Yes, for the most part, you're correct.......in my earlier posting with DASHOCKER we spoke of them being off the same "platform", but, as you point out, it is not really the same "platform" except for roughly the same height and dimensions. They may have started from the same drawing board, but by the time the RDX was finalized, the two ended up much different (it had to be). As you point out, the CR-V and RDX use a different AWD systems, and I pointed out that the major engine and suspension differences. If you have driven both of them (and I assume you have, like me), you will easily notice the RDX's far more aggressive character....the CR-V, in comparison, is like a mail truck.

 

I sure hope so. I had my first bumper scratch on my Prius and I can see the black plastic underneath. The paint coat is super super thin. Thinner than that of our recently lost Camry.

 

Its the usual Honda jack of all trades great vehicle but it is AWFUL to look at. It makes me cringe. I was browsing their forums and the older CR-V buyers hate it, seems to be a hit with newbies.

I bet 100% if that thing was badged a Pontiac or Ford or GM or Dodge, it would rust on dealer lots and the press would bash its looks.

Great review again.

 

What I meant was that Toyota/Lexus paint jobs are super-smooth, super-glossy, and virtually with blemish. No othjer manufacturer seems to do it so consistantly, especially with entry/level and low-priced vehicles.

On your Prius, the reason that you see the black vinyl underneath (it is actually vinyl, not plastic) is that the paint is soft there, not necessarily super-thin. Even a thick coat of paint, or multiple coats, will look thin to the human eye.....you can't always judge thickness by the sight alone. But bumper paint is usually softer than paint over regular sheet metal or body hardware, because the vinyl on the bumper flexes. Today's bumpers flex a little on low-speed impacts and rebound again.......Federal law says they have to withstand damage and protect the car at 2.5 MPH. And, of course, when it flexes, the paint has to flex with it..........like the body paint on the old Saturn plastic body panels. If the bumper paint was the same paint used on sheet metal body body and didn't flex along with the bumper, every time the bumper flexed the paint would get full of spider-web cracks. Look at and feel the paint carefully on the bumper and metal body panels and you will see that it is of two different finishes and consistancies. The top paint coat, of course, is not the color itself, but usually one or two layers of clearcoat.

Here's a little inexpensive hint, and I've done it myself: If you don't want to live with an unsightly scar, and it's too deep for a product like liquid SCRATCH OUT or other rub-on scratch remover to get out, and you don't want to fool around with insurance or body shops, wash and dry the bumper, get a roll of automotive blackout tape (many auto-parts stores have it....TrimBrite is a good brand), and simply apply a stripe or pattern of the flat-black tape over the scar to hide it. You can either do it as a stripe or as a pattern. Do it on the opposite side of the bumper to match...in the opposite direction. If you do it right, it will either lok like the black trim used at the factory, or will dilute the effect of the paint scratch so much you won't really care. Of course, you can only do that so many times.....too much black tape or too often will make the car look ludicrous.

I did that on my yellow IS300.....got a scratch on the rear bumper bad enough to be irritating and too deep for SCRATCH OUT, yet not bad enough for insurance or the body shop. I took a 1" wide roll of flat-black auto trim tape and did the middle of the whole rear bumper....made it look like a factory rub strip in the middle. The effect was striking.....I got a lot of compliments on it when I told people it was my work.....they thought the car came from the factory that way. When I got ready to replace it, I was offered, even for a trade, full KBB bok value......and that is unusual on a trade. ( I won't reveal if I took the offer or not).

 

It's actually better looking, in some ways, than the first CR-V, though I agree that the big, triangular up-sweep headlights (common on a number of Hondas), and the Volvo-esque roof-high taillights, IMO, could use some restyling. And the dash layout and interior is better on this new model as well. The biggest improvement is probably in the control layout...it is much more like a conventional car now..........and MORE conventional on the dash than its litle brother Civic, which has the odd, two-tier instrument panel.

But, park this Jack-Of-All-Trades vehicle next to, say, a Mustang GT or the new Dodge Challenger, and I totally agree with you........there's no question which is the better-looking vehicle.

 

Ohh I see. Weird, our Camry's paint was hard and didn't flex (corner bump as well). Given that the Prius' paint was just scratched, maybe i can just be liberal with the touch-up paint. It'll take a while though >.< and I can't start it soon since it just started snowing and we'll get torrential rain on Mon. Thanks for the black tape idea, that's a pretty good! (And I kinda like those black bumper stripes on the Golf and 3 series...)

 

Thanks for the writeup!

21k MSRP in the US?

No wonder Canadians are flocking to the states to buy vehicles.

Comparable model in Canada is $29 790

 

and even then the base $29,790 is more expensive (if we're using parity) than a US CR-V EX-L w/ nav.

 

Comparable vehicles in Canada often cost more than their U.S. counterparts. I don't know exactly why this is so, or if it is independent of taxes or not, but taxes in Canada, being part of the European British Commonwealth, are, of course, substantially higher than in the U.S., but that does not necessarily explain why the company charges more for the same product. You also have to convert the price to U.S. dollars, then compare the U.S. dollar's floating value against the Canadian dollar....which will change periodically.

 

most are using a 1.5 exchange rate even back then at 60/65¢ to the dollar.

e.g.

2004 US Prius - starts at $20k
2004 Cdn Prius - starts at $29,990

2003 Corolla LE - US$15k/Cdn$20,565

2007 TCH - US$26,200/Cdn$32,000. Fully Loaded it's US$31k/Cdn$38k

2008 ES350 UL - US$44k/Cdn$55,350

 

Thanks. That seems to explain the part I wasn't sure of....Canadian vehicles are more expensive even apart from the higher taxes. And then, when you add the higher taxes on top of that...........

 

$25 for battery/tyre levy
$100 Federal A/C excise tax

PDI is also a LOT more expensive here. Toyota and Acura, to name a few, charge between $1,000 and $1,300 for PDF (compared to your $600ish).

The difference is larger with costlier cars


BMW 335i priced the way I like it - US$45k/Cdn$60k
BMW 328i priced the way I like it - US$40k/Cdn$50k
IS350 fully loaded - US$45k/Cdn$60k

So yeah, the IS350 and 335i are competitively priced compared to each other in Canada lol.