Overview
HONDA Australia has introduced its updated CR-V mid-sized SUV into the local market this week, the range broadened to offer more hybrid variants and a lower entry price, the refreshed line-up now priced from $44,900 driveaway.
Front- and all-wheel drive drivelines are available alongside five- and seven-seat passenger configurations, the updated CR-V range centred around a diversified e:HEV (petrol-electric hybrid) offering that sees more variants available with the dual electric motor / 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol powerplant.
Honda claims the e:HEV arrangement can offer over 1000km driving range on the combined cycle, the system meeting what it says is growing demand for a technology that requires no behavioural change from its customers.
e:HEV CR-V variants output 135kW/335Nm via a continuously variable transmission while petrol variants develop 140kW/240Nm courtesy of a turbocharged 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol, again transmitting drive via a CVT and with the choice of front- or all-wheel drive.
Honda lists combined cycle fuel consumption at 5.5 litres per 100km for the e:HEV and 7.1L/100km for the petrol. All-wheel drive configurations add 0.2L/100km in both instances.
Petrol power remains the most cost-effective entry into the CR-V range with the five-seat VTi-X grade available from $44,900 d/a. The cheapest hybrid option is the five-seat e:HEV X from $49,900 d/a.
One additional petrol-powered grade is available, with the seven-seat VTi-L7 priced from $54,900 d/a.
Otherwise, it’s a hybrid run to the top of the range with the five-seat e:HEV L from $53,900 d/a, the five-seat e:HEV LX AWD from $58,900 d/a, and the flagship five-seat e:HEV RS, now with all-wheel drive, from $64,400 d/a.
Elsewhere, changes to the 2026 Honda CR-V include the adoption of Google built-in and Honda Connect technologies, a 360-degree camera system, head-up display, a heated steering wheel, ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, LED cornering lights, LED ambient cabin lighting, and DAB+ digital radio reception – though most are reserved for higher grade variants.
The Honda CR-V wears a four-star ANCAP safety rating despite the inclusion of extensive active and passive safety technologies (dubbed Honda Sensing).
It is important to note that the lower ANCAP rating stems from a lower Safety Assist score (68 per cent) and lower Vulnerable Road User Protection score (76 per cent) and not its Adult Occupant Protection score (88 per cent) or Child Occupant Protection score (also 88 per cent).
As standard, the CR-V is equipped with 11 airbags, adaptive cruise control with low-speed follow and traffic jam assist, autonomous emergency braking, auto high beam, blind-spot monitoring, lane departure warning, lane keeping assistance, rear cross-traffic alert, and traffic sign recognition to name but a few.
As well as offering a national driveaway price on its model range, Honda continues to back its vehicles with a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, five years’ roadside assistance, and five years’ capped-price servicing (at $199 per service).
Scheduled maintenance increments are set at 12 months or 10,000km (whichever comes first), 5000km lower than most segment entrants.
Driving Impressions
The updated CR-V range is almost impossible to distinguish from its predecessor. For most buyers, that’s neither here nor there, the increase in value and equipment a more compelling reason to buy Honda’s mid-sized SUV than made-over looks or flashy new alloys.
Still, a little more differentiation might have been nice…
What hasn’t changed – we say breathing a sigh of relief – is the experience the CR-V delivers inside the cab, and most importantly, from behind the ‘wheel.
The Honda CR-V remains an absolute pleasure to get in and drive.
The hybrid’s shift between petrol and electric drive is almost imperceptible, and at the same time very intelligent.
Not once did we find ourselves pushing the throttle to “wake the system up”, the e:HEV driveline almost pre-emptive of corners and changes in topography, choosing the right drive source and the right gear ratio for the job.
As well as being smooth, the driveline is also surprisingly peppy. Honda quotes 135kW/335Nm from its petrol-electric hybrid offering, a number that feels pessimistic, given the enthusiasm with which the e:HEV offerings accelerate.
The petrol range is less energetic, but still remarkably well-polished. There’s no flaring on upshifts or awkward CVT ‘clunk’ when coming to rest, the system simply delivering predictable and acceptable performance regardless of the driving environment.
That ability to feel at home whether dawdling around town or weaving down a country back road also applies to the CR-V’s ride/handling blend. The vehicle feels planted over a range of surfaces and remains controlled over upsets, recovering quickly when challenged.
Honda’s variable speed electrically assisted steering arrangement is well weighted, but arguably not as feelsome as it could be. Still, this is a family hauler, and the compromise is one that pays off in close confines, helping to make the CR-V an obliging partner in daily duties.
The cabin is well-laid out with sensible ergonomics and supportive seating. Oddment storage, device charging, cup-holders and so forth are well placed and sufficient in number, without being overdone.
Our only caveat to the “sensible” part of the CR-V’s cabin layout equation is the shift-by-wire selector that arguably takes up just as much room as a traditional lever, while at the same time being quite unintuitive to use.
We found the ratio of space between the front seat, back seat, and cargo area is close to ideal, though seven-seat variants are best thought of as a 5+2 solution suited to smaller children and/or temporary use.
While the CR-V lacks a spare wheel, it features just about everything else Australian family buyers expect. The driver assistance technologies are well-calibrated and simple to use, the switchgear and touchscreen menus are straightforward, and the instrument panel is both slick and concise, making it very easy to read while on-the-go.
Our launch drive was more challenging than the average day-in-the-life of a CR-V, meaning our fuel consumption returns might be higher than should be reasonably expected. Still, with numbers around the 6.3L/100km mark in the e:HEV and 8.1L/100km in the petrol, it is safe to say the quoted economy numbers are not too far from reality.
In our view, the Honda CR-V stands tall as a sensible, almost-premium offering in a very crowded segment. It offers most of what Aussie buyers expect, without resorting to novelty and needless tricks. The pricing is fair, the aftersales bundle straightforward, and the car itself an attractive and pleasurable one to live with.
Perhaps Honda didn’t need to make it look any newer after all.