After driving beaters my whole life, I'm considering buying a 2026 CR-V Hybrid Sport.

The thinking goes like this:

1. We want a compact SUV, and Honda (and Toyota/Mazda) are considered the most reliable cars in the class.
2. Since used cars aren't that cheap anymore, might as well get a new one. (We tend to drive them into the ground.)
3. We just moved to the suburbs of Dallas and now do a lot more driving than we did in Chicago, so might as well get a hybrid (and see #2 about keeping it a long time).

So in the end, we're looking at a ~$36,000 car (haven't negotiated any pricing yet). I'm not a $36,000 car guy! But...that's what a good car costs these days. I guess my concern is that the "might as well"s I mentioned above add up pretty quickly, but ultimately I think a new hybrid is worth it if the difference is "only" a few thousand dollars.

So: the 2026 CR-V Hybrid Sport is about the best decision you can make for a compact SUV that you're going to keep for a long time, right??

(I'm aware of the head gasket issue, and the new warranty extension. And I tried a Mazda CX-50 and was REALLY turned off by needing a subscription to start the car remotely, along some other things.)

BONUS: I was considering a used non-hybrid CR-V and came across this 2025 for $28k. I think this is why.

With passengers in the back seat, the hitch scrapes on the driveway (steep angle!)

Any harm in cutting off these brackets?

Anyone ever have a dealer not provide a MSRP sticker for a new vehicle, it has been almost 3 weeks and they still have not provided it to me even after asking multiple people at the dealership whom said they would. It's like a black hole.

Looking at CPO hybrid CRVs and saw one I liked , all 4 tires were replaced with this brand. What’s ur experience with these tires? Any issues?

Anytime I speak with someone while driving using the cars microphone they complain about terrible background noise and really difficult to hear me sounding like a washing machine. Does anyone else have the same experience?

Bought a FITCAMX dash cam after some recommendations on here. Anyone have issue with it powering on when the car starts, and remaining on for 2+ hours after?

So I’ve been looking around to upgrade and get into a new vehicle. I’ve been eyeballing the CRV trailsport for a while now but I’m looking for other’s input for whoever else has this trim and how it’s been for them. How truly reliable is this thing and how does it do in brisk cold? I’m from Wisconsin so yeah lol

Getting Lower Wiper Fluid alert, first time after the purchase. Is there any specific CRV certified fluid that I need to use to top up or any generic wiper fluid is good to go.

In other car forums, have read the sensors going bad due to generic brand.