Australians can’t get sufficient of SUVs, so Honda has given the folks what they need.
The lately launched Honda ZR-V slots in between the new-generation HR-V and CR-V, and the three SUVs are the important thing pillars of the Japanese model’s revitalised line-up.
You may nonetheless purchase a Civic or Accord in case you fancy a automotive, nevertheless it’s not as if the ZR-V is a few big, hulking SUV. As a substitute, it’s fairly low and smooth, nearly like some form of Civic wagon.
Regardless of solely arriving halfway via 2023, it’s already outselling the Civic. That’s comprehensible as not solely do Australians want SUVs, however the ZR-V has a significantly decrease base worth.
How a lot does the Honda ZR-V price?
Honda markets the brand new ZR-V as a mid-sized SUV, because it does the CR-V.
In fact, customers don’t usually suppose when it comes to VFACTS segments, so let’s discuss money and measurement. The petrol-powered ZR-V vary is priced from $40,200 drive-away for the bottom VTi X to $48,500 drive-away for the VTi LX; Honda’s drive-away pricing applies nationwide.
Our VTi L tester sits within the center, sporting a $43,200 D/A price ticket. Honda additionally presents a single hybrid variant, the e:HEV LX, priced at $54,900 D/A. Based mostly on a New South Wales postcode, the Mazda CX-5 line-up ranges from $38,888 to $60,301 drive-away, whereas the Hyundai Tucson ranges from $39,215 to $60,157 drive-away. Honda’s personal CR-V is priced from $44,500 to $59,900 drive-away.
The ZR-V’s pricing, subsequently, traces up with mid-sized SUV stalwarts. However what about its measurement? This new ‘tweener mannequin is definitely marketed because the HR-V in North America, which hints at its smaller dimensions. It measures 4568mm lengthy, 1840mm huge and 1620mm tall on a 2655mm wheelbase.
That makes it one of many smaller autos within the mid-sized cohort. It’s nearly an identical in measurement to a “mid-sized” Mazda CX-5 (4575mm x 1845mm x 1675mm on a 2700mm wheelbase).
Try the way it compares to some “small” SUVs:
Simply seeing a ZR-V parked subsequent to a Toyota RAV4 or perhaps a CX-5 reveals this isn’t a giant, boxy SUV.
It appears like decrease to the bottom, whereas its styling is a combined bag: the rear is enticing (one particular person even commented the tail lights are considerably BMW-like, in a great way), however the entrance resembles a grimacing Pokemon or, from a distance, a Ford Escape.
The general physique is enticing, in order that’s nothing a little bit mid-life facelift couldn’t repair.
What’s the Honda ZR-V like on the within?
The ZR-V has one of many nicest interiors within the section, simply.
Not solely does it have a beautiful design with high-quality supplies, there are many considerate touches.
You open doorways that in flip shut with a stable thunk, and sit in seats which have an uncommon, button-tufted look with pale gray piping.
The metal-look local weather management dials are tactile and have refined backlighting, whereas Honda reveals the way you’re alleged to do the ‘hidden’ air vent factor that’s all the craze with automakers as we speak. As within the Civic, the vents are hidden as a part of a metallic honeycomb mesh trim piece that stretches throughout the sprint.
The dashtop and the door playing cards are completed in soft-touch plastic, as is nearly your complete centre console.
That’s proper, as a substitute of onerous plastic or simply a few leatherette pads the place your knees would possibly contact the console, there’s one huge swath of leatherette trim with white stitching components.
There are vehicles that price 1000’s greater than this that don’t even supply tender contact factors as intensive as these within the ZR-V.
Honda has even put soft-touch trim the place it might have simply gotten away with utilizing onerous plastic, equivalent to on the base of the windshield. Paddle shifters that might really feel like cheap plastic in most rivals have a textured, metal-like end.
The centre console is notable not only for its materials high quality, but additionally for its distinctive, bridge-like design. There’s a shelf beneath, flanked by a USB outlet on all sides, whereas the centre console has a reasonably deep storage bin. Smooth ambient lighting glows from beneath the bridge, too.
The infotainment system has a pleasant, easy structure with menus which are simple to navigate and graphics extra trendy than earlier Honda merchandise. Solely Apple CarPlay has wi-fi connectivity, nevertheless, with Android Auto requiring a cable.
The digicam high quality can be reasonably common, one thing we’ve observed in lots of Japanese merchandise. The Korean and Chinese language manufacturers do that higher.
The digital devices are enticing, with a simulation of analogue dials flanking an image of the automotive itself that reveals you in case you have your lights on and in what route your steering is pointing.
You may customise what info seems inside every of the dials. The steering wheel feels good, although my solely gripe is the switchgear here’s a bit clickety-clack to make use of.
Honda might name the ZR-V a mid-sizer, nevertheless it simply doesn’t really feel prefer it.
Don’t get me mistaken, it’s not cramped. At 180cm tall, I can comfortably sit behind my very own seating place, and the ground is commendably flat. However the place a RAV4 or Haval H6 has an incredible feeling of area, the ZR-V feels extra like a roomy hatchback.
There are many facilities again right here. They embrace two USB-C shops, air vents, a fold-down armrest with cupholders, and map pockets.
It’s also possible to set up youngster seats utilizing one of many three top-tether or two ISOFIX anchor factors.
Open the tailgate and also you’ll discover 380L of area. The rear seats fold flat, with cargo area increasing to 876L (measured to the window line) or 1312L (measured to the roof). There’s a 12V outlet within the boot, plus a space-saver spare underneath the boot flooring.
With 380L of area, the boot isn’t significantly massive; Mazda claims 438L of area within the CX-5, for instance.
What’s underneath the bonnet?
The ZR-V is powered by a 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine producing 131kW of energy and 240Nm of torque.
Drive is shipped to the entrance wheels by way of a repeatedly variable transmission.
These outputs are similar to different turbocharged four-cylinder SUVs at this worth level, such because the Skoda Karoq, Nissan Qashqai and Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross (all with 110kW/250Nm).
Over a loop comprising a mixture of inner-city, suburban and freeway driving, we averaged 7.5L/100km – near the official 7.2L/100km declare. Over the course of every week, this rose to 9.0L/100km, which is reasonably disappointing. Thankfully, the ZR-V requires solely 91 RON common unleaded gas.
How does the Honda ZR-V drive?
The ZR-V mightn’t really feel like a giant, cumbersome SUV to take a seat in, however this pays dividends relating to driving dynamics.
For starters, the ZR-V doesn’t really feel all that top off the bottom so you might have a extra car-like seating place than in lots of SUVs. That additionally means the centre of gravity feels decrease, and in flip physique roll is nicely managed.
On a spirited mountain drive, the ZR-V felt properly tied down within the bends with sharp turn-in, although the Yokohama tyres typically chirped as they scrambled for grip.
The steering has good weighting and an honest quantity of really feel, and the journey is agency with out being harsh – even on unsealed roads, it proves pliant, and whilst you really feel floor adjustments they don’t ship sharp impacts into the cabin.
The driving expertise, subsequently, is nice however for one factor: the powertrain.
Now, it’s not unhealthy. Removed from it: the turbocharged 4 is punchy and responsive, and engine noise is pretty nicely quelled.
Alas, what you do hear of the engine isn’t all that nice, with the ZR-V’s mill having a gravelly, gritty sound. There’s rev flare from the CVT, and whereas you need to use the paddle shifters to vary between simulated shift factors, placing the automotive into Sport mode simply appears to exacerbate the rev flare.
CVTs could make much less highly effective autos really feel zippier, however there are diminishing returns the extra highly effective the engine, to the purpose the place one thing with first rate outputs like this could merely really feel higher with a standard computerized (or guide, if folks nonetheless purchased these).
Tootling round city, the ZR-V’s CVT is okay. Given how poised its dynamics are, although, we want there was a transmission that higher suited its reasonably sporty character.
Our tester had an odd vibration at between 70 and 90km/h, however judging by different ZR-Vs we’ve had via the CarExpert storage this was a problem particular to this specific tester.
Lane help methods appear to hassle plenty of drivers, and we generally hear from individuals who simply flip them off on reflex. I’m not averse to those methods, and I don’t thoughts even the extra assertive lane centring methods present in, for instance, Hyundai and Kia merchandise.
Regardless of this, I discovered myself leaving the ZR-V’s lane system off (and fortuitously it defaults to off). It’s domineering and intrusive, always tugging on the wheel.
One other gripe is Honda’s insistence of creating Sport mode selectable solely by pulling the shifter down one other detent. The top results of that is you find yourself by chance pulling the shifter too far and placing it in Sport mode, which implies in case you’re something like me you’ll sometimes by chance put the automotive into Impartial while you’re making an attempt to shift it into Reverse.
Honda isn’t the one model that does this – Suzuki can be responsible – and it makes little sense when the opposite drive mode, Eco, is selectable by way of a button.
There’s nonetheless a lot to reward the ZR-V for. Cruise management is simple to activate and it neatly judges distances, whereas there’s a separate limiter operate. The automobile remembers your auto maintain setting, and as seen in dearer autos the nozzles are built-in into the wipers themselves.
Lastly, the adaptive LED headlights are excellent, with brilliant illumination and lively cornering lights. Whereas most rival manufacturers have solely lately made LED headlights normal throughout their ranges, Honda has moved the bar.
What do you get?
ZR-V VTi X highlights:
- Adaptive LED headlights
- Lively cornering lights
- 17-inch alloy wheels
- Rain-sensing wipers
- Hill descent management
- 9.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system
- Wi-fi Apple CarPlay
- Wired Android Auto
- 10.2-inch digital instrument cluster
- 8-speaker sound system
- Black cloth upholstery
- Twin-zone local weather management
- Auto-dimming rear-view mirror
- Leather-based-wrapped steering wheel and shifter
- Upholstered centre console with French stitching
- Entrance USB ports (1 x USB-A and 1 x USB-C)
- Rear USB ports (2 x USB-C)
- Rear air vents
- Area-saver spare wheel
- 60/40 break up/fold rear seats
ZR-V VTi L provides:
- 18-inch alloy wheels
- Heated exterior mirrors
- Fingers-free energy tailgate with walk-away closing
- Rear privateness glass
- Mixture LED tail lights
- Black leatherette upholstery
- Heated entrance seats
- Steel paddle shifters
- LED ambient lighting (roof)
ZR-V VTi LX provides:
- 18-inch two-tone alloy wheels
- Physique-coloured decrease bumpers and wheel arches
- Selectable drive modes (Sport, Regular, Financial system)
- 12-speaker Bose sound system
- Wi-fi telephone charger
- Satellite tv for pc navigation
- Black leather-based upholstery
- 8-way energy driver’s seat with reminiscence
- 4-way energy passenger seat
- Heated rear seats
- Heated steering wheel
- Sports activities pedals
- ‘Door Line Illumination’
- Auto-tilting mirrors in reverse
- Plasmacluster air purification system
Is the Honda ZR-V protected?
The Honda ZR-V has but to be examined by ANCAP, although its Euro NCAP counterpart gave it 4 stars. This score applies to hybrid fashions.
It acquired an grownup occupant safety score of 79 per cent, a toddler occupant safety score of 86 per cent, a weak highway person safety score of 81 per cent, and a security help score of 68 per cent.
Commonplace security gear contains:
- Autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian and bike owner detection
- Adaptive cruise management with low-speed observe
- Driver consideration monitoring
- Lane-keep help
- Site visitors Jam Help
- Site visitors signal recognition
- Entrance and rear parking sensors
- Tyre stress monitoring
- 11 airbags
- Twin entrance and entrance knee airbags
- Centre airbag
- Entrance and rear facet airbags
- Full-length curtain airbags
VTi LX and above get blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and a surround-view digicam. It’s a bit disappointing blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert can’t be discovered in additional reasonably priced ZR-Vs, although not less than visibility is first rate.
How a lot does the Honda ZR-V price to run?
All Honda ZR-V fashions are backed by a five-year, unlimited-kilometre guarantee.
Servicing is required each 12 months or 10,000km, whichever comes first. The primary 5 companies are capped at $199 every.
These could also be shorter intervals than many rivals, however these service costs are among the many lowest available on the market.
CarExpert’s Tackle the Honda ZR-V
For those who consider this as a Toyota RAV4 or Hyundai Tucson rival, it’s possible you’ll be dissatisfied by the ZR-V’s measurement.
That is very a lot on the cusp of standard small and medium SUV sizing, and whereas there’s sufficient room within the again seat and boot it doesn’t really feel as voluminous as some equally priced autos.
Consider this as a Civic wagon, although – and there’s advantage to this, as they share a platform and powertrains – and the ZR-V is extra interesting. It feels extra like a wagon than an SUV behind the wheel in any case, matching its exterior styling.
In VTi LX guise, it’s solely $1300 greater than the comparable Civic, and Honda doesn’t supply a less expensive Civic to line up with the ZR-V VTi L examined right here.
Behind the wheel is a beautiful place to be within the ZR-V, with a premium-feeling cabin that’s enticing and tactile. It rides and handles nicely, although it deserves a extra inspiring powertrain.
For those who’re after most steel in your cash, the ZR-V isn’t your best option. However in case you’re after a automotive that’s elegantly introduced and presents ample (if not ample) room, it’s worthy of consideration.
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BUY: Honda ZR-V
MORE: Everything Honda ZR-V