Ashby said:
@Ridley
The price difference between a Sport-L and a Touring is basically that steering wheel upgrade…
Only if you’re comparing all-wheel drive trims. If you don’t need AWD, the price jump from Sport-L to Touring is pretty steep.
@Del
I’m seeing a price differential of $1000 via CarGurus out of a dealership near Baltimore…
Ashby said:
@Del
I’m seeing a price differential of $1000 via CarGurus out of a dealership near Baltimore…
In my area, a 2025 Sport Touring is $42,150 on CarGurus. A Sport-L is $37,205. Hardly a minor difference.
@Del
I’m willing to travel a few hours to save $4000…
Ashby said:
@Ridley
The price difference between a Sport-L and a Touring is basically that steering wheel upgrade…
It wasn’t though. As I said in my post, it was almost $4000 for the trim upgrade and $1,300 for the steering wheel option.
For me, it’s the extra noise dampening that’s in the Touring models. Quietest car I’ve ever owned.
I went with the Sport-L and am really happy with it. The touring extras were not worth the price to me.
Bose really rocks. I run FLAC files through it and even when driving the HiFi is there. Just sitting sounds awesome. I thought the heated wheel was going to be Meh until I started using it on cold mornings. Bigger screen is nice too. Some folks get upset about no spare tire; they give you an air can solution, but I don’t change tires; I have AAA.
I love the Sport Touring. So comfortable and quiet. I’d pay the extra just for that. I’m in Ontario, Canada and also prefer the AWD.
Also based on how the Honda hybrid system works, it’s primarily the electric motor driving you forward and not the engine, which would mean most of the time it’s just FWD regardless of having AWD or not.
I would drive both. I will say that the Sport Touring is much quieter than the other models. It includes better windshield and tempered side windows. The Bose speakers also put out a white noise that you can’t hear, but reduces the outside noise. There is also more insulation underneath the car as well.
You may not think this is important, but the Bose speakers are a major upgrade. I had a 2017 CRV Touring and it was noticeably different between the 24 and 17.
I cannot answer the difference between the two AWD. I can only speak to driving in two bad rain storms. One was before Thanksgiving last year and one was in this year with one of the former hurricanes; a band hit my state. With the ST, I never felt the wind. I would have felt the wind in 17 Touring. On the second storm, it opened up to the point water was standing on the road. I hydroplaned one time and regained control almost immediately.
Btw, I traded in my 17 Touring and got a 25 ST. So we now have 24 and 25 ST.
I’m glad I went with the base hybrid Sport FWD. Knowing what I know now, spending extra for the L and Touring is not worth it. It’s not the best bang-for-the-buck car value for your money. However, the base hybrid Sport FWD or possibly AWD gives you so much value if you’re set on a Honda CRV.
Honda reliability has kind of plummeted; just look at JD Power ratings. Read the many reports of issues reported here.