Seven-seat Honda CR-V now $35k

Honda has added a new entry-level variant of its seven-seat CR-V, priced from $34,490 (plus on-road costs).

The Honda CR-V VTi-E7 reduces the price of a seven-seat CR-V by some $4500, however there are some concessions.

Standard equipment includes keyless entry and start, leather-appointed seats (eight-way electric adjustment on the driver’s pew), dual-zone climate control, a 7.0-inch infotainment display with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, reversing camera and 18-inch alloy wheels with a full-sized spare.

Furthermore, the CR-V’s three rows of seats all feature face-level air vents and there are USB points for the first and second rows. The boot measures 472 litres with the rear bleachers stowed flat.

However, the new model misses out on autonomous emergency braking (AEB) and other driver aids within the Honda Sensing safety suite found on premium CR-V models. Despite AEB being a prerequisite for a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating from 2018, the seven-seater carries over the five-star rating announced for the current model in October 2017.

Standard safety equipment for the Honda CR-V VTi-E7 does include full airbag coverage, fog lights, tyre-pressure monitoring, Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA), Hill Start Assist (HAS), Emergency Stop Signal (ESS), Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), LED daytime running lights and tail-lights, electric park brake with auto-hold.

Unlike the entry-level five-seater, which uses a naturally-aspirated engine, there have been no such concessions in the seven-seater CR-V’s engine room. A familiar 1.5-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder resides and is good for 140kW and 240Nm. Drive is sent to the front wheels via a CVT automatic transmission.

The Honda CR-V VTi-E7 is available in showrooms now.

*Prices exclude on-road costs