√2022 Honda CR-V VTi FWD review

How does Honda’s once-popular mid-size SUV stack up in the twilight of its life? Is it still a desirable alternative to more popular players, or has the shine worn off?

How much does the Honda CR-V cost in Australia?

The Honda CR-V is a mid-size SUV competing for attention in the most popular – and most populated – new vehicle market segment in Australia.

Medium SUVs generally account for one in five new vehicles bought by Australians. The most popular by far are the Toyota RAV4 and Mazda CX-5, followed by the Kia Sportage, Hyundai Tucson and Mitsubishi Outlander.

The Honda CR-V used to be a power player in this category, but Honda’s sales volumes have dropped considerably over the last three years. Good news for the Japanese premium brand is that sales are on the improve in 2022, suggesting that the company’s move to fixed pricing and cheap servicing is gaining acceptance from buyers.

An all-new Honda CR-V was unveiled overseas back in July, but the current model will have to soldier on for a while longer in Australia as the new one is not expected here until the second half of 2023.

The Honda CR-V range looks complex initially, with a mix of 2WD, AWD, five-seat, seven-seat, 1.5-litre and 2.0-litre engines – and Honda’s inconsistency with badging doesn’t make it any easier to navigate. We’ll give you a rundown shortly, but first it’s worth noting that Honda only quotes drive-away prices, which makes it easier for buyers to know exactly how much it will cost to park one in their driveway (excluding insurance).

The 2022 Honda CR-V range kicks off with the CR-V Vi priced at $35,900. This is a front-drive variant powered by a 113kW 2.0-litre petrol engine.

Next up is the CR-V VTi ($38,900) we are testing here, which has a 140kW 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine and is front-wheel drive. The CR-V VTi 2WD is available in three-row, seven-seat configuration, too, priced at $40,900.

The CR-V VTi X is the top of the 2WD, five-seat line-up. It too has the 140kW 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine and carries a price of $41,900. Two versions of the next-up VTi L cover the all-wheel drive five seat, priced at $46,200 or seven-seat 2WD version called the CR-V VTi L7 with a price tag of $49,500.

The most expensive variant in the Honda CR-V range is the CR-V VTi LX AWD, which costs $53,600.

Key details	2022 Honda CR-V VTi FWD
Price	$38,900 drive-away
Colour of test car	Platinum White Pearl
Options	None
Price as tested	$38,900 drive-away
Rivals	Hyundai Tucson \| Mazda CX-5 \| Toyota RAV4

How much space does the Honda CR-V have inside?

The first thing you notice when trying to get into the Honda CR-V is that the doors don’t swing open as freely as other medium SUVs. There’s a stickiness to them that means you need to be quite deliberate with how wide you want to open them. It’s like Honda has done away with typical door detentes (those three or four points where an open door seems to ‘catch’) and made the hinge stiffer so it sticks everywhere.

Once inside, the CR-V’s interior is spacious and nicely presented. Soft-touch plastics combine with leather and splashes of both meshed chrome and brushed chrome to make for a welcoming cabin.

The steering wheel has both tilt and reach adjustability, and the driver’s seat adjusts for height to provide for a variety of driving positions. The CR-V VTi has manually adjustable cloth seats in the front with good side bolstering.

The driver’s instrument cluster is digital, and while the graphics are less than impressive visually, they are functional. Joystick-style buttons on the steering wheel let you interact with the cruise control, media and trip computer, but zeroing the trip computer is still via an old-school plunger stalk nestled in the instrument cluster. The stalk can be rotated left and right, too, to adjust cluster brightness.

The CR-V’s gear lever is placed unconventionally high on the centre console just below the multimedia system and dual-zone climate controls, which puts it in the driver’s natural eye line and makes it easy to grab and use. It also makes for generous stowage space between the front seat occupants.

On the space side, it’s fair to say the CR-V surprised us by finishing second in terms of spaciousness during our 11-car 2022 Medium SUV Megatest. Front and rear elbow room is generous, as is front headroom, although rear-seat headroom was mid-pack at best.

Knee room in the second row is best in class, so if that’s important to you, then you’ll do no better than the CR-V. The rear seats have a central armrest and also recline for added comfort, and there are air vents back here to aid airflow. Bottle holders in both the front and rear doors are on the narrow side.

As much as we don’t like the stickiness of the CR-V’s door swing action, it has to be said that the rear doors open almost a full 90 degrees, making for one of the widest openings on the market.

The Honda’s 552L boot space is also one of the most generous, just 48L less than the Haval H6’s 600L behemoth but miles ahead of the Mazda CX-5’s paltry 442L. It’s worth noting that the CR-V provides all this space while also packaging a full-size spare wheel under the boot floor.

The CR-V’s back seats have a remote folding function so they can be tumbled from the boot. The boot itself must be opened and closed manually.

There are three top tether points on the second row’s seatbacks and two ISOFIX points for baby seats.

	2022 Honda CR-V VTi FWD
Seats	Five
Boot volume	552L seats up 1084L seats folded
Length	4635mm
Width	1855mm
Height	1679mm
Wheelbase	2660mm

Does the Honda CR-V have Apple CarPlay?

The Honda CR-V VTi’s multimedia system has fallen behind the competition in recent years, presenting now as a relic from a decade ago both in graphics quality and functionality. It placed 11th out of 11 in our 2022 Medium SUV Megatest based on size, functionality and features.

As we’ve said before, there’s an all-new Honda CR-V due in the second half of 2023, which we expect will return the CR-V to the top half of the field. As for the CR-V that Honda has to keep selling until then, the multimedia system is more deal-breaker than deal-maker.

The 7.0-inch display is smaller than the 8s, 9s, and 12s that rivals have, and its graphics are lower quality. Screen touch response time is slow, and menu layouts are clumsy and at times confusing.

The CR-V VTi does not have satellite navigation, digital radio or voice interaction, but it does have wired Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

There are two USB ports up front and two more in the back seat.

Is the Honda CR-V a safe car?

The Honda CR-V was last tested by ANCAP in 2017, earning five stars and scoring a high 35.76 out of 37 points.

However, it’s worth noting that ANCAP has toughened testing protocols two if not three times since then, so it’s not known what the CR-V would score if it were crash-tested today.

ANCAP has also introduced a six-year expiry to its ratings, which means the CR-V will lose that five-star rating in July 2023.

	2022 Honda CR-V VTi FWD
ANCAP rating	Five stars (tested 2017)
Safety report	ANCAP report

What safety technology does the Honda CR-V come with?

The Honda CR-V VTi comes standard with front airbags, side airbags and full-length curtain airbags, but there are no side airbags in the back seat, nor is there a knee airbag or front-centre airbag – both of which are becoming increasingly common in newer medium SUVs.

Honda doesn’t democratise safety across all models in the range, meaning that the more you pay, the safer you are. The converse of that is that buyers of the cheaper VTi variant won’t get all the safety Honda can offer.

The CR-V VTi comes with ESC and AEB, lane-departure warning and lane-keep assist, and forward collision warning with emergency braking. It also has radar cruise control, tyre pressure monitoring system, and rain-sensing wipers.

It does not get high-beam assist, adaptive cruise control with low-speed follow, or Honda’s helpful LaneWatch blind-spot camera, which is only available on VTi X grade and up. The CR-V VTi also misses out on reverse AEB, and its forward AEB system cannot detect cyclists or function in junctions.

Other features common on rivals are an intelligent speed limiter function and traffic sign recognition system.

When it comes to parking in tight spaces, the CR-V VTi has rear parking sensors and a rear parking camera. There is no front camera or front sensors.

How much does the Honda CR-V cost to maintain?

The Honda CR-V comes with a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, which is a competitive offering.

Servicing intervals are okay but not great: 12 months or 10,000km, suggesting that if you drive the national average 15,000km per year, you’ll need to service your car three times every two years.

Luckily for Honda buyers, servicing costs are among the cheapest of all brands, just $125 per service. This is half what Toyota charges on the Toyota RAV4, and less than a third of other popular rivals like the Mazda CX-5, Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage.

The Honda CR-V surprised us when it came to getting an indicative comprehensive insurance quote, and not in a good way. Its quote of $1546 per year is the highest we saw of the 11 medium SUVs surveyed, although the Mitsubishi Outlander and MG HS cost almost as much. At the other end of the scale, the Subaru Forester ($981), Nissan X-Trail ($1016) and Kia Sportage ($1142) were among the most affordable to insure.

Our quote is a comparative quote for a 35-year-old male driver living in Chatswood, NSW. Insurance estimates may vary based on your location, driving history, and personal circumstances.

At a glance	2022 Honda CR-V VTi FWD
Warranty	Five years, unlimited km
Service intervals	12 months or 10,000km
Servicing costs	$375 (3 years) $600 (5 years)

Is the Honda CR-V fuel-efficient?

Honda claims the CR-V uses 8.8L/100km around town, dropping to 6.0L/100km for highway use. This yields a combined-cycle average of 7.0L/100km.

During our test, the CR-V averaged 9.1L/100km, which was a bit more than the median for petrol-powered medium SUVs (8.9) but not by much. The CR-V’s regular unleaded diet ensures you’ll always fill up on the cheapest pump.

Fuel Useage	Fuel Stats
Fuel cons. (claimed)	7.0L/100km
Fuel cons. (on test)	9.1L/100km
Fuel type	91-octane regular unleaded
Fuel tank size	57L

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What is the Honda CR-V like to drive?

The Honda CR-V is generally a benign and capable driving companion, although it does have a couple of weaknesses.

On paper, you’d expect the first weakness to be the CR-V’s underwhelming 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine, especially given most of its rivals pack 2.0-litre units.

It’s not. This compact little doer has 140kW and 240Nm on tap, and makes the most of them to give the CR-V decent off-the-line acceleration and mid-range pull.

Some of that is due to the CR-V’s relatively light body weight, and some is due to its continuously variable transmission, which eschews stepped gears for infinitely variable gear ratios. This means the CR-V’s transmission can always find the best ratio for acceleration or cruising, but the downside is it drones tiringly like a roomful of bingo-playing retirees.

Apart from the constant CVT drone, the CR-V’s cabin is relatively quiet on the move. It’s also comfortable because the suspension tune balances the need for ride comfort and stability well. The steering is relatively light and direct, which makes tight manoeuvres less taxing.

There is good forward and rearward vision for the driver, but sideways vision (to gutters etc) is compromised by the car’s high waistline.

The Honda CR-V has a park brake button next to the gear lever that is easy to use. For some reason, Honda decided not to make it auto disengage when the driver slots the transmission into D or R and applies throttle to move off. Other cars do this, but the Honda requires that the driver disengages the park brake every time.

I also found that the CR-V’s wing mirrors take a long time to demist on cold mornings because they do not have a demisting function built-in.

Key details	2022 Honda CR-V VTi FWD
Engine	1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol
Power	140kW @ 5600rpm
Torque	240Nm @ 2000–5000rpm
Drive type	Front-wheel drive
Transmission	Continuously variable transmission (CVT)
Power to weight ratio	93kW/t
Weight	1501kg
Spare tyre type	Full-size alloy wheel
Tow rating	1500kg braked 600kg unbraked
Turning circle	11m

Should I buy a Honda CR-V?

This generation of Honda CR-V is rapidly nearing retirement. Generally, when a car is about to be replaced, car companies launch a series of ‘runout’ specials. But Honda’s fixed-price policy that precludes haggling rules this out, meaning that the CR-V is not the end-of-life bargain it could be.

Instead, it’s an ageing player among rapidly evolving competition, and the days when it was competitive on equipment, value, safety and performance are long in the past.

That said, it’s still one of the nicer medium SUVs to drive, and one of the most spacious. So if those two criteria top your list, you could do worse.

But if safety is paramount, followed by features and equipment, then newer rivals from Hyundai, Kia, Subaru and Toyota outshine this once strong performer.