Topic: First Drive: 2011 Mitsubishi RVR

[Mike]

The CR-V has a horrible AWD system, not competent.

While maybe not the best, it's far from being incompetent system. To get you moving on snow and ice, it's just fine. I know, I had an old CR-V for a while and enjoyed driving it in the winter tremendously.

Does it still use the 90%/10% arangement until wheels slip?

No clue, I haven't kept up with the CR-V. I know my Sportage is 99%/1% until slippage is detected. And it works perfectly for moving around on snow and ice. And of course, I can lock it in 4WD (up to 50kph I believe), and disable ESC if I wish. Would I prefer a more permanent AWD system such as Subaru's system, sure, but the system in the Sportage is certainly more than adequate for mostly city driving.

Is it really 99/1? That seems a bit inefficient???  To be running the rear axle barely all the time.  The reason I asked about th Honda system is I always thought the same thing.  Why not just make it FWD until there is slippage then engage the rear wheels?  It may have something to do with engineering that I do not understand.

I wasn't attackng the systems or saying Subies is better I was just curious.  However, I never did understand a fulltime AWD system that is set up to send less then 30% to one set of wheels in 'regular' mode. Either make it AWD, or make it on demand AWD

[Shnak]

The CR-V has a horrible AWD system, not competent.

While maybe not the best, it's far from being incompetent system. To get you moving on snow and ice, it's just fine. I know, I had an old CR-V for a while and enjoyed driving it in the winter tremendously.

Does it still use the 90%/10% arangement until wheels slip?

No clue, I haven't kept up with the CR-V. I know my Sportage is 99%/1% until slippage is detected. And it works perfectly for moving around on snow and ice. And of course, I can lock it in 4WD (up to 50kph I believe), and disable ESC if I wish. Would I prefer a more permanent AWD system such as Subaru's system, sure, but the system in the Sportage is certainly more than adequate for mostly city driving.

Is it really 99/1? That seems a bit inefficient???  To be running the rear axle barely all the time.  The reason I asked about th Honda system is I always thought the same thing.  Why not just make it FWD until there is slippage then engage the rear wheels?  It may have something to do with engineering that I do not understand.

I wasn't attackng the systems or saying Subies is better I was just curious.  However, I never did understand a fulltime AWD system that is set up to send less then 30% to one set of wheels in 'regular' mode. Either make it AWD, or make it on demand AWD

From what I'm reading, the CR-V is FWD until slippage is detected. I did double-check and the Tucson/Sportage AWD system, at least the previous generation (not sure about the new ones), does run in 99/1 split until slippage is detected. I'm not sure how that affects fuel consumption as opposed to a system using FWD until slippage like the CR-V. I would guess that it might be able to react a tad quicker to wheel slippage than a FWD-then-AWD system, but that's just me guessing.

[tim]

I want to like the RVR too...I sat in it yesterday and my head was touching the roof (6"1). Too bad, it's a nice suv.

Actually I test drove more than 7 cars yesterday and the one that stood out was the CR-V. I thought I would like the Forester but man was I wrong, the interior was awful and the drive was noisy. The X3 was a joke, tested the 2010, bad interior, expensive and not as good as I thought it would be given the price. Again, wanted to like the outlander but why does the V6 require premium fuel...again deal breaker. Didn't like the RAV4, for the price you pay, you get hardly any options...34k and still no leather wheel?? loved the Q5 but theres a five month wait for it..to me it looks to be the segment leader for a compact SUV

The CR-V by far was the standout of the group other than the Q5 but with the 2012 redesign around the corner, waiting may be the best move.

Wait for the 2011 X3 which is coming out at the end of Dec. or in Jan.  It is new from the ground up and will put away virtually all others, it is that good.  The CR-V has a horrible AWD system, not competent.  The Forester is crude and noisy and Subaru is going downhill just like Toyota.  AVOID all their cars unless you are a masochist.

Wait for the new X3 and whatever you do, do check out the new 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee which is also new from the ground up, has new-found reliability, incredible creature comforts, the best AWD system on the market, a beautiful and quiet interior (64 dB at 70 mph cruising on the highway, the same as the new Rolls-Royce Ghost!).  The car also has a touch of Italian flare from Fiat.  I have driven 6 or 7 by now and have ordered one.  It is a fine, and I do mean FINE, piece of work.

For those who bleat that the Jeeps have a history of unreliability, that was true of the old ones.  The new one is just as reliable as the very best on the road!  Check it out!  You will be amazed.  I was.

Did I mention it has a top-or-the-line Alpine audio system, Garmin's latest NAV unit, heated and cooled seats and a heated steering wheel, memory seats, etc.  A fine piece of work indeed and it will go as happily on the road as up Moab.

Wow, work for Jeep or something? How do you know it's reliable, they have been on the road for a month...shouldn't that be determined after a few years? And looking back, Jeep doesn't have a great track record. It does look good, but its also not cheap and still manages to suck up quite a bit of fuel compared to smaller, more manageable 4-cylinder models.

To the OP, did you just try the RVR or did you also try the bigger Mitsu, the Outlander? If you liked the RVR it might offer some of the same features but a little more space. I know driving a co-workers late-model Outlander I was impressed by the nimble nature of the vehicle, with direct steering and good sense of balance and control.

hey, I didn't try the Outlander that day, but I'm going back this weekend to test drive it. I've heard bad things about the 4 cyclinder (underpowered) but for the price it's pretty competitive. I love the XLS with the V6 but i'm still hesitant about the premium fuel...

[Roy]

hey, I didn't try the Outlander that day, but I'm going back this weekend to test drive it. I've heard bad things about the 4 cyclinder (underpowered) but for the price it's pretty competitive. I love the XLS with the V6 but i'm still hesitant about the premium fuel...

It seems that you can use regular fuel.  The most power is achieved with premium and the best fuel economy.  In terms of the power, you MIGHT notice it but it's not like a night and day kick in the pants difference.  In terms of fuel economy, an increase in fuel tank range is offset by the higher costs for premium in the first place, so in terms of net costs its still cheaper to run on regular.

I'm biased but for the price category the XLS has the most sophisticated AWD system that increases handling and traction on snow and ice while still providing decent interior room and cargo over its competitors (all things being equal such as same road conditions and tires between the vehicles).  The only down side is that the engine still does not put out a lot of relative power.  Like the 528 review states though is 220/230hop sufficient?  IMO, yes.   Its all about your priorties though.

[Dante]

I own a 2007 Outlander V6 AWD and I can tell you that the power is not an issue on this vehicle if you judge by how the car behaves on the road (and I like power). Sure, the RAV4 V6 has more power and it's faster to 60 mph if this is what you are after, but in normal driving conditions, the V6 220hp engine is absolutely adequate for the car. It never left me wishing for more. I can’t speak about the I4 models and I would want a V6 for this type of vehicle myself (it was one of the “must have” for me when I was shopping for a compact SUV).
As far as the basic AWD system goes, it works very well too. I cannot compare it with other systems as I did not conduct any type of side-by-side testing in challenging conditions, but in my own experience, no winter driving conditions we've had in the GTA and surrounding areas (country side, ski resorts) for the past 4 years came even close to challenge the Outlander and I tried to make it struggle (I deliberately drove through a severe snow storm on hilly side roads north of Toronto one winter to try it out).The car pulled effortlessly from the deepest show I could find, packed snow and icy roads, etc. I run on Nokian WR G2 all-weather tires now and for the first two winters I had the OEM tires on.

[roy]

As far as the basic AWD system goes, it works very well too.

Yup...I think the biggest benefit of the non-S-AWC AWD is the fact you can turn it off and run it in 2rd for improved fuel economy, regular AWD, or increased rear torque bias AWD.