Honda ZR-V test: This masterpiece is both very economical and very expensive

If you’ve walked into a Honda showroom in recent years, you haven’t exactly stumbled upon models. Jazz, Honda e with a range you would have been ashamed of even 10 years ago, then the old HR-V and CR-V.

Honda in the Netherlands

Not many people come at all, Honda’s sales numbers in the Netherlands are lower than ever. In the first half of 2023, 342 songs were recorded, more than half of which were jazz.

There has been speculation for years: Will Honda Netherlands give up? Can it even withdraw from Europe? But then, in a short time, the Japanese came up with two new models that fit perfectly with European fashion: the electric model Honda E:Ny1 And the Honda ZR-V. The latter fills the gap between the HR-V and CR-V.

The size of a Volkswagen Tiguan

At approximately 4.60 meters long and 1.84 meters wide, the Honda ZR-V is almost the same size as the Honda ZR-V. Volkswagen Tiguan. Inside, the new Honda offers enough space for four adults. The choice of high-quality materials is remarkable, the dashboard looks beautiful and everything looks beautiful. Honda is keeping up with the times and offering the ZR-V with Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, and many online services.

Honda ZR-V trunk

For an SUV of this size, luggage space is disappointing, at just 380 litres. That’s about as much as a Volkswagen Golf swallows. The maximum loading volume of 1312 liters is not impressive either. There is a typical Japanese joke that the trunk lid automatically closes when you walk away from the car. If you want to open the hood, make a circular motion around the bumper with your foot.

Comfort trumps sportiness

Honda is known as a sports car brand, but C-Class crossover customers are usually a bit unruly. That’s why a lot of work has been done in the field of comfort. Tire, wind and engine noise are elegantly dampened, and the chassis features ergonomic adjustment. Except for one part: during city driving, short bumps are overcome with stability. It’s a good thing that the seats are very comfortable and also adjustable in several ways.

Of course, Honda also tentatively mentioned how sporty the ZR-V is, but in practice that doesn’t appear to be the case. It doesn’t steer precisely enough for a modicum of driving enjoyment, and if you take some turns too quickly, the ZR-V quickly starts sliding over its front wheels.

Many driver assistance systems and good visibility everywhere

Safety equipment is complete, and Honda has collision warning with pedestrian detection, active braking and adaptive cruise control with traffic jam assist.

The thin pillars make us happy, making the Honda one of the few modern cars where there’s no complaint about all-around visibility. You can also see exactly where the hood ends and the rear window is quite large as well. If you still can’t figure it out, you can always use a rear camera with parking sensors. This is the standard.

Special hybrid system

We’ll save the technical features for last, because the ZR-V is equipped with the special hybrid system that the Japanese developed in-house. The ZR-V has an electric motor and a 2-liter direct-injection gasoline engine, operating on the economy-oriented Atkinson principle.

The driver doesn’t notice which motor is sending power to the front wheels – sometimes both do it, other times they work separately. Just like an electric car, the ZR-V has a fixed transmission. It’s an impressive engineering feat.

System power is 184 hp. Because of the technology, the ZR-V seems to accelerate like an electric car, after 8 seconds it already reaches 100 km/h, the power is well dosed and you don’t notice anything about the complex control of the individual components, although this is partly due to the insulating material Which reduces engine noise well. WLTP consumption of 5.8 l/100 km or 1 in 17.2 is decent.

Honda ZR-V delivery time

The ZR-V will be available at the dealer this year. Honda isn’t known as a brand for bargain hunters, and you’ll also have to bring a lot of cash with this compact SUV. Even Volkswagen drivers will be shocked, because the Tiguan’s entry price is lower. The basic Elegance version costs at least 50 thousand, for the Sport you pay 50,500 euros and for the most expensive Advance 53,250 euros.

Conclusion

It will be interesting for Honda to see if it can still squeeze itself among so many successful competitors. The small trunk doesn’t speak in the ZR-V’s favor, nor does the high base price. But the efficient hybrid powertrain is a masterpiece that only Honda could imagine.