Honda ZR-V First Drive Review

Honda has a new flagship in town, and it’s none other than the ZR-V. Sitting in the premium SUV segment, it brings along hybrid technology, a decent list of features, and then some more. While the Japanese brand is yet to announce prices, we do have a ballpark figure at hand to gauge whether it does its part for the expected price. So then, without further ado, let’s get straight to the point, shall we?

Hondas have always been known to have an unoffensive design, and the ZR-V is no different. Yes, it does seem eerily similar to an SUV from an Italian marquee, but that apart, it does manage to stand out in a sea of polarising car designs of today’s era. The fascia has a rather upright stance, which is further accentuated by the multi-slat grille. The bumper design is relatively clean, and so are the swept-back headlamps, absolutely timeless.

The side profile reminds you how long the front and the bonnet of the car are, and the body-coloured cladding enhances the overall clean design. What does stick out is the design for the alloy wheels, as the twin-spoke silver set feels out of place in what is otherwise a classy design. What further adds appeal to the latter is the lack of chrome elements all around, and more so on the door handles.

The roof has a minor sloping design as one makes their way to the rear, and this is a nice touch, without compromising much on the headroom, but more on that later. The LED taillights feature what could be called a semi-smoked finish, and I can’t deny that it’s a different yet appealing approach, at least in my eyes. The integrated spoiler adds more character, as do the dual exhaust tips. The car will certainly age well on this front, and if the target customer is a Honda fan, then this is certainly one reason to upgrade, if not for a few more down the line.

Step inside the ZR-V and you’re welcomed by a sporty all-black theme, be it the seats, dashboard, or otherwise. Only the top half of the B-pillars and the roofline receive a beige finish. Sit inside, and it is rather easy to find a comfortable seating position, with the electrically adjustable function further aiding the same.

The honeycomb pattern spanning the length of the dashboard, the knurled finish for the AC controls, the subtle contrast white stitching all around, and even the leatherette finish of the steering wheel, all make sure you remember you’re in a premium car. The overall fit and finish seems top-notch, save for the top half of the dashboard, which looks and feels well out of place for a car that will command more than 40 big ones before taxes.

Move into the second row, and you’d notice that the seating position is not really upright, yet there is more lack of under-thigh support than most cars would have. That said, there is a healthy amount of legroom, even with the front seats set to my heavy build. The shoulder room is likely to be tight with even just one person tipping the scales marginally higher than others.

The ZR-V has a laundry list of features, including a nine-inch touchscreen unit with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, Type-C charging ports, 12-speaker Bose music system, powered tailgate, Honda Sensing (ADAS in Honda’s terms), wireless charger, electrically adjustable front seats, dual-zone climate control, rear armrest with cupholders, auto-dimming IRVM, EPB, all-wheel disc brakes, eight airbags, and a 360-degree camera.

Even still, it misses out on key features like rear sunshades, HUD, wireless connectivity for Android Auto, and ventilated front seats. What doesn’t help its case is that the car doesn’t even get an electric sunroof, let alone a panoramic unit, which would’ve made the cabin feel more airy, even if just psychologically. The latter, in isolation, is a glaring omission, especially at a time where cars more than two segments below offer this feature.

The new ZR-V is powered by a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine paired with an electric motor in the e:HEV guise. The combined output stands at 181bhp and 315Nm. Transmission duties are handled by an e-CVT unit, and Honda claims a tall fuel efficiency figure of 22.8kmpl. Also up for offer are three selectable drive modes – Eco, Normal, and Sport.

The ZR-V automatically switches between the default drive modes that include EV Drive, Hybrid Drive, and Engine Drive. It starts up in EV drive and seamlessly switches into hybrid drive mode at speeds of 50kmph or on demand when the throttle is pressed aggressively. Move to triple-digit speeds, and it shifts into engine drive mode, and eventually goes back to the other modes based on the speed.

The shift between all three modes is very smooth, and you’d be hard-pressed to know which mode you’re in unless you constantly have your eyes set on the instrument cluster. Pushing the car on the straights at BIC meant climbing up the rev band more than most owners usually will, and this brought out what refinement still means to a brand like Honda.

On the NVH front, the engine was very much audible as it made its way up the tacho, but what caught me off guard was the level of refinement and the lack of vibrations or harshness even at speeds of around 150kmph. The selectable drive modes didn’t really make a difference, at least not as much as I had imagined, but the regen modes did exactly the opposite of that.

In our limited time with the car, what we also noticed was the minimal body roll present in the car, part of the benefit of which could be owing to the weight of the battery pack and its related components. This, coupled with the stickier Yokohama Advan tyres, gave me more and more confidence in each lap to push the car more and more in almost every corner.

The tyres barely squealed even after being put in their paces time and again. The suspension is thus expected to be on the stiffer side, although we will be able to tell you about these aspects in finer detail only once we put the car through our detailed road test.

The ZR-V has several things going for it, be it the space, the no-nonsense design, the frugality of a hybrid, or the decent ride quality. It does miss out on a few features though, and an expected price north of Rs. 40 lakh (ex-showroom) doesn’t really expedite its cause.

This flagship Honda is set to take on the likes of the Volkswagen Tiguan R-Line and the Skoda Kodiaq Lounge variant in India. It will definitely appeal to a select few, but then again, the pricing will be a key deciding factor in its success in our grueling, fiercely competitive, and demanding market.

Pictures by Kaustubh Gandhi