Honda CR-V 2020 review: VTi-LX AWD

They worked out that SUVs are probably going to spend more time in shopping center car parks and they do on muddy lanes turns out. They were right. This is the 2020 Honda CRV vti LX all wheel drive. That means it's got everything it's only a little bit bigger than that car from 25 years ago, but its massive inside the vti LX all wheel, drive cost forty four thousand two hundred ninety dollars that's the same as it cost it launched three years ago, that's pretty Good going it's, 4.6 meters long that's, actually not that long for a car that can in some versions fit seven seats, but this one doesn't. It does have a lot of interior space, though, because the wheelbase is really long for a car this size to have this much space is very impressive, which means there is a ton of room back here, I'm sitting behind where I drive 190 centimeters tall, and I Have got tons of room tons of legroom the seats, nice and high, so I get my feet under here: it's quite it's, almost palatial back here, it's very nice you've also got you know. Bottle holders got these dodgy cupholders air vents, not a lot of cars. In this class have air vents back here, two USB ports heaps a head room. I mean Richard Berry, who is like nine feet tall? You might struggle a little bit back here, particularly with this sunroof. So if you do have tool, people in the back don't go for the top of the range, but there is tons of room plus you've got the flat floor, which you can walk through the car, and it just means that little kids aren't going to trip over And fall on their face, which is funny, but not for them.

Now, for the kids, you've got two hours to fix points and three top tether anchors. Now the reason I'm telling you this from the boot is that there's a problem. Well, it may not be a problem for you, but it would be a problem for me. The top tether anchors are actually here in the rear bulkhead. Now, when my son was tiny, we had a Peugeot which had the same thing, and it just means it cuts into the available boot. Space you've got more than one that's, even worse, because, as you know, carrying kids around is not about the kids themselves. It'S about all got to take with you anyway, because we're in the vti Alex. You cannot have this as a seven seater, which means you don't have to take anybody, else's, kids. To soccer, I mean you get more boot space. You get 40 liters more at 522. Liters, you also get when you put these seats down there's two ways to do it. These little handles as well. You get 1082 liters. I reckon that's a little bit conservative it's, probably closer to 1400 liters. I get the distinct impression that Honda wants to put this engine in every car. It makes it's the 1.5 liter four cylinder turbo I'd, be pretty happy if I put it in every car, cuz it's better than the 2 liter that's down in the bottom of the range don't worry about it. Being little. It'S got plenty of power and torque and it's more than enough to pull this car along.

If you want to know more, if you want to get all the details, don't forget to read my full written report at cars guide.com today you and if you want to make sure you see all the videos hit, subscribe and press the bill button so that you Will not miss a thing: CRV has a bit of an old school SUV feel about it. You sit quite high, even though the car itself isn't particularly high, but you've got a really good view down. The road and you've got a really good view in every direction. Actually, because there's glass everywhere it's quite boxy, so you kind of don't miss out anything it's a little bit there down there. But there is a solution for that. It'S also heaps of safety, goodies you've got airbags and abs and all that, but you've got Honda sensing as well, which is standard here on the VTOL X. So that means you've got four Daby you've got lane departure warning you've got road departure warning, which sounds very dramatic. You'Ve also got Lane watch, which is this really clever thing when you've hit the left indicator, a little camera that's hanging off the rear vision mirror gives you a view down the side of the car in this screen, so that's really good. If you, you know, you've got a car down there or you know a cyclist. Speaking of this seven inch screen it's it's feeling old, I mean it's a bit small for 2020.

Everyone else is, if not eight or nine inches, but also the graphics we've got to talk about the graphics, they're feeling a little bit a little bit Tron actually, which is you know. This thing is, though, this has apple carplay and android auto, so you never have to look at it unless you're using the inbuilt sat nav. One of the things that sets Honda apart from the rest of the pack is the thoughtfulness of the interior. Does really really clever. Interiors, like here in the CIB you've, got a completely flat floor in the back, which means it's easy to to move stuff around and actually store stuff in it. You don't know how useful a flat floor is until I they've got small kids or you're moving cot plants it's a bit niche, but it does happen. You'Ve also got this quite clever arrangement here in the center console, where you've got the armrest, which flips up and you've got a beam here, but there's. This sliding tray, where you can put your phone under which you can hide all your cables and stuff, and actually all the cables are in there. So you've got two USB ports. You'Ve got a 12 volt outlet which is weird to go with the other 12 volt power outlet and Honda's bizarre insistence on sticking with HDMI and in the boot it's really wide and flat and uncluttered. So it's really easy to get stuff in and out you get two good cupholders up the front and you get two in the back, but they're a little bit mean they're quite shallow and they kind of look like they don't fit in the armrest.

You also get bottle holders in each door and they keep your bottles vertical. Apparently that's, a wine thing. I don't care about wine, but apparently it's good. I may not care about wine, but I've heard the parents of small kids really dig it something else that will really dig is this. This is a really wide opening door makes getting in and out really easy and it makes getting kids and stuff in and out really easy. It'S, fantastic I've never seen a door open this wide on a car before Savi's, quite that's, quite American, actually it's I've got a really plush ride, rolls a fair bit in corners, not puking children and roll, but it does roll a fair bit it's all about comfort. This car and I'm – okay with that it's, certainly not the kind of car that I would choose myself, but some SUVs are a little bit firm riding because they are biased towards that road. Holding kind of feel. But, and with this all wheel drive – and it has really come into its own today – you'll be able to know exactly what day I've shot this because it's the first day it's rained in Sydney in like ten years, the all wheel, drive, has been really really good. In the wet, because I know that front wheel drive say these tend to slip and slide a bit in the witness has been absolutely super grippy the whole time, it's been really really good.

Now I mentioned the engine earlier it's, not bad. I mean this is. This. Is 1.7 tons that a little 1.5 is dragging along and it's doing a really good job and it would do an even better job if it had a proper transmission. Now I don't like CBTs any CVT that you've seen me review. You will see me complaining about them, but the Honda one is OK's. Doesn'T flare a lot like some of them do like the the Subaru one. Is it particularly in cars like the levorg it flares all over the place, see if it is 10 not to work. Very well when there's a fair amount of talk, but despite this having tall it, it works really well and it it picks up the slack reasonably quickly but yeah. As soon as you put your foot to the floor, it roars and carries on it here in the vti Alex you do get paddles. So you can. You can choose the gear yourself, but yeah look most people aren't gon na care. But if you are worried about that kind of thing it does have a CVT. We don't get the diesel here in Australia and that has a nine speed. Zed F, which would be great in this car, but anyway we can't have everything. What we also don't get here is the hybrid that would be really cool. So what else is good about it? The seats quite comfortable, although, like the HRV, it's, really overstuffed here in the back and I kind of feel like I'm, I just when I'm driving um there might be some adjustment to fix that, but I can't find it Parfum that's very, very comfortable, like I said Before a really good view out plenty of light in the cabin, so you know you're not feeling like you're mdina into a dark cavern like the same as done and it's it's, just really comfortable and it's quiet.

I mean the most noise we're. Getting today is the rain on the wind stream, but it even with all the water on the road you don't get that Shh through the up from the road, very, very comfortable, very quiet I reckon in the cruise. Actually I know in the cruise. This is a really nice place to be so on long trips, you'll be really happy in this car, and you know I think you could probably say that for any CRV, most them are pretty much the same. I mean that the bottom of the range has that dodgy Toledo gutless one, but as long as you've got the turbo engine you'll be pretty happy for almost 45 grand. You are getting a lot of car while this might be a midsize SUV. You'Ve almost got the space of a much larger car. I quite like that about the CRV it's got a great engine transmissions Bittner and there could be a few more safety features.