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Speedy921's avatar
Speedy921
Explorer
Jun 22, 2018

Honda CRV ?

Can all CRV s be flat towed ? I have a Jeep Liberty 4x4 I know I can tow but the gas mileage is killing me. Was thinking about a CRV. Also do the towed miles add up ?

Thanks.
  • Speedy921 wrote:
    but the gas mileage is killing me.


    The payback on money saved in MPGs versus the cost to sell/buy is probably 10s of thousands of miles. Add to that the $$ to setup the new vehicle to be a toad and your payback gets even longer.

    A quick calculation between 20 and 25 MPGs with gas @ $3/gallon shows $300 per 10,000 miles difference. I can't imagine buying/selling and setting up a new vehicle for less than a few thousand dollars (likely much more).

    Sorry to answer a question you didn't ask but I've been down this road before and didn't initially realize just how little $$ a few MPGs saves.
  • We have a 2011 CRV and are pleased with flat tow. Mixed driving gets 28 MPG. We use a blue ox tow bar, base plat, and rvi brake system. This Honda we bought used in2014 at Carmax and hands down has been the most trouble free vehicle we have ever owned.
  • I goofed up, '14 is towable as has been stated. Thanks for the correction.
    Scott
  • 2014 was last year towable 4-down. Have a 2014, AWD, automatic.
    Have been towing it since new and never a problem. Towed mileage does not show on odometer.

    Comfort and handling are personal issues and have little to actually do with the car in question. To us it is both comfortable and easy to handle.

    I keep regular track of MPG and have averaged approx 23mpg since new. Both freeway and city driving. Most I have got is 30mpg on an all freeway trip (over 200 miles). Generally drive within about 5mph of posted limit.

    Would recommend highly.
  • FIRE UP wrote:
    Speedy921 wrote:
    Can all CRV s be flat towed ? I have a Jeep Liberty 4x4 I know I can tow but the gas mileage is killing me. Was thinking about a CRV. Also do the towed miles add up ?

    Thanks.


    Well,
    You've gotten plenty of answers on the towability of a CRV. You're not stating WHICH YEAR of CRV you're thinking about. The limit, as stated, is the '14 and up. We towed an '11 CRV for a year but, TO US, the CRV was just not comfortable and, what we were lead to believe was going to be GOOD gas mileage, turned out to be NOT SO GOOD. We're not hot rodders by any stretch of the imagination. We always drove it conservatively.

    I will admit, we lived in Ramona CA at the time of ownership and, we'd have to "run down" to the San Diego area (and surrounding areas) on a quite often basis. But, the fuel mileage on that '11 hovered quite consistently close to 17-20 mph for in town, shorter drive type things. On the freeway, for any distance over say, 50 miles or more, if we kept it down to around 60 mph, yeah, we could creep up to around 23-24 mpg. But, generally, for all around driving, it would hover around 19 or so.


    Yet, the manufacturer claims 21 and 28. Well, we tried and tried to get that kind of mileage but, it just fell short, all the time. Not to mention it just was not that comfortable. And, it was a rougher ride. So, we only kept it right at about a year and sold it. I'll take our '15 Jeep, JKUR at almost the same fuel mileage ANY DAY OF THE WEEK. Much more comfortable, quiet, in town with mods I've made, around 15-17 and on the road at 60-65, between 17 and 20. And, it goes ANYWHERE I POINT IT OFF ROAD. Love it.
    Scott


    Wrong 2015 & up are not towable 4 down. 2014 last year towable 4 down
  • Speedy921 wrote:
    Can all CRV s be flat towed ? I have a Jeep Liberty 4x4 I know I can tow but the gas mileage is killing me. Was thinking about a CRV. Also do the towed miles add up ?

    Thanks.


    Well,
    You've gotten plenty of answers on the towability of a CRV. You're not stating WHICH YEAR of CRV you're thinking about. The limit, as stated, is the '14 and up. We towed an '11 CRV for a year but, TO US, the CRV was just not comfortable and, what we were lead to believe was going to be GOOD gas mileage, turned out to be NOT SO GOOD. We're not hot rodders by any stretch of the imagination. We always drove it conservatively.

    I will admit, we lived in Ramona CA at the time of ownership and, we'd have to "run down" to the San Diego area (and surrounding areas) on a quite often basis. But, the fuel mileage on that '11 hovered quite consistently close to 17-20 mph for in town, shorter drive type things. On the freeway, for any distance over say, 50 miles or more, if we kept it down to around 60 mph, yeah, we could creep up to around 23-24 mpg. But, generally, for all around driving, it would hover around 19 or so.


    Yet, the manufacturer claims 21 and 28. Well, we tried and tried to get that kind of mileage but, it just fell short, all the time. Not to mention it just was not that comfortable. And, it was a rougher ride. So, we only kept it right at about a year and sold it. I'll take our '15 Jeep, JKUR at almost the same fuel mileage ANY DAY OF THE WEEK. Much more comfortable, quiet, in town with mods I've made, around 15-17 and on the road at 60-65, between 17 and 20. And, it goes ANYWHERE I POINT IT OFF ROAD. Love it.
    Scott
  • They are great cars with lots of clearance under them for any back roads you might travel on. My 03 CRV tows easily without adding mileage.
  • The 2014 CR-V is the last Honda than can be towed with 4-wheels down. Miles do not appear on the odometer while it is being towed. I have towed mine for about 12,000 miles.
  • j-d's avatar
    j-d
    Explorer II
    CRV is crazy popular as toad, right up with Wrangler.
    BUT not the Late Model ones! After about 2014, Honda went to CVT instead of a real transmission and the CVT version is not flat towable.
    Up to about 2014, flat towable in both the FWD and AWD versions.
    Can't confirm/deny if towed miles are recorded. In theory, no, not since cars went away from mechanical speedometers and cables. But, probably depends on what gets energized when the Key is in ACC (if it needs to be, doesn't on all cars) for towing.

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