There’s a kind of car that doesn’t shout for attention at launches, doesn’t trend on social media, and doesn’t get cross-shopped by anyone chasing curb appeal. It simply sells, quietly and consistently. The Honda CR-V has been that car for three decades.
For 2026 the range-topping e:HEV RS is where that philosophy is expressed most. Sitting at the summit of a six-variant range, now equipped with all-wheel drive alongside its hybrid powertrain, the RS also brings a head-up display.
That’s alongside heated and ventilated front seats, heated rear seats and a heated steering wheel. After a week of testing, running it through the daily duties, the motorway slog and everything in between, I’ve come away with a clear picture.
The flagship RS gets the fundamentals right while still carrying a few very Honda-shaped quirks. Let’s talk about the exterior first. The very first experience you have with a car is the way it makes you feel as you walk up to it for the first time.
Honda’s designers have played it straight and it works. The 2026 refresh is a mild one. Sharper lighting signatures, a tidied-up front end rather than a full reinvention, but the CR-V’s proportions have always been its strong suit.
The RS grade earns its own visual distinction, too. Black wheel-arch cladding and black door handles replace the body-coloured trim found lower in the range, giving the RS a slightly more assertive stance without resorting to boy-racer looks.
It’s not a car that will turn heads, but it’s one that will still have you feeling great walking towards it in five years. Inside is where the CR-V does its most persuasive talking. Honda has resisted the industry-wide urge to turn the cabin into a tablet on wheels.
The result is a dashboard that still feels like it was designed by people who understand cars. Physical climate controls remain a highlight, with proper dials and buttons you can operate by feel, without diverting your eyes from the road.
Material quality has taken a genuine step forward, with tactility across all touchpoints. The panoramic sunroof is as large as you could possibly want, and its controls are refreshingly simple, though it does eat a little into front headroom for taller drivers.
It’s not all triumph. Look closely, and there’s still evidence of Honda’s cost-conscious Japanese roots, some harder plastics and faux leather that doesn’t quite convince next to the best the segment offers.
Storage is genuinely well thought out, with a roomy centre console and cupholders sized for actual adult drink bottles rather than a barista’s short black. The 9.0-inch touchscreen won’t win any spec-sheet battles, but it’s quick, sharp, and finished with a satin coating.
Google built-in brings native navigation and app support, and wireless smartphone mirroring is standard. The Bose sound system is a genuine highlight. An auto-dimming rear-view mirror, and a boot that opens itself and closes with a walk-away gesture, both feature.
A genuinely useful top-down reverse camera completes a solid package. There are two mild inconveniences though; the wireless charger is fussy with MagSafe-style or thicker phone cases, and the CR-V stubbornly forgets your heated steering wheel preference.
What irks about that is it keeps your heated seat just where you left it. Space in the second row is adequate rather than outstanding. Knee and headroom will suit most families though. The rear seats use a dual action hinge to fold flat with the boot liner too.
Should you want to load something large in the back you will need to walk around both sides of the car to put those seats down, as there is no way to drop the rear seats from within the boot. One small but clever touch: the rear doors swing open to a full 90 degrees.
It sounds trivial until you’re wrestling a child seat into place in a tight driveway or multi-storey car park, at which point that extra swing turns an awkward, knuckle-grazing job into an effortless one.
The sticking point, and it’s a significant one for this buyer, is safety certification. A four-star ANCAP rating is a genuine mark against the CR-V in a segment where safety credentials are often the first filter applied.
Add the absence of a spare tyre, and the practicality case is ‘great’ rather than ‘perfect’. On the road, the first thing you notice isn’t what the CR-V does, but what it doesn’t do. There’s no fussing, no fidgeting, and no safety system nagging you with chimes.
The adaptive cruise control and lane keep assist are well calibrated, active and responsive when needed, but restrained enough that passengers aren’t left flinching at phantom alarms. The e:HEV RS’s party trick though, is its hybrid powertrain.
The shuffle between its 2.0-litre Atkinson-cycle and the EV component is virtually invisible. The engine fires up and shuts down with none of the shudder or clatter that still afflicts several rivals, and Honda’s active noise cancellation does real, measurable work.
The new all-wheel drive system brings a small efficiency penalty compared to FWD offerings, but it’s nominal at best. The Japanese car maker claims 5.7-litres/100km in combined fuel economy, but in return there’s a reassuring sense of security underfoot.
That’s particularly so on damp or unsealed surfaces where the extra traction is genuinely felt. Combined with high-profile tyres that soak up bumps rather than transmitting them, the CR-V rides with a settled, almost saloon-like composure that juxtaposes its height.
There’s a catch, and that’s pace. Even with 135kW and 335Nm on tap, this is not a quick car; a fact made worse by the way the CR-V announces its own effort. Ask for a decisive overtake and the CVT-hybrid combination sends a wall of engine noise into the cabin.
It’s the one moment its composure cracks. At up to $65,000 drive-away for a well-specified CR-V, Honda is asking European money for a Japanese badge, and that’s the number that will give plenty of buyers pause. But context matters.
What that spend buys is a cabin trading blows with premium marques on tactility, a genuinely excellent hybrid powertrain, and Honda’s deeply banked reputation for building cars that simply keep running.
Positioned as the bridge between Japanese dependability and European-flavoured polish, the CR-V’s pricing starts to look less like a stretch and more like a reasonable toll for the territory it’s crossing into.
The 2026 Honda CR-V e:HEV RS is a car that wins you over through restraint rather than showmanship. It doesn’t have the outright pace of some rivals, it doesn’t have a 5-star ANCAP rating, and it charges a genuinely premium price for the privilege of driving one.
But spend real time in it, in traffic, on the motorway, and what emerges is a vehicle engineered by people who clearly still believe a family SUV should feel like a car first and a gadget second.
For buyers willing to overlook a rating on a spec sheet in favour of how a car actually feels to live with every day, the CR-V remains a deeply convincing choice. You can find out more on the Honda Australia website, or by talking to your local dealership.
To get a low rate finance quote, talk to Australia’s best reviewed car finance broker; Credit One. To see a great range of vehicles for sale, check out OnlyCars.com.au.
Our test vehicle was provided by Honda Australia for independent review purposes. Exhaust Notes Australia has not been paid to review this vehicle.
