Pay more for the VTi-S and you get a leather-wrapped steering wheel, and front and rear parking sensors. Windscreen wipers operate automatically when it rains. Headlights switch on automatically at night. There is dual-zone air-conditioning, which allows temperatures to be set independently for each half of the cabin, and smart key entry, which allows you to unlock the car without retrieving the key from your pocket or handbag.
Take a further step to the VTi-L and you get part-leather trim (there’s also some fake leather), with powered adjustment and heating for the front seats, and a memory for the driver’s seat (which makes it easier to restore your settings after a companion has driven the car). There is satellite navigation, and a sunroof. The 17-inch wheels on the two cheaper versions are replaced with 18-inch wheels, mainly for the racier look.
An extra-cost option available only on the VTi-L AWD is an active safety suite that Honda calls ADAS, for Advanced Driver Assist System. It comprises Adaptive cruise control, Lane-keeping assistance, and Autonomous emergency braking. (For more on these systems, please open the Safety section below.)
All three versions – VTi, VTi-S and VTi-L – can also be ordered with all-wheel drive, in which case they will have the bigger petrol engine.
(Diesel CR-Vs - DTi-S and DTi-L – were available only with all-wheel drive. Equipment levels matched the VTi-S and VTi-L, respectively.)