We street check the most recent entrant to the household crossover scene – the total hybrid Honda ZR-V…
Slotting in between the HR-V and CR-V SUVs by way of measurement, the all-new ZR-V is an important automobile for Honda – and it’s tasked with an mighty problem.
Not solely do crossovers and SUVs now account for greater than half of complete automobile gross sales, the ZR-V is up in opposition to big-sellers together with the Kia Sportage, Nissan Qashqai, Ford Kuga, Hyundai Tucson and Volkswagen Tiguan, to call however a couple of.
The excellent news is that the Honda ZR-V is predicated on the wonderful Eleventh-generation Honda Civic hybrid, which was launched in 2022.
Distinctively styled, the brand new ZR-V is properly proportioned and sports activities a comparatively small grille for a contemporary crossover, flanked by slim LED headlights.
Add a glossy and curvaceous profile, rear LEDs, a wide-opening tailgate, twin exhausts and loads of rufty-tufty cladding down under and you’ve got a crossover with kerb enchantment.
Solely out there as a petroleum hybrid (no diesel or pure electrical variations), the ZR-V makes use of a lot the identical powertrain set-up (e:HEV in Honda-speak) because the Civic.
Which means a 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine paired with a small 1.05kWh+ lithium-ion battery and two electrical motors, producing a mixed 181bhp.
Honda claims the ZR-V is able to as much as 49.6mpg with CO2 emissions as little as 130g/km.
In contrast to hybrid programs from most different automobile makers, the ZR-V’s engine acts as a generator to energy the battery fairly than the wheels for a lot of the time, so it runs in EV mode as a lot as attainable.
Nonetheless, at larger speeds or below heavy masses, it will possibly ship drive straight to the entrance wheels.
Priced from £39,495 to £42,895, it’s on the costly aspect in comparison with a lot of its rivals. That mentioned, it is available in three well-equipped trim ranges: Class, Sport and Advance.
Class’s highlights embody keyless entry and ignition, heated entrance seats, rear parking digicam, automated headlights and wipers, plus twin local weather management.
Sport provides half-leather seats, energy tailgate, privateness glass, wi-fi telephone charger and barely sportier physique styling.
Advance comes with full leather-based upholstery, a panoramic opening sunroof, electrical seats, heated steering wheel, head-up show, heated rear seats and adaptive headlights, plus a bangin’ 12-speaker BOSE sound system
The inside, which is nearly equivalent to the Civic, represents an actual step up by way of high quality and performance. There’s a strong really feel total, the seats are comfy and there are many soft-touch surfaces.
The infotainment system isn’t the slickest, however does the job properly. Most of all, the dashboard isn’t too minimalist – there are nonetheless dials, buttons and switches for necessities resembling local weather management, radio quantity, heated seats and drive mode choice.
There’s loads of area for 5 individuals to take a seat comfortably, although boot capability is modest (in comparison with its opponents) with simply 370 litres of space for storing, or 1,291 litres with the 60/40-split rear seats folded flat.
Honda followers will word that the ZR-V doesn’t function ‘Magic Seats’ just like the HR-V and Jazz, the place the rear seat bases flip upwards like cinema seats to make it simpler to hold taller gadgets.
The driving place suited me properly as a result of it’s attainable to take a seat barely decrease within the cabin than most crossovers. After all, in the event you want to take a seat larger up, it’s attainable to crank up the seat.
After you’ve began it up, it’s merely a case of urgent the ‘D’ button and also you’re away in silent EV mode, most of the time.
It’s swift off the road (0-62mph in 7.8 seconds) and you’ll select from three common drive modes (Econ, Regular and Sport).
There’s loads of poke, because of {that electrical} help, however the greatest shock is the e-CVT gearbox.
Honda has carried out its greatest to eradicate the hovering revs you usually get once you put your foot down in a automobile with a traditional CVT field.
As an alternative, there are simulated gear modifications, giving the texture of conventional transmission ratios. It’s nonetheless not good, however it’s a enormous enchancment.
The trip is on the agency aspect, however not uncomfortably so, however usually it’s an excellent all-rounder – completely satisfied cruising motorways and stretching its legs on extra participating roads.
In reality, the brand new Civic presents a surprisingly agile drive for a crossover. When pushed, it stays surprisingly flat in more difficult corners, there’s first rate grip and the steering is properly weighted.
On easy roads the cabin is refined, apart from a little bit of wind noise. Nonetheless, on poorer surfaces there’s additionally a good quantity of street noise.
I discovered that Econ mode (it adjusts throttle response to enhance gas effectivity) is ok for pottering round city or utilizing on motorway journeys, Regular is greatest for on a regular basis driving, whereas Sport (which sharpens throttle response and improves efficiency) is enjoyable for blasts on twisty roads.
There’s additionally a brand new Snow mode which boosts traction in low grip situations. I attempted it on grass and it did appear to supply a fraction extra grip, however if you would like the peace of thoughts of four-wheel drive in your SUV, you’ll have to look elsewhere as a result of it’s not an choice on the ZR-V.
It’s additionally not the automobile for you if in case you have a caravan as a result of its most (braked) towing weight is 750kg. Some hybrid rivals are succesful or towing greater than twice that weight.
I matched the official economic system determine in blended driving and received as excessive as 50mpg on a motorway run, so the ZR-V ought to be form to your pockets.
It’s additionally protected as a result of it comes with Honda’s newest security and driver help applied sciences, so in addition to 11 airbags, there’s every little thing from autonomous emergency braking (AEB) to lane-keep help, plus driver consideration monitoring to adaptive cruise management and traffic-sign recognition.
Verdict: The Honda ZR-V is without doubt one of the greatest hybrid household crossovers in the marketplace. Good wanting, protected, spacious, economical and properly constructed, it additionally delivers an interesting drive.
Honda UK
