Honda CR-V 2021 review: VTi L7

Looks wise it stands up to the competition, presenting as fresh and modern with a bit of a bulky body, some chrome accents, and an air of rugged charm. 

The CR-V presents as fresh and modern with a bit of a bulky body.

The interior of the VTi L7 looks great. There are power adjustable 'leather appointed' seats and a leather steering wheel that feels good under the hands. 

The centre console is well designed with everything in hand’s reach. It does feel like there’s a fair bit of man-made materials going on inside the cabin but that’s to be expected in this part of the market. There is a large sunroof which lets lots of light through the car.

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The 7.0-inch multimedia screen is integrated nicely into the dash and has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The tech means you can use the touchscreen as a large version of your phone and navigate via your maps app or listen to music via your streaming app. 

The 7.0-inch multimedia screen has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Driving is quite good in the CR-V and the thing I noticed the most is that it doesn’t feel heavy on take-off and is quite nimble. 

There’s a 1.5L turbo four-cylinder petrol engine.

It’s still far from a zippy small car but it does well! It handles nicely around corners and the steering is easy to turn. 

There’s a 1.5L turbo four-cylinder petrol engine and it gets up hills easily, plus is good on highways. You can overtake cars without too much effort. 

It handles nicely around corners and the steering is easy to turn.

This model is FWD though there are AWD on offer in the range if that’s more your thing. All CR-Vs are petrol, there are no diesel options and fuel consumption in the VTi L7 is a claimed 7.3L for every 100km. I averaged 10.6L/100km.

Parking is quite good in the CR-V, the turning circle is not huge and you’ll be able to get in with the help of a fairly decent reverse parking camera.

The big thing about the CR-V is how wide the doors open. So wide! Almost a 90-degree opening of the back doors, so it’s easy to get into and if you need to load boxes or bulky car seats, that’s easy, too. 

Second row passengers get directional air vents as well as two cupholders in the centre armrest.

For storage there are two cupholders in the front, a very large, deep centre storage bin and a flat spot with rubber texture to pop your phone on so it won’t slide around. There’s also a wireless charger in the front and bottle holders in each door. 

Second row passengers get directional air vents as well as two cupholders in the centre armrest, plus the second row slides forward to give more space to third row passengers should they need it. 

And in the back row there are two cupholders, and there are four adjustable air vents on the roof to give extra air to second and third row passengers, which is a great addition.

The Honda CR-V VTi L7 costs $43,490 before on-road costs and Honda doesn’t charge extra for different colours on the paint job which is rare. 

Fuel consumption is a claimed 7.3L/100km (for the combined urban, extra-urban cycle) and I did an average of 10.6L/100km over mainly suburban driving. 

It’s covered by Honda’s five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty and servicing is required every 12months/10,000km which is on the shorter side (some companies offer 15,000 km).