2026 Honda CR-V review: Australian first drive

You have spoken, and Honda has listened.

Its biggest seller, the Honda CR-V medium SUV, has just come in for a midlife update following the new model's launch in 2023, and Honda has made some big changes to show everyone it means business.

Though universally regarded as a great choice for families, it had a key flaw: hybrid power was reserved for the top-of-the-range RS, which made it pricey and out of reach for most people.

Not only that, but the RS was front-wheel-drive only and lacked certain premium features that would make it feel truly flagship-special.

And none of this was in response to the current fuel crisis either. It has been in the works for two years.

Is it the perfect family SUV now? 

Honda has completely revamped the CR-V range. Prior to this update, six of the seven variants offered petrol power only. Now four of six are hybrid.

The entry point to the range is the VTi X petrol, which has five seats, and there’s also a mid-spec VTi L7 petrol, which has seven. The VTi X costs $44,900 and the VTi L7 $54,900.

The hybrid line-up opens with the e:HEV X for $49,900 (making it a whole $10K cheaper than the hybrid RS was before), followed by the L, LX, and the RS, which costs $64,400, and once again sits at the top. All prices are drive-away.

The two petrol grades, as well as the hybrid X and LX, are front-wheel drive, while the LX and RS now come with all-wheel drive.

Hybrid and all-wheel drive at the same time? That’s a big box ticked for the CR-V. Is there a hybrid version with all-wheel drive and seven seats? Not this time, my friends, perhaps another day.

The flagship RS’s front seats are now ventilated as well as heated, the rear outboard seats are heated, too, and it now comes with a heated steering wheel and head-up display.

These features help it feel more premium and address the previous imbalance that existed with some of its competitors, where the CR-V’s top-spec was found wanting.

The RS also gets some nice gloss-black garnish here and there to help it feel a bit more special, such as on the wheel arch trims and door handles, and an additional Individual drive mode.

Overall, the line-up is well equipped, with all grades benefiting from features such as a powered tailgate, dual-zone climate control (except the VTi L7, which gets tri-zone to cover its three rows), and some form of powered seats.

The base petrol version retains the diminutive 7.0-inch driver’s cluster, but the larger 10.2-inch driver display, already in the RS, is now standard across the rest of the range. 

All use the same 9.0-inch infotainment screen, which still feels a little small and basic compared to what many manufacturers are coming up with these days, and it still lacks wireless Android Auto capability. 

Strangely, only the two all-wheel-drive hybrids get DAB radio, and the X, in both petrol and hybrid forms, misses out on the smart keycard. 

I didn’t get to try one at the launch, but Honda tells me it can unlock the doors from your pocket; you don’t need to tap or swipe it anywhere.

What it does now have is Google software built in, meaning you can access Google Assistant, Maps, and Play directly from the system, not just via CarPlay.

During my brief time with the Honda CR-V at launch, the assistant didn’t work too well, probably because reception wasn’t great in Victoria’s High Country, so I’d be keen to test it again in an urban environment.

Equally, I had a fair bit of trouble connecting my phone via wireless Apple CarPlay, which could have been because there were multiple CR-Vs in the same area jostling to pair with the phone. It’s unlikely to be a problem for an owner. 

One potential issue is the slipperiness of the wireless charger. Your phone has too much room to move around, and it can be hard to keep it in the right place so it actually charges.

It’s great that the CR-V still has all the buttons, toggles and switches it had before to control the climate, drive modes and cruise control, etc. It’s all easy to find and figure out, no digging through menus required.

And on the inside, the space remains incredibly generous, with a high-quality finish on all the materials. The seats are comfortable, whether fabric or leather-appointed.

It’s nice and bright, too, even in the lower-spec versions that don’t get the panoramic sunroof, thanks to big windows and narrow pillars that let in light and improve visibility.

By and large, Honda hasn’t touched anything to do with how the CR-V drives, and that’s a good thing.

Petrol versions of the CR-V continue to use a 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine mated to a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT).

Meanwhile, the hybrids use a 2.0-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine that, in addition to electric motors, provides 135kW/335Nm to the wheels. This system is paired with an electronic CVT.

Power and torque outputs are unchanged from before. 

What has changed is the gear selector. Petrol grades keep the traditional shifter, but hybrid versions have switched to a shift-by-wire system with buttons.

Honestly, it’s hard to get your head around, and the mix of styling for the different functions also doesn’t make much sense. Park, neutral and drive are all buttons, but reverse is a switch. 

I found myself instinctively flicking it up to reverse and down to drive, as is usually the case with modern shifters that use rocker-style switches, but that isn’t how it works in the CR-V; you just press down to reverse.

On this occasion, I drove the hybrid X and RS.

As before, the ride is soft and smooth, if occasionally a little brittle over bumps. It confidently copes with undulations in the road surface.

On gravel roads in Normal mode, it's reasonably comfortable unless you hit a really rough patch or pothole. It soaks up the coarseness, and the tyres hold on well.

The base petrol CR-V rides on 17-inch wheels, while the other front-wheel-drive variants – regardless of powertrain – have 18-inch wheels. The X’s set was clad in Dunlop SP Sport Maxx rubber.

The all-wheel-drive pair use 19-inch wheels wearing Michelin Latitude Sport 3 tyres.

The ride isn’t particularly compromised by the bigger rims, but the road noise is noticeably louder. At low speeds, you’ll also notice the CR-V emits a space-age hum so that pedestrians know it’s there.

Sport mode really kicks things up a notch. It can be quite loud, but not in an unpleasant way, thanks to the increased revs. The throttle is sharper, too, helping it feel swift underfoot. 

It’s not lightning fast, but it’s responsive to inputs compared to Eco mode, where there’s a slight hesitation to get going under sudden acceleration.

The modes really make all the difference here. The steering is heavier and more snappy in Sport, enabling it to turn into corners sharply – the way it flies through them feels like there’s some Civic Type-R DNA under the skin.

The all-wheel drive, combined with the grippy Michelin rubber, gives it a sporty quality that belies its hefty size. The RS feels more planted than its front-wheel-drive predecessor.

And this shows itself in the front-wheel-drive X too. The handling is choppier, and there’s a bit of roll through twisty sections of road. 

The Honda CR-V has a four-star ANCAP rating it carries over from its predecessor, missing out on five stars in part because the range did not have a 360-degree camera at the time of testing. 

Honda says it’s not going to get the facelift retested, even though all hybrid versions except the X now have one, because it hasn’t had any feedback suggesting anyone cares that it has a four-star rating.

The quality of the 360-degree camera seems reasonable, better than the reversing camera is on its own, although there’s still room for improvement.

The safety systems aren’t at all overbearing, but the speed limit recognition gets the limit wrong all the time, and the lane-departure warning comes up regularly because it seems to struggle on roads where lines are inconsistent.

Now for the bit you’ve all been waiting for, how does it do on fuel?

Previously, petrol grades had a claimed fuel economy of 7.0 litres per 100 kilometres, while the e:HEV RS had a claimed figure of 5.5L/100km.

The claim for the five-seat petrol variant is 7.1L, and the seven-seat is 7.3L.

The FWD hybrid pair offer a claimed 5.5L as before, while the two AWD versions are said to sip 5.7L.

In the e:HEV X, I found I was able to achieve an average of 5.8L/100km, on a mix of town, highway and country roads, while in the AWD RS, with a lot of time spent in Sport mode travelling up hill to Lake Mountain, my average was 8L/100km.

What was good about the Honda CR-V is still good; what was bad, or rather missing, is better.

It’s quiet, comfortable, spacious, has great driving manners, and has a high build quality. If you drive it sensibly (you can still have fun, don’t worry), it is economical too.

And Honda has a strong ownership proposition. 

A five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, roadside assistance that can be extended to eight years if you service with the brand, and five years of $199 capped-price servicing are a good deal.

It still has some flaws. The new gear selector is strange, I don’t love it, and the camera quality and small screen are okay but far from class-leading.

Introducing cheaper hybrids to the range, particularly of this ilk, brings Honda back into the fight.

With so many brands scrambling to get your cash these days, I think it says something about a brand that takes feedback on board and improves its product. 

If you take this updated CR-V for a test drive, you won’t be disappointed.

A born-and-bred newshound, Kathryn has worked her way up through the ranks reporting for, and later editing, two renowned UK regional newspapers and websites, before moving on to join the digital newsdesk of one of the world’s most popular newspapers – The Sun. More recently, she’s done a short stint in PR in the not-for-profit sector, and led the news team at Wheels Media.

Read more about Kathryn Fisk