's "off road" prowess...?

[@robertyoung8289]

Every inch matters. You so wanted to say that's what she said! 😃. Your a great dad.

[@angeltoala9647]

I sold my 2010 CRV lx and got a 2019 CRV lx with low miles and I love it. Great little suv’s Honda makes great cars. 3 CRV and 1 Pilot never mechanical problems just maintenance.

[@gabrielpanebianco6542]

Honda is the best, i have an HRV and I wanna a CRV

[@colt2206]

Think you guys totally miss the point. CRV is not engineered or marketed as a off road truck

[@1TexasKid]

6 Months 2019 AWD CR-V Touring. Better fuel economy than my ‘07 Accord. Excellent Cargo space. AWD is impressive. Excellent handling- not a sports car. Constant control in bad & Icy conditions. No oil dilution noticed. As a do-it-yourselfer, minor maintenance is easy. Handles well in the mountains. Off roading, front end needs a much better angle of attack. I’m considering a 2” higher suspension. Stock Hancock tires handle fine. However I am considering Wild Peak tire for slightly better traction in snowy & mountainous off road driving.

[@kristianmurin3696]

Keep taking crossovers till we find one that can!

[@cuzimaluzer777]

Ford Bronco Sport Badlands

[@EricLS]

Well back in 2013 for the 2014 model year the jeep Cherokee Trailhawk came out, and basically started this whole obsession with off-road everything. It most assuredly can go over this without even blinking.

[@stevej2031]

I basically bought a CR-V for Midwest winters. It sucks trying to pull out in traffic on icy roads. Haven't gone through a winter hopefully it will do the job.

[@joecanis484]

Could a Forester makes it past the steps?

[@HoosierDaddy_]

My wife's CX9 manual just plain states "do not take this vehicle off road". My ancient 93 explorer has an entire separate manual about going off road! My 99 Montero is the same way. With a nice center and rear locker thrown in for good measure. I don't think these are really "crossovers". They just look and act like wagons with awd. They should just call it like it is. Safe, big, wagons. Nothing wrong with that.

[@brandonar868]

I Agree 100%, no longer SUVs (90s) or even Crossovers....Just Wagons now

[@iggibars]

What? They are by definition a true "crossover". Your 93 Explorer and 99 Montero were actual SUVs with old-school SUV ladder-type platforms. You're nuts to compare them and complain.

[@HoosierDaddy_]

@@iggibars * TFL compared them and complained. I think you're misinterpreting something in my comment.

[@brandonar868]

@@iggibars You're a Nut Case on a Ladder Frame...

[@alexaccent]

Was it in ECO mode all along?? In the beginning of the video when showing the screen ECO was enabled... it also appeared enabled throughout the video.

[@Clodhopping]

Econ mode sucks all the power and doesn't really seem to reduce fuel consumption...

[@EricLS]

You gotta choose: good highway mileage, or good approach angle. Those low air splitters and spoilers are there for a reason

[@lanceripplinger8352]

Really digging the blue color on that. To bad the engine is junk. They have oil dilution problems. Honda never should have gone the turbo route, and just stayed with their tried and true V-Tec plain old 4 cylinder engines. You guys rock!

[@tomtalker2000]

They fixed that issue after the 2019 model. 2020 and up are perfectly fine now.

[@saqibwilliam]

me and my wife took our crv fwd to point sublime Grand Canyon in 2017 from MD

[@randys3010]

I am not convinced that Honda have properly addressed the problem of the motor oil being diluted with fuel in the 1.5 Turbo and now it is the only engine available in the CRV.

[@kacyharper8142]

One of your best done videos, honestly. That moment when Roman laughed at Tommy's every inch matters comment 🤣😂😄 Miss these kinds of videos, I feel the channel swaying from every day crossover testing and I always enjoyed seeing soccer mom cars getting thrashed off road lol

[@Jesse410]

"EVERY INCH MATTER'S" 😆 the driver's reaction, though! 😂

[@Archetype123]

That's sonic pearl gray, by the way. :) Great review!! Glad to see someone taking the 5th gen CR-V off the beaten path a little bit.

[@Ram14250]

You guys had "ECON" mode on during the test. Was that intentional? Econ really zaps the throttle response and makes the vehicle very sluggish.

[@Clodhopping]

Agree and IMHO it doesn't seem to reduce fuel consumption. Just makes it frustratingly slow to drive.

[@NetinMaster]

"Every inch matters" hahahahaha they almost burst into laughs

[@REVIEW_JUJUR]

*The Indonesia CRV version has Panoramic Sunroof, third row AC, and 7 seaters. Also got the 1.5T CVT too...*

[@chilongfezy]

Just fwd sob no awd

[@LaksitoSanHiJi8000]

Namun tanpa gardan penggerak roda beLakang.

[@CrayonGlutton]

Also, an all-wheel drive CR-V is considered a light truck by the NHTSA and EPA. Under the vehicle classification standards a light truck does not have to be held to the same fuel economy, standards as car. 5:10

[@ryanjustman9169]

How well does the cr-v tow? Small boat around 900#.. and will it pull it out of the gravel boat landing??

[@kingpin3919]

Great video gentleman. Really appreciate the continued content🤘

[@rockymountainjazzfan1822]

While these videos are informative, the AWD CUV reviews usually come to the same conclusion--these vehicles just aren't really off-road vehicles. Duh. I've 4-wheeled for a half-century. I could own one of these CUV's and carefully take it a lot of places. But, there is always a risk of the vehicle and driver getting into a situation where a bad stuck or vehicle damage gets pretty likely. When that happens, it can be hazardous and the cost to get out of a bad situation or repair vehicle damage can chew through years of fuel savings, lower acquisition costs, etc. If "real" off-roading is on the menu, then buying a "real" 4WD is the best alternative. They will get the job done, and they will last much longer than a CUV will. My newest 4WD is 8 years old, my oldest is 22 years old. Both have seen plenty of hard off-roading and both are still running strong. They will likely outlive me.

[@cascivic]

Tommy when's the slip test coming back 🤔🤔

[@polarbear4686]

Maybe they're waiting for the Tesla Y?

[@TFLclassics]

We can bring it back. We got a lot of feedback saying it was somewhat boring and not all that useful which is why we killed it.

[@GIGABACHI]

@@TFLclassics please, bring it back. People can't tell a good thing from a bad one even if it were the size of an elephant and hit them square on the face.

[@optical818]

@@TFLclassics please bring the rollers back

[@christiand6768]

Correct, it can't do off road.

[@williemammoth11]

This was a helpful practical review thanks

[@Chiroman527]

I typically like your reviews, however, bringing this CRV to this trail showed the reviews that what Honda stated in thier manual, it is not engineered for Off Roading. I think common sense prevails here. I would have liked to see your tests in snow covered roads instead. Can you explain if Honda changed their AWD system in the 2020 or 2021 CRV? I think i read somewhere that they did upgrade it in a recent model year. Is it comparable to any extent to the Pilot's AWD System for instance.

[@stantate1747]

The Rav4 is ugly and not comfortable. I just bought this touring model and its amazing. Very comfortable and full of options for under 37k.

[@michaelkeggereis3232]

Honda makes extreme off road vehicles, they just have 2 wheels

[@jesparza1086]

Review the first gen crv off road. Let’s see if it can do it!

[@carlosbertadillo3374]

We just got a 2021 crv hybrid in the sonic gray pearl color we are loving it!

[@josesantiago863]

Well you don’t have to go over an obstacle straight on, maybe at an angle it could make it, you know that picking the correct line will do wonders. If you buy that type of vehicle to go off road you know you have to do some mods, even jeeps get mods to take it to next level off roading. These days we mod everything because we love to push to the limits.

[@FarmersOnlydotcom69]

I wish y'all did more videos on the jeep renegade trailhawk

[@wildoneback]

Can you guys do the new Mazda CX-5 with off road traction assist ? Thx and Happy Easter!

[@AndreiCoraV]

There will be the same issue with approach angle.

[@markserrano4586]

I would love to see you guys do the same thing with the Acura RDX a spec.

[@ShredderSensei]

"Avoid crossing a stream" is this the Oregon Trail?

[@cuzimaluzer777]

Emma drowned

[@KeauA]

The color is Sonic Gray Pearl not Aegean Blue Metallic. Awesome video!

[@alpinglow]

It's ironic because folks buy these to get to trail heads to hike, ski or snowshoe. Lots of places in the west don't have pavement to these places. Why make transmissions than can't handle roads like these in an awd??? And off road conditions like these ARE actual forest roads to recreation places all over the planet! Like always. love your content!

[@mr.factoid105]

I am only here because I saw an ad of my car blazing down dirt tracks. My thought was 'It can do that?' The answer is sort of

[@damonblade3195]

These guys are right . Why doesn't Honda make a dedicated off road vehicle . I live in South Africa and almost all middle class families own a car mostly a honda and a pickup vehicle either a ford or a Toyota. We need a Honda off road vehicle in this country , Hell the world wants Honda to make a dedicated off road vehicle but they won't give it to us because they don't care about off road vehicles or changing trends because they are old and stupid.

[@NemeanLion-]

It’s basically a tall car with all wheel drive.

[@pronghornxx]

Can you repeat this vid with the hybrid CRV?

[@afcgeo882]

Darby C Doll Why? Same exact everything.

[@carlosbertadillo3374]

@@afcgeo882 different transmission and a little heavier.

[@harrytej]

Might as well tested the hybrid instead the regular

[@afcgeo882]

harish reddy They have identical clearances and AWD systems.

[@philipzwick]

You did not mention the Subaru Forester as an alternative. Is it better, enough to do the first step test?

[@keithmurphy806]

Honda has a mindset that cars belong in the road and if you wanna go off road you should take a atv or dirt bike or something more purpose built.

[@williamparker7823]

You're in luck, they'll sell you one of those too

[@medave13]

Honda used to have a vehicle that was 4 wheel drive, locking diffs, and low range - the Ridgeline when it first came out had all of that. We could take ours all through the mountains of North Carolina with out any worries.

[@macbookpro57]

Umm the ridgeline never had a locker or a Low range. It’s a front wheel drive based drivetrain. No front wheel drive based cars have a locker and a low range; just an awd system. I think the original passports were fairly off road focused as they were rear wheel drive with actual 4wd, not awd

[@thebigmacd]

@@macbookpro57 the original Passport was a rebadged Isuzu Rodeo. A very good off-roader for sure.

[@williamparker7823]

@@thebigmacd I had an old Rodeo and it kept up with my friends in jeeps and pickups. The LS trims had limited slip rears and were great for off road, except heavy rock crawling.

[@thebigmacd]

@@boskobear 1G Ridgelines don't actually have a fully locking rear diff. "Locked Mode" in VTM-4 simply applies maximum clutch pressure to the rear clutches (one for each side). It doesn't even truly lock those clutches because between 6mph and 18mph it reduces the clutch friction towards zero, and even below 6mph the clutches are easy to slip. They are easy to slip because they are only sized to put a certain % of torque to the rear wheels, and there is no actual differential in the rear, just the clutches. www.ridgelineownersclub.com/attachments/variable-torque-management-vtm-4-explaination-part-1-of-2-pdf.34035/ www.ridgelineownersclub.com/attachments/variable-torque-management-vtm-4-explaination-part-2-of-2-pdf.34036/

[@michaelboese6679]

Check out the GMC TERRIAN on the trail with the all wheel drive .

[@jasonw8124]

I don't even think the TrailBlazer is much of a "trail blazer" either!

[@HarmonyWheeler]

Would the Mazda CX-30 or Subaru Crosstrek get stuck at the same point?

[@georgepaschalis4512]

guys you should do a real world sleep test... this video was very pure.

[@jukaprocesso]

I kind of liked the Honda Element.. Honda could make a new version, better offroad to have one off-roader on their lineup

[@tomtalker2000]

That's what the Passport is for.

[@polarbear4686]

Great video as always! Love the car color

[@alansach8437]

Crossovers are the new sedans. Not really designed for off roading. You can drive them through a little mud and gravel out to a favorite fishing spot, or across the ranch, but basically they are built for pavement and a few inches of snow or some ice. The biggest problem the CRV has is that Honda crippled it by failing to provide adequate ground clearance. While the Forester has almost 9 inches, and the Rav 4 a little over 8, the poor CRV has barely 7. Why Honda? It's not just important on a back road, but also to get through snow drifts on pavement.

[@h3runs]

Maybe demographics has something to do with it. Higher ground clearances might make it more cumbersome for older folks to get in and out of. These are all lifted hatchbacks as far as I'm concerned.

[@DerekBrown]

Be better off with a first generation CRV sporting some aggressive 215-75-15 tires for this kind of thing.

[@HoboJoeGarage]

The interior looks decent, but the CVT and frumpy styling is a huge turn off

[@zogadwoe]

Would the cross treck, the forester, the outback or ascent would handle the steps challenge? Just curious

[@victorondeng4267]

we will never know. TFL and subaru's dont see eye to eye. But CVT is shit on the subarus as well

[@kartboarder22g17]

I'd say no I own a 2014

[@victorondeng4267]

@@kartboarder22g17 Haha, and that was pre x-mode. Even worse. But all depends with use. I personally would prefer a standard auto box

[@kartboarder22g17]

Yet I will say Subaru has 4 more degrees of approach angle over the crv and .5" more ground clearance so it'll make it farther enough though I'm guessing not.

[@victorondeng4267]

@@kartboarder22g17 yes, definitely. The cvt is the only Achilles heel.

[@Slim1986]

Great review as always!!

[@roybiggins3885]

How about taking a beat up older crv or rav 4 and not worry about scratching it and see what it can do?

[@Wv8675]

These guys are like new motor week

[@kameikomiller]

I find it so interesting with how much the CRV's exterior has changed over the years. Even though, Honda wasn't interested in making off-roading vehicles, their older CRV model's could be considered off-roading vehicles to an extent. I've been using a 2007 Honda CRV AWD for work for two years now and because of the older Model having a higher lift and the front having a curved boat shape design compared to this model. It's been great with off-roading area's such as going over small land slides, driving over medium rocks that have fallen in the road without scrapping underneath, Some 6.5" or less Flooded areas have been passable, Un-even gravel and It's wonderful to avoid the deep curbs in the road with out scrapping. Other then that, It's been a trooper with being able to commute to work and back with occasional obstacles in the way.

[@Rosso488]

Yes I hated how the older CR-V looked. That one is less busy and nicer to look at.

[@whatchis1120]

Well time for Jeep Cherokee w/ active drive II in limited trim I'm curious with the approach angle.

[@LTCEZIO]

That right there is absolutely sad. I remember when the CR-V was a beast off road

[@macpherson162]

What road is this? Need to try my 4wd system on my jeep 😉

[@alexaccent]

Maybe next time drive it off road with ECON off?

[@marktesner2010]

The color is not Agean Blue. It's Sonic Gray Pearl. Love the color!!

[@djw1091994]

Can you can take the Passport on this trail? Is a dedicated low range as necessary if the 9 or 10 speed has a really aggressive 1 and 2 gear?

[@pancakes99]

I miss the 2.5 liter motor. 1.4 liter turbo is hard on the motor plus I heard they are having problems with the oil Leaking with the fuel. If I was to buy one, I would buy a 2016 model the last of the 2.5 liter .

[@mikebowden4244]

The fuel/oil situation has been fixed, but apparently was more of a problem in cold weather states and with the turbo version.

[@kentgabriel3572]

just an FYI....the info sheet was wrong about the ext color.... Agean blue is a really bright blue. Thats a new color called Sonic Gray. But yes it looks really good in that color you have.

[@larrylitmanen9877]

CUVs are more capable as they do come with AWD unlike most sedans and they do have more clearance for say getting out of snow. I had a sedan in NYC and yes it's only 1-2 times a year but it's hell to dig it out.

[@princegorman2979]

Does the mud affect any part of the car

[@Tom-ej8bb]

With todays market we couldn't get a Sienna, Tacoma, or Ridgleine any time soon so we settled for smaller SUV. Wanted a Rav4 bad but since Page Toyota and Suburban Toyota in SE Michigan were over charging we landed with a CRV from Genthe Honda at MSRP, no hassles period. We are now sworn to Honda forever. Sorry Toyota your greed lost a customer/s. Our 22 CRV now has a lil brother with our 05 Accord. When we do get the larger vehicle it probably will be HONDA as the Winner. We sold our Silverado back for 3K over buyout . Looking at ease of Mt. now I love my CRV. TY

[@robbierobinson6839]

Did the transmission overheat like the Seltos?

[@TheLilNuglet]

Isn’t that CR-V sonic grey pearl?

[@Selectstylehomes]

Yep came here to say this

[@Wolf4wdadventures.576]

Best selling SUV... For a reason. Honda make generally quality vehicles. If you like me and many others want to take there AWD SUV off road, it will need some basic mods. Even a Jeep will need mods.... A/T tyres like mentioned here, recovery boards, recovery straps, maybe a spacer kit to give it better clearance, held hand radio communications at the least... My 06 Gen 2 will take me just about anywhere except for steep climbs, large ruts and deep mud, I have surprised many with its capabilities. And I don't thrash it, I'm very careful with my AWD. To small an engine, too many electronics, too low, and it has a CVT, not good for off roading, but it's a nice vehicle for around town. Would I buy one, hell no. I need proper gears at the least.

[@davidpleitez4382]

Can you guys do a Subaru forester sport I’ve only seen the outback never a forester review

[@businessguide6219]

Thanks for sharing this!

[@veersoutlet]

Very good review I have a Honda CRV 2017 EXL Running smooth and its a fuel efficient .. Thanks for the review ..

[@ia6980]

Thank you

[@3739blog]

Well, the Acura has the SLX. Does that pass?

[@AW-iz3th]

Little tiny turbocharged motor and a cvt=no more trouble free Hondas hitting 500k

[@AW-iz3th]

@@normt5463 wow, that's so unfair

[@Z-u-m-a]

Nice video. Would be great if you guys could eventually get an older CRV (mk 3 if pos.... I have one) and really push it. Also take some ramps out to get things over the step? Seems a shame not to be able test some further due to that first hurdle. Either way, keep up the great work, and stay safe.

[@elizabethescher5445]

I used to take my Toyota Corolla Station Wagon camping off of gravel/dirt roads and had less ground clearance than this handsome Honda CRV. Sometimes, it is the driver... of course, it was a five-speed manual transmission, and could climb a tree in low speed.

[@elizabethescher5445]

Of course, I didn't do any SERIOUS 4x4 travel with the old Toyota. It got me to the campgrounds and on Forest Service roads. That was enough for me at the time!

[@johnathanwoodley5005]

I have a 2014 Honda crv EX fwd i love the car seeing you guys doing the video of the crv makes me wanna take it to a hill but which i know its a fwd just wanna test it

[@someluke005]

what about angle approach? right front wheel first, then left front, you know? or Honda just said no you can only approach direclty because reasons?

[@marlon2849]

I want you to take off road the equinox or the Tucson 😢Please

[@brandonar868]

Those have even less ground clearance, worst awd systems and suspension than the CRV....so it wouldn't make much sense

[@marlon2849]

Brandon AR my dad has a Tucson and I agree because I know the Tucson doesn’t a good awd sistem and not too much ground clearance and my mom has an Equinox and it has more ground clearance than the Tucson and AWD works so welll!

[@bobw9297]

No to CVT

[@jetfuel6043]

bob w one of the best 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@zachsteele6964]

@@jetfuel6043 It gets damaged from spinning wheels how can you even claim that to be good?

[@CGphotoOp]

Are there any lift kits available for these and what are the biggest size tires one could put with 17” wheels?

[@tomtalker2000]

There are lift kits. But honestly if you just put a good A/T tire on it instead of leaving the stock OEM tires on. Then you will see a marked improvement. I went with Falken Wildpeak A/T trails for my 2022 Touring CRV and it handles just fine in snow and light off roading. You have too know it's limitations in terms of ground clearance and don't go crazy expecting too much.

[@biknjak]

The 2020 changed to 19" wheels.

[@cornholio777]

12:34 Honda does make low range gear vehicles.. My 2002 Honda CRV EX AWD has dedicated first and second gear!