2018 Honda CR-V EX-L vs 2018 Toyota RAV4 Limited vs 2017.5 Nissan Rogue SL

Here is the link to the video, in case you would like to see the cars in action or how they were ranked (2018 CR-V vs 2018 RAV4 vs 2017.5 Rogue)

Otherwise, read for yourself how they did!

2018 Honda CR-V

With 2018 right around the corner, the small CUV segment heats up even more. Today I will be comparing the 2018 Toyota RAV4 Limited, the 2018 Honda CR-V EX-L, and 2017.5 Nissan Rogue SL. Throughout the video, I will show a variety of trim levels for each car, but will only compare one specific trim. I use a numerical points value system to evaluate the cars on a scale of 1 to 10 that is manifested at the end of the video.

The first area I will be comparing is value. The 2018 Toyota RAV4 Limited starts at $30,905. It comes with LED daytime running lights (or DRLs) LED headlights, 18-inch chrome alloy wheels, heated outside mirrors, a moon roof and a power lift gate. Also included are leather, a 7-inch high resolution multimedia display with backup camera and 4.2-inch information display behind the steering wheel. The vehicle is rounded off with heated 8-way power adjustable driver seats that come with a memory function, remote key-less entry and push button start.

2018 Toyota RAV4

Next up is the CR-V. The EX-L begins life at $29,295.  It comes with Halogen headlights, LED DRLs, heated side mirrors, a moon roof, power tailgate, and 18-inch wheels. Remote key less
entry, push-button start, and an auto-dimming rear view mirror also make an appearance in the CR-V. As in the RAV4, both front seats are power adjustable, but the CR-V has a 12-way adjustable driver’s chair. Speaking of the seats, they are leather trimmed and heated in the front. The CR-V has 8 speakers to the Toyota’s 6. The CR-V also has a 7-inch multimedia display with a backup camera—however it also has both Apple CarPlay and Android auto—a place where Honda appears to be remaining current and Toyota is falling behind. These systems allow drivers to pair their smartphone completely to the car’s infotainment system.

2017.5 Nissan Rogue

Let’s wrap up value with the 2017.5 Rogue SL. It starts at $30,360, and come with Halogen Headlights, LED DRLs, LED tail-lights, 18-inch aluminum alloy wheels, and heated mirrors. The Rogue also has a motion activated power lift gate, which is activated by sweeping your foot under the rear bumper. Enter the interior, and you will be greeted with a 7-inch infotainment system with navigation and Nissan’s around view camera, which is a back-up camera on steroids. It also has remote engine start incorporated into the key fob, and push button ignition for when you choose to start the car after opening the door. The seats are leather, with a 6-way power adjustable driver’s seat that does have a memory function, however the passenger gets stuck with a manually adjustable seat. Both the steering wheel and front passenger seats are heated in the Nissan. The SL also comes standard with the Bose premium audio system, with 9 speakers and two sub-woofers. Audiophiles look no further than this vehicle.

Let’s move on to safety, something these CUVs need to excel in to be attractive to their mostly small family demographic. The Toyota is no slouch when it comes to safety. It with blind spot monitoring, rear-cross traffic alert, and a pre-collision system with pedestrian detection. It also has radar cruise control, which allows the RAV4 to follow the car in front of it at low speeds.  Lane departure warning with steering assist rounds off the suite of standard technology features on the RAV4.

The Honda comes with similar systems to the RAV4, especially with its collision mitigation braking system, and road departure warning system. The Honda also helps you keep your lane, monitor your blind spot and potential cross traffic. A similar cruise control function is seen here as on the Toyota.

The Rogue SL comes with nearly identical features. Blind spot warning, forward emergency braking, rear cross traffic alert, and moving object detection all come standard in this application. Lacking here are the pedestrian detection seen in the RAV4, and the adaptive cruise control seen in both other vehicles.  

All three CUVs achieved the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s highest rating of Top Safety Pick Plus. The only differences the three shared were with the use of child seat anchors, where the Toyota scored Good, the Honda scored Acceptable, and the Nissan scored marginal. This doesn’t mean the anchors are any better or worse in terms of functionality, only in ease of use.

The next category to evaluate is the powertrain. The 2018 Toyota RAV4 Limited makes do with its aging 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engine that manages 176 horsepower and 172 pound-feet of torque. It is coupled to a basic 6 speed automatic transmission.

The Honda comes with a far more modern engine, employing a turbo in its 1.5-liter 4-cylinder. The smaller boosted engine makes 190 horsepower and 179 pound-feet of torque, solidly out-muscling the ancient Toyota mill. The Honda uses a CVT transmission, which some people tend to dislike, however this type of transmission has been known to get better and better with every forthcoming generation, so most consumers will have no problem with it.

The Rogue SL comes with the biggest engine at 2.5 liters and 4 cylinders, but it also is the weakest. It ekes out 170 horsepower and 175 pound-feet of torque, and is mated to a CVT like the Honda. Nissan and Toyota both need a big update to be able to compete with Honda in this area.

Powertrain and performance go hand in hand so this is the category the cars will compete in next. The RAV4 chugs to 60 miles per hour in 9.3 seconds, taking 17.0 seconds and 82.3 mph to drive a quarter mile. The Honda CR-V is the speed demon of the group, as you would expect from its more powerful engine. It blows the other two out of the water with a 7.6 second 0-60 and a 16-flat quarter mile at 89 mph.  The 2017.5 Rogue gets to 60 mph in 8.8 seconds and reaches a quarter of a mile in 16.8 seconds while traveling 84 mph.

Reliability is also a very important area that these small SUVs would like to excel at. The 2018 Toyota RAV4 is expected to have much better than average reliability, which is Consumer Report’s highest rating. The Honda CR-V receives a rating of average for reliability, while the Rogue once again splits the difference at better than average.

This leads us into the most hotly contested evaluation category—which is styling. Of course, this is a subjective matter, so viewers can feel free to edit the scores for each car according to their own views because beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The 2018 RAV4 is trying hard to be edgier after Toyota received a lot of criticism for its bland styling, and I appreciate the effort, but the execution is wrong. The back of the car looks inoffensive, but the front is a wide array of lines and slopes that are too raked for my taste. The CR-V is better, capitalizing on years of classic design for this vehicle and it comes together better than in the RAV4. The Rogue is neither good looking nor bad, which is clearly enough for many customers as the RAV4 sells in volume every year. Better to melt into traffic than be too polarizing like the Toyota. As far as interiors go, the RAV4 actually has a very nicely styled interior and it is easy on the eyes. The same can be said for the Rogue, either cabin would be a pleasant place to melt away the miles. The CR-V also has a nice interior, but I am not a fan of the center-stack mounted gear-shifter. I’m sure it increases the space and functionality of the front of the car, but I am willing to sacrifice some space for an attractive interior.

Finally, we will look at fuel economy. The RAV4 achieves a rating of 23 miles per gallon in the city, and 29 on the highway. The CR-V puts up a stellar performance of 28 in the city and 34 on the highway, with the Rogue splitting the difference with 26 in the city and 33 on the highway. 

Based off of this (and although you are missing my numerical ratings) the CR-V won handily, with the Rogue barely edging out the RAV4.