There’s a misconception out there that, in late-2001, Toyota was the first
manufacturer to launch a petrol/electric hybrid passenger vehicle onto the Australian
market. While the Prius name quickly became synonymous with the emerging
powertrain technology in fact it arrived about six months after the Honda Insight.
The Insight didn’t live up to its name leaving Toyota to dominate the hybrid (HEV)
market to such an extent that it now offers them in just about every model in its
range. Indeed, many of its most popular models, such as Camry, Corolla and RAV4
are only available as hybrids.
Honda has returned to the fray recently with all five of its current vehicles coming
with its advanced e:HEV technology. Unlike the more common parallel hybrid system
where the battery assists the engine to drive the vehicle the Honda e:HEV has two
self-charging motors.
The smaller of the two motors is charged by the petrol engine and in turn charges
both the battery and also feeds into the larger motor which drives the vehicle.
The system switches automatically between three driving modes, EV, Hybrid and
Engine. In EV Drive the main electric motor powers the car using energy from the
battery.
In Hybrid Drive the petrol engine provides the energy to the drive motors as well as
replenishing the EV battery.
Engine Drive directly powers the vehicle at high speed with a lock-up clutch directly
connects the petrol engine to the wheels for maximum efficiency.
Honda has three small to medium sized SUVs in its range. The ZR-V, launched here
in 2023 was the first brand-new Honda core model to be introduced here in 20 years.
It’s built on the same platform, and is around the same length, as the current Civic
hatchback. It sits between the two well-established Honda SUVs, the smaller HR-V
and the larger CR-V.
ZR-V comes in three petrol-only grades (VTi X+, VTi L+ and VTi LX) ranging in price
from $37,900 to $49,000 with, our test vehicle, the hybrid e:HEV LX, selling for
$54,900. All prices are drive-away.
STYLING
While brand ‘family’ grills are very much in vogue at the moment, Honda has done
the opposite with its SUVs. The three designs are quite different, CR-V has the
boldest of the three, HR-V gets a slimline full-width style with ZR-V adopting the
more conservative look.
The small black grille sits below wide wraparound headlights with L shaped daytime
running lights, The Honda badge in the centre has blue infill to identify its electric
component.
The entry-level VTi X+ comes with 17-inch alloy wheels. All other models step up to
18 inches.
POWERTRAINS
The ZR-V petrol models are powered by a 1.5-litre VTEC turbocharged four-cylinder
engine producing 131kW of power at 6000 rpm and 240Nm of torque between 1700
and 4500 revs.
It is paired with a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) and is front-wheel drive
(FWD) only.
The e:HEV version combines a 2.0-litre Atkinson cycle naturally-aspirated four-
cylinder petrol with two electric motors and total system outputs of 135kW and
315Nm.
It is also FWD only with transmission sent through an e-CVT electronically controlled
continuously variable transmission
INTERIOR
The cabin of the ZR-V has a quality feel with soft-touch surfaces and a full-width
mesh grille that hides the normally exposed front air vents.
Controls are simple and generally easy to use as we have come to expect from
Honda over the years.
Physical buttons are offered to the right side of the touchscreen for oft used
functions, with other controls are located lower down for the air conditioning.
The instrument panel can be configured as dials or bars and you can select detailed
information to display, but it lacks the bells and whistles of competitor systems.
Standard equipment on the base model includes premium cloth upholstery, a 9-inch
infotainment touch-screen, eight-speaker sound system, wireless Apple CarPlay,
wired Android Auto, dual-zone climate control, eight-speaker sound system, 10.2-
inch digital instrument cluster, auto-dimming rear-view mirror and rain-sensing
wipers and parking sensors front and back.
The VTi L+ adds leatherette upholstery, heated front seats, heated front seats,
hands-free power tailgate, rear privacy glass, and metal paddle shifts.
VTi LX in both petrol and hybrid variants get leather-appointed seats, 360-degree
MultiView camera system, heated outer rear seats.
Boot size is a moderate 370 litres in the e:HEV with the rear seatbacks in place,
expanding to 1302 when they are folded. No spare wheel, just the dreaded a tyre
repair kit.
INFOTAINMENT
The 9.0-inch touchscreen is small by present-day standards. It’s located at the top of
the dashboard within easy reach for the driver. There is a physical volume knob as
well as home and back buttons.
Apple CarPlay is wireless but Android Auto is wired.
The 10.2-inch digital information cluster screen displays a good amount of driver
information. There are USB-A and USB-C at the front and two USB-C points at the
rear.
The e:HEV LX comes with a 12-speaker Bose premium sound system and a Qi –
compatible wireless smartphone charging pad in the centre console area
SAFETY
Honda ZR-V leads the class in passive safety with 11 airbags, including a front-
centre and driver’s knee airbag.
Other standard features include adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency
braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, blind-spot monitoring, driver attention
monitoring, lane-keep assist, rear cross-traffic alert, traffic sign recognition, tyre
pressure monitoring, intelligent speed limiter, reversing camera, front and rear
parking sensors and tyre pressure monitoring.
Note that the ZR-V only achieved a four-star rating due to a lower-functioning driver
attention monitor and a absence of a Backover feature in its Autonomous
Emergency Braking system.
DRIVING
The tall roofline makes getting in and out relatively easy. The driver’s seat is
comfortable and supportive with excellent visibility to the front and sides although let
down somewhat by the limited rear-window glass.
While it does have the usual suite of warning signals and interventions they are
nowhere nearly as intrusive as in many other new cars. Indeed, throughout our two-
week test we only rarely found it necessary to turn any of them off.
Starting in electric or hybrid mode provides the strong and smooth acceleration that
we expect. Likewise with the sharp acceleration into a motorway stream of traffic.
Wind and road noise are all-but absent, except in the last case on course surfaces.
Ride and handling are surprisingly good for a squarish mid-sized SUV courtesy of its
shared Civic underpinnings.
Body roll on fast bends is minimised and road bumps were ironed out with ease.
Brake regeneration can be adjusted though steering wheel paddles.
SUMMARY
The Honda ZR-V is an excellent addition to the highly competitive small/medium
SUV segment. In hybrid mode it competes against vehicles ranging in size from the
Toyota C-HR and Kia Kona up to Nissan Qashqai and Toyota RAV4.
At just under $55,000 it’s $6500 dearer than it’s similarly-equipped LX sibling and it
will take quite a few years for its fuel savings to offset that extra cost.
The other issue is the lack of the fifth ANCAP star which is quite rare nowadays.
We’d expect the AEB issue to be corrected in a future upgrade.
Standard warranty on the e:HEV is five years with eight years on the battery, both
with unlimited distance.
RATINGS
Looks: 8/10
Performance: 8/10
Safety: 7.5/10
Thirst: 8.5/10
Practicality: 8/10
Comfort: 7/10
Tech: 8/10
Value: 7/10
AT A GLANCE
Honda ZR-V VTi X+ $37,900
Honda ZR-V VTi L+ $43,400
Honda ZR-V VTi LX $49,000
Honda ZR-V e:HEV LX $54,900
Note: These prices are drive-away
SPECIFICATIONS (Honda ZR-V e:HEV 2.0-litre turbo-petrol electric hybrid five-door
wagon)
POWERTRAIN:
Capacity: 1.993 litres
Configuration: Four cylinders inline
Fuel Type: Regular unleaded petrol
Engine Maximum Power: 104 kW
Engine Maximum Torque: 186 Nm
Combined Maximum Power: 135 kW @ 5000 rpm
Combined Maximum Torque: 315 Nm @ 0-2000 rpm
Combined Fuel Cycle (ADR 81/02): 5.0 L/100km
BATTERY & MOTOR
Battery Type: 1.1 kWh Lithium with 72 cells
DRIVELINE: e-CVT electronic continuously variable automatic, front-wheel drive
DIMENSIONS, WEIGHT AND CAPACITIES:
Length: 4568 mm
Wheelbase: 2655 mm
Width: 1840 mm
Height: 1620 mm
Turning Circle: 11.0 metres
Kerb Mass: 1586 kg
Fuel Tank Capacity: 57 litres
BRAKES:
Front: Ventilated disc
Rear: Solid disc
STANDARD WARRANTY:
Five years / unlimited kilometres
