Ok, I realize this is kinda crazy comparing the two, but bear with me...
We currently own a 2019 Model 3 with 18" wheels. We live in SoCal. My family, especially those sitting in the rear seats, is finding the ride to be somewhat uncomfortable. I genuinely don't know exactly what the issue is, but anyone sitting in the back will typically get nauseous / motion sickness quite easily. I didn't believe my wife at first until I switched places with her. This has made longer drives (1+ hours) with the M3 unbearable. I know the first thing that comes to mind is driving style, but we are not aggressive drivers and we both have it on "Chill" mode. We weren't driving luxury cars prior to the M3 - I was driving a Hyundai Sonata and my wife drove a Mazda CX-5. However, I'm slowly coming to the realization that the M3 is not a good "family" car
for us, due to a combination of comfort, rear legroom and trunk space. Frustrated, I figured I'll just get us a good ole Honda CR-V. So comfortable it screams "road trip" when you hop inside. However, before I retire back to an ICE, I was considering giving the Model Y a chance. Maybe all we really need is an SUV, not a sedan? However, upon some light reading, it seems that the Y rides just as stiff, if not stiffer than the 3, which is concerning.
So my question is, has anyone here had a chance to compare these 2 completely different vehicles? Any other thoughts / comments would be appreciated, but please be nice
I'm your huckleberry. I traded my 2018 CRV for a 2021 Model Y in March. Okay.. well I technically bought the Model Y in March and sold the CRV in April. But you get the idea. I was very extensive when comparing the two, to the point where I even parked them side by side while doing the test drive on the Model Y. Also being 6'3" and a Dad of 3-year-old twins, I removed the car seats out the CRV and put them into Y for the test drive. I wanted to make sure there was enough legroom in the rear seat WITH the car seats installed, that it would still be comfortable enough for me to drive.
Comfort - The front seats in the Y are definitely more comfortable. Along with the legroom. The CRV has this weird, bulky console & shifter thing that always was annoying. It impedes legroom because my right knee always was against it. I actually sat in the rear seat of the Y while a few friends test drove my car. It was pretty roomy and comfortable back there. The Y has 5" of additional legroom.. vs the smaller 3.. which is one the main reasons I never bothered with the 3 (I did the same test drive with the 3 and was ridiculously disappointed how cramped the rear seat legroom was). The rear seats also recline slightly in the Y. That said the CRV does have even more legroom, at least in the rear. I would say the CRV has an additional 1-2" of combined legroom (that's measuring front & rear legroom together).
Cargo - CRV has a bigger cargo hold, but the Y has more compartments. The Y has a huge compartment under the floor, it's so big it feels like a spare tire could fit back there. There are also pretty decent size compartments on each side of the huge one, and Tesla offers additional containers for it so they can be sealed off and hidden from the cargo floor. If you don't get the optional 3rd row.. there is an additional compartment underfloor space there where larger flat items can be hidden. Finally, there is the front frunk.. which gives you the 5th compartment for storage. So the CRV has a bigger man area.. but the Y probably has equal spacing considering all the hidden containers.
Ride - The Y ride is stiff. I had a Corvette before the CRV (hey I didn't have kids lol) and the Y's ride is similar to that. There's really no way around this stiff ride except for ordering a $2000 suspension kit and changing the shocks/springs on the vehicle. That said I've grown to like the stiff ride. It's sporty and makes for fun handling maneuvers around corners. The CRV's ride is significantly softer and basically what you'd expect from a Honda.
Both cars offer incredible value.
IMO the Y is the best bang for the buck vehicle Tesla sells. The 3 is too small, sits too low, has too little rear-seat legroom, and is equipped with a trunk.. which makes it less desirable for 'family' use vs the Y. Not only is the Y at least 10% bigger in pretty much all proportions but it sits significantly higher, has a hatchback and true lay flat floor with open cargo area.. which makes it much more useful for haul large items like big boxes, furniture, pets, etc.
The CRV also has an incredible bang for the buck. There is still a long list of features I had on my $27K CRV.. are completely missing from my $50K Model Y. It had CarPlay, Android Auto, rear cross-traffic alerts, real blind-spot monitoring, built-in garage door opener. Add to that Honda's incredible record of great service and reliability.. and it leaves me with a lot of question marks about the long-term experience with Tesla. My CRV was pretty much perfect in every way.. to include its build quality. That said it pretty much sucked to drive. The weak engine & CVT makes the acceleration and sportiness laughable. The CRV felt like an appliance and paying the monthly car note felt like I was paying a utility bill.
At the end of the day of it's certainly your choice. The Y isn't going to drive much differently than the 3. It's going to be stiff and the acceleration/braking will probably still induce motion sickness (if you are already using "Chill mode") as the drivetrain is exactly the same on both vehicles. But the Y is definitely saving me money on gas every week.. and it's definitely appreciating in value.. things the CRV never did. I never would have imagined it.. but it does feel like paying twice as much for the Y.. is going to somehow save me money in the long run lol.
I'll finish by saying the Y is incredible to drive. Its fun, fast, futuristic.. and gets more attention than any vehicle I have ever driven. I feel absolutely blessed to be able to own one. About the only regret I have is that I waited this long to get the Y. That said I couldnt have picked a more perfect time to buy.. as I got in on the lowest price this year buying in March, but was still able to get a Y that has radar, passenger lumbar, refreshed console, double-paned windows, heated steering wheel, etc.
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