HONDA has dramatically increased the level of standard safety technology for the 2019 Honda CR-V VTi-S all-wheel drive model (AWD), which will be available in dealerships from January 1, 2019.

Previously the suite of tech dubbed HondaSensing – incorporating forward collision warning autonomous emergency braking (AEB), adaptive cruise control, and lane-departure warning with active lane-keep assistance – was reserved for the range-topping CR-V VTi-LX AWD priced from $44,290+ORC.

Now, however, Honda has moved up the price of the CR-V VTi-S AWD by $1000 to $36,490+ORC while adding all of the above extras as standard and reducing buyer access to those important, potentially life-saving systems by a substantial $7800.

And it isn’t like the CR-V VTi-S was poorly equipped before. It still gets Honda’s LaneWatch version of a blind-spot monitor, which uses a passenger-side mirror-mounted camera to project traffic beside the vehicle onto the centre screen.

It also still includes 18-inch alloy wheels, keyless auto-entry with push-button start, dual-zone climate control air-conditioning, a touchscreen with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto and satellite navigation, and even an electric tailgate that is extremely rare for this price point.

With a huge 556-litre boot volume, and full-sized spare wheel underfloor, the 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder, automatic-equipped model now rates as one of the best and best-value buys in the segment.

The only downside is that if you want an entry-level CR-V Vi, or perhaps a two-wheel drive version of this CR-V VTi-S, or the seven-seat front-wheel drive CR-V VTi-L, then HondaSensing remains out of the picture at the moment.

However, the Japanese brand is committed to rolling that equipment out as standard on all of its line-up by 2022, and in a progressive fashion as is being displayed here.

That’s commendable, but for now the CR-V VTi-S AWD and CR-V VTi-LX are the clear picks in the Honda medium SUV line-up.