FOR a company that made its name with cheap and reliable urban transport in the early 70s, Honda has certainly developed a fascination for small to medium SUVs.
The latest addition to the Honda family is the ZR-V, best described as a small-medium urban SUV, landing between the existing HR-V and CR-V models.
Following the trend pioneered by Hyundai with the Tucson City in the mid-2000s, the ZR-V is a two-wheel-drive, aimed squarely at city dwellers wanting a vehicle with some cargo-carrying abilities without a huge footprint.
Available with either a 1.5 litre VTEC Turbo or a 2-litre four cylinder engine matched to an electric motor for hybrid drive, Honda offers four trim levels, from the ZR-V X through to the range topping ZRV e:HEV LX.
We tested the mid-level L and LX versions, both using the 1.5 turbo engine, driving through a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT).
STARTING with a clean sheet, Honda came up with a design that offers a blend of good looks and practicality, not always as easy as it sounds, all squeezed into a relatively compact car.
There are curves a-plenty, with barely a straight line to be seen, Honda has created a car that looks like it has taken inspiration from big US sedans of the late 1930s, including a deceptively short bonnet that appears much longer than it really is.
I especially fell for the front grille treatment, looking like a giant mouth bearing down on the vehicles ahead of it, with the anthropomorphic impression boosted by the wide headlights like a set of predatory eyes, all achieved without looking menacing - no mean feat!
The roofline curves up and over the passenger compartment, providing plenty of headroom, but avoids looking bulbous, it is more of a sweep, before dropping away sharply to the rear bumper.
A high belt line, where the side windows meet the top of the door panels, is another visual device that makes the car look larger than it is, only when you realise how far the back doors extend over the rear wheel arches do you realise the ZR-V is not as big overall as you think.
This is not a criticism, designers have used these sorts of tricks over the years to mask, or enhance, a vehicle's proportions, the overall result is pleasing to the eye, looking balanced, avoiding massive overhangs front and rear.
There is a trade-off with the high waist line, especially for taller drivers with the seat lowered, you find yourself losing some peripheral vision from the door trims, although the driver aids do help mitigate this concern.
The doors also feature scalloping, with the upper sections curved inwards from a sharp crease line, as though the car has sucked its sides in, before they flare outwards again towards the rear of the car.
Finishing the ZR-V off, literally, is a neat integrated rear wing, extending the roof line out over the tailgate, not only does it look good but the wing helps with aerodynamic stability and fuel efficiency.
Following the urban SUV look, the ZR-V offers a minimum ground clearance of 186mm, keeping the body well clear of obstacles like driveways, kerbs and speedhumps, with exhaust and driveshafts tucked up under the body for a 'clean' look.
INSIDE, the ZR-V pulls a bit of a TARDIS, at least for the passengers, with more space than you expect, headroom especially is boosted by the curved roofline.
Coming in at the taller and heavier end of the body spectrum, I appreciate a bit of shoulder and leg room, and found the ZR-V came through on both fronts, with enough room for a 'normal' person to use the seat behind me.
My big complaint about the car, and Honda is not the only culprit, is the upper seatbelt mount for the driver, it is too high, even for tall drivers, and I spent the whole time in both cars trying to adjust the seat height so the belt was not pulling into my neck.
While I raised the seat base, which helped, it then created an issue of pushing me towards the roof, so that entering the car I was ducking my head to avoid the door frame, and had to stretch my legs forward to squeeze under the steering wheel.
Seats are deep and comfortable, we tested both the L and LX variants, giving a good cross section of the trim options available, and found them not just practical, but also welcoming, it was enjoyable to slide into the seats each time.
The big difference was the L had manually adjustable front seats, while the LX upgraded to 8-way power adjustment for the driver, with 4-way power assistance for the passenger, although both models offer heated front seats, while the LX rears also include a heating function.
The L gets leatherette and black fabric, while the more upscale LX scores black leather trims, although they shared the heated leather steering wheel, perfect for a Queensland summer!
I loved the hexagonal vent facings in both cars, with retro-style controls allowing you to direct air exactly where you want it, as well as open and close them with a twist of the knob.
More than anything, that is what stood out, Honda's ability to blend modern tech and functionality with controls that would be familiar to someone jumping out of an 80s model car.
The control dials are big and chunky, with a black knurled finish, providing a tactile element to a car that should, by all intents and purposes as a clean sheet 2020s design, be all touch screen and biometric interfaces, instead, there is a healthy chunk of humanity built into the ZR-V.
That is not to say the touchscreen and LCD displays aren't there, the centre console is dominated by a 9" horizontal display unit with fingertip activation, backed by a large, vintage volume knob.
Offering wireless Android Auto or Apple CarPlay, it is the work of moments to install compatible phones, there are a mix of USB -B and -C chargers front and rear, while the LX also gets wireless charging in the console.
For those who enjoy radio, there is DAB, as well as AM/FM and Bluetooth connectivity, so all bases are covered, and sound reproduction is excellent across both models, the L with an eight speaker system while the LX gains a 12-speaker BOSE unit with Dynamic Speed Compensation.
I became a fast fan of the 10.2" instrument panel, not only does it have the traditional speedo, tacho, fuel and temperature gauge, there is also a multi-function display between the big dials for extra information.
This driver-selectable section includes audio and navigation displays, with turn-by-turn directions from Alps Alpine and vehicle alerts, like road speed and fuel consumption data as well as warnings on tyre pressures and other updates.
My favourite is the display for the Adaptive Cruise Control, which uses data from the on-board cameras and sensors to build a three-dimensional image, with ZR-V as the centrepiece, showing nearby traffic, as well as your own brake lights and indicators.
Although I would prefer it be projected as a 'heads-up display', which the ZR-V doesn't currently offer, it is helpful, especially in low visibility situations, to get an idea of what is around you, to help you plan your next move, or to spot faster moving vehicles closing in on you.
Not surprisingly, Honda has excelled yet again on the fit and finish, while there are very few poorly-trimmed cars in the modern era, it is the choice of trims and facings that make the difference now, and Honda delivers quality materials.
WITH a kerb weight around 1500kg, ZR-V was never going to be a rocketship, even with a 1.5 litre turbo motor generating 131kW/240Nm, especially with the CVT, although it proved to be a good little cruiser.
It was a better performer than the bare numbers suggested, the only real downside was straight-line acceleration from a standing start, CVTs generally do struggle a bit with 'off the line' driving.
With a broad torque range, the full 240Nm is available from 1700rpm right through to 4500rpm, which helps overcome the inertia in the CVT, which works best when it is operating at a constant road speed.
More importantly, the motor is not 'buzzy', despite its small-bore nature, it spins up freely, but isn't unpleasant as it does so, and that constant level of torque allows the ZR-V to dig in and plough on.
The internal bands need to react to the driver inputs, while modern electrics mean this is measured in fractions of a second, it means there is still that lag where the engine spins up, before there is any appreciable change in velocity.
While modern CVT works wonderfully, particularly on longer drives, like a cruise out to Forest Hill for coffee - highly recommend it! - inner urban, stop-start driving is not its forte, making it an interesting choice by Honda, given the ZR-V's target market is the urban/suburban demographic, who may be expecting a slightly more responsive car.
To help overcome this reticence for harder acceleration, Honda's engineers have inserted a number of step points in the CVT, so that when different drive modes are engaged, the ZR-V has some default ratios.
While the L has an Economy On/Off, which basically 'short shifts' the changes to use the lowest possible revs for any driving situation, the LX goes a step further and has driver selectable Economy/Normal/Sport modes.
Like the L's Economy On button, the LX will short shift, looking for the highest available ratio point while in Economy mode, going for the best possible fuel usage at the cost of acceleration.
Normal is fairly self-explanatory, it is a compromise between the other modes, you get a little more acceleration, at the price of a little more fuel burn.
Finally, engaging Sport mode holds the transmission points for as long as possible, working high up into the rev range for maximum speed, but with a jump in the fuel use as the engine works harder, churning out more power.
With Honda's reputation for sporty cars, dating back to the S600 and S800 small capacity sports cars of the 1960s, through to the mighty NSX supercars, it is easy to fall into the trap of expecting a road going racer, wrapped in an SUV body.
That is not the ZR-V, what you see is what you get, a high riding, stretched hatchback with big road wheels that cope well with potholes, speed bumps and driveways.
The longer travel in the suspension is a real asset in these situations, it climbs over minor obstacles, and absorbs the bumps of carpark stoppers with ease.
For all that, it is a stable platform, not so rigid as to shake your teeth out, but certainly strong enough to deal with the sub-standard southeast Queensland road network.
Steering is reasonably direct, it is not twitchy, but there is no big dead spot around the straight ahead position, the power assistance is well-weighted, not floaty or vague, but nor do you worry about changing lanes if you sneeze.
By avoiding the temptation to build a sporty hatchback, Honda has allowed its engineers to focus on ride quality over racetrack lap times, allowing the ZR-V to establish its personality as a pocket-sized touring wagon.
Nothing short of a hovercraft air cushion will prevent the worst potholes from intruding on the cabin, but Honda has done a good job of keeping out the small and medium corrugations, as well as road noise.
Instead, even in the mid-spec L variant, the driving experience is pleasant, not quite cosseted, you need a longer wheelbase, for a start, to soak up all the vibrations, but it is a nice place to watch the kilometres roll under your wheels.
Around town, aside from a little less 'punch' from a standing start, the ZR-V works well in traffic, the driver's sight lines are good, there were no massive blind spots to lose approaching traffic or pedestrians, and that amazing 3D dash kept track of what was where on the road around you, day or night.
OFTEN newly-released models take a little while to find their feet, trying to establish a 'raison d'être', but the ZR-V has managed to assert its personality right from the start.
It knows what it is, but more importantly, it knows what it is not, and avoids the trap of trying to be too many things for too many people.
The ZR-V is unlikely to be a top-five car in the Australian market, but Honda is not chasing that kind of market-share, yes, they exist to sell cars, and the more the better, but in our world, Honda is a slightly niche brand, cars that are just that little bit better, yes, you pay a bit more, but you know you will get what you pay for, and the ZR-V is another facet of that philosophy.
It doesn't try to compete on a price point, instead, it competes on intangibles like longevity, and yes, status, as well as the more tangible qualities of engineering and build quality.
Now for that kicker, would I buy one?
Honestly, no, but that is because I am not a small hatch/wagon person, this is just not a category that is on my personal radar.
BUT! If someone asks me for recommendations for this type of car, then I would certainly include it on the list.
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