New Honda CR-V is safer, but not safe enough

One of the criticisms of the new Honda CR-V when it arrived last year was that active safety features such as autonomous emergency braking was only available in the range-topping VTi-LX AWD.

More than a year later Honda has extended the technology to another variant, the mid-spec VTi-S AWD albeit with a $1000 premium that will take its price to $36,490 when it becomes available on January 1, 2019.

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This still leaves the 2WD CR-Vs, including the seven-seat VTi-L, without Honda Sensing, which includes lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist system, road departure mitigation, forward collision warning and autonomous emergency braking (AEB).

Unlike with the recent HR-V update, Honda has stopped short of making AEB standard on all models in the CR-V range, which puts it behind rivals like the Mazda CX-5, Toyota RAV4 and Subaru Forester, all of which come standard with the technology.

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The full Honda Sensing package is still only available in upper-spec versions of the Accord, Civic, Odyssey and CR-V, with the company vowing to roll it out across its range by 2022.

The addition of Honda Sensing package to the VTi-S AWD is the only change to the 2019 Honda CR-V range, which is covered by the brand’s five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty.

2019 Honda CR-V pricing

• CR-V Vi - $28,290
• CR-V VTi - $30,690
• CR-V VTi-S - $33,290
• CR-V VTi-S AWD - $36,490
• CR-V VTi-L, 7-seater - $38,990
• CR-V VTi-LX AWD - $44,290