- Doors and Seats
5 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
2.0i, 4 cyl.
- Engine Power
113kW, 189Nm
- Fuel
Petrol (91) 7.6L/100KM
- Manufacturer
FWD
- Transmission
Auto (CVT)
- Warranty
5 Yr, Unltd KMs
- Ancap Safety
5/5 star (2017)
2018 Honda CR-V Vi review
As SUVs continue to rise in popularity, so to do the costs.
The modern small SUV will cost you somewhere between $35,000 to $50,000, which makes it an expensive investment for many families.
Honda has recognised this and has added a new, cheaper entry-level model to its updated CR-V range. While it doesn’t get all the same features as the VTi, VTi-S, VTi-L and range-topping VTi-LX, the Vi is the one of the cheapest in its class as a sub-$30,000 option for the price-savvy.
- Plenty of space
- Low entry price
- Comfortable ride
- Lacks safety and tech
- Dated interior styling
- Underpowered engine
Is it right for me?
If you can live with something that doesn’t have the very latest in technology and safety, and you’re not interested in winning a great deal of traffic light grands prix, then certainly. For a budget-model SUV, it still has a lot to offer with the basics of the CR-V offering one of the most spacious and practical cabins in the class.
Can I afford it ?
The base model Vi is the cheapest of the CR-V range, priced competitively at $28,290 plus on-road costs, making it an affordable option for people needing plenty of space. It’s also relatively affordable to maintain, thanks to Honda’s capped price servicing and flat $295 charge (which will explain in detail later).
What do you get for your money?
Honda built the CR-V Vi with a price-savvy attitude, so it misses out on a lot of features the other variants get as standard. The 5.0-inch infotainment display is not a touchscreen, which you don’t see in many new cars today, and it misses out on things like navigation, smartphone mirroring (Apple CarPlay and Android Auto) and digital radio. Instead, only getting an AM/FM radio and Bluetooth connectivity.
In the safety department, it gets a handy reverse camera, anti-lock brakes, stability control and a tyre pressure monitoring system, but misses out on more modern items including autonomous emergency braking (AEB) and lane assistance. Also included are 17-inch alloy wheels and a full-sized spare, an increasingly rare commodity on a modern SUV.
How much does it cost to maintain?
Honda offers capped price servicing for the CR-V, costing $295 every 10,000km, which ends once the odometer clocks over 100,000km. But with maintenance due every 10,000km or six months the bill adds up.
Honda recommends the cabin filter be replaced after two years, or 30,000km, costing an additional $65 and spark plugs will need to be done at 100,000km, priced at $271.
Is it well built?
Honda has a reputation for bulletproof vehicles and when you first hop into it, the CR-V feels like a solid unit.
However, while interior elements match together nicely and it all looks good on the surface, upon closer inspection there are some tell-tale signs that this is an SUV built to a price. The tiny infotainment screen and gear stick arrangement look dated and, when you get going, there is also a surprising amount of road noise, particularly on country roads where the bitumen gets coarser, and becomes deafening after a while.
The Japanese brand backs its products with its recently introduced five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty.
What are the Standout features?
You get a lot for your money, in terms of sheer volume. The CR-V is one of the biggest in its class, so for under $30,000 it has few rivals that can match its size.
What does it have that others don't?
Space and versatility are the key selling points of this generation CR-V. You can comfortably pack five adults in the car, and still have enough breathing room.
How practical is it?
Being one of the most spacious SUVs in its class it has the practical elements well covered. But it’s well packaged, so it’s not big enough to give you parking problems, and not too small that you’ll feel intimidated on the road amid the sea of other SUVs.
Is it comfortable?
While there’s plenty of room the seats lack support, especially for your back. Driver and passenger seats only get three manual adjustments - up/down, forwards/backwards and tilt - so no adjustable lumbar support which might make longer trips uncomfortable.
Those in the back seats get plenty of leg and toe space and a fold-down arm rest with two cup holders sits neatly in the middle rear seat, and the door pockets have room for drink bottles, iPods and snacks.
The entry-level spec cloth seats are well trimmed and fit in nicely with the rest of the interior and the steering wheel gets reach and tilt adjustment which is helpful.
Easy in, easy out?
Getting in and out is easy as pie. The doors frames are plenty wide, and it sits at a nice height off the ground so it’s not too low and not too high stepping in and out.
Space and versatility?
As we have touched on already, space is the CR-V’s best trait. While available in a seven-seat option if you choose the VTi-L variant, the base Vi that we tested here comes in a five-seat arrangement, and has more space than you can poke a stick at.
The CR-V also has one of the biggest boots in its class with 522-litres with the rear seats in place, and increases to 1084-litres with the rear seats folded, which is a big deal, literally.
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What's the engine like?
In the interest of keeping the new base model’s costs down, it makes do with Honda’s older 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, while the rest of the fifth-generation family gets the brand’s new 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine.
Compared to the smaller, more modern engine, the old donk is rather underwhelming. Producing 113kW of power and 189Nm of torque, the Vi feels lethargic at low speeds and takes a while to get going. Admittedly once it’s on the move, it doesn’t feel as under-powered as cruising on a country road is where the 2.0-litre really stood out and felt at its best.
The CVT transmission feels good most of the time, but lacks precision at lower speeds where it feels confused and struggles to get the sluggish engine going. One irritation is the gear stick can be clumsy, too easily slipping between Drive, Sport and Neutral when selecting from Park.
How much fuel does it consume?
Honda’s combined fuel consumption rating for the CR-V Vi is 7.6-litres per 100km. And after a week of driving on both country roads and highway traffic, our test car managed around 7.7-litres per 100km.
Is it enjoyable to drive?
If you can live with something a bit slower than most and cope without the very latest in safety and technology, it isn’t a bad proposition.
Being the weighty SUV it is, the engine and transmission feel noticeably laboured at low speeds, and after slowing down for a corner or coming to a stop, building speed back up can take a while.
In terms of how it handles, the CR-V isn’t the sharpest or most dynamic SUV but it is predictable. Honda has opted for a more comfort-biased setup for the CR-V, so the ride offers good compliance and Honda has managed to reduce the body lean when cornering, compared to previous generations. It will soak up bigger bumps well but can get fussy over smaller, repeated bumps where you get some feedback through the steering wheel.
The steering is nicely weighted though which makes it easy to navigate around town, but can be slow to react when you require fast changes of direction. Being a front-wheel drive SUV this is meant for urban duties, so anyone with off-road aspirations should look elsewhere.
Does it perform as you expect?
If you’re looking for something with plenty of room and just the basics, and you can cope without the very latest in safety and tech, the base-model CR-V really is worth considering.
However, the lack of gadgets could affect long-term owners, as well as future re-sale value, and this is something buyers should weigh up. As is its lack of modern active safety features that families should be prioritising.
Keeping in mind, the higher spec VTi-S is only an extra $2400 in front-wheel-drive form and adds a 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo engine as well as a lot more gear (power tailgate, front and rear parking sensors, roof rails, fog lights, keyless entry, lane watch camera and a 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment unit with navigation, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and eight speakers) it may be worth the extra spend.
2018 Honda CR-V Vi price and specifications
Price: From $28,290 plus on-road costs
Engine: 2.0-litre i-VTEC four-cylinder petrol
Power: 113kW
Torque: 189Nm
Transmission: CVT automatic, front-wheel-drive
Fuel use: 7.6L/100km