The Honda ZR-V is the Honda that answered a simple question — how much car can this badge carry? — with 176 hp from Petrol engine. It was built from 2022, in the decade the industry is turning electric. The shape is credited to Hirotoshi Tamura (exterior) / Daiki Ueno (interior).
How it came about
The Honda ZR-V (called the Honda HR-V in North America and China) is a compact crossover SUV (C-segment) produced by Honda. Positioned between the global market HR-V/Vezel/XR-V and the CR-V, the vehicle shares its platform with the eleventh-generation Civic. The development of the ZR-V was led by model development manager Shuichi Ono. It was first unveiled in the United States on 4 April 2022 as the third-generation HR-V differentiated from the global model, in order to "meet the distinct needs of U.S. customers".
Sales started in that market on 7 June 2022 for the 2023 model year. Later launches such as in China and Europe utilized the "ZR-V" nameplate as it is sold alongside the global HR-V in these markets. Chinese models are produced by both GAC Honda as the ZR-V and Dongfeng Honda as the HR-V respectively. European models will use full hybrid powertrain as standard. Models sold in Europe are manufactured in China at GAC Honda's Huang Pu Plant. According to Honda, the name "ZR-V" stands for "Z Runabout Vehicle", a reference to the Generation Z, and unrelated to Honda Z microcars.
The hardware
The engine is Petrol engine; the output is 176 hp; other versions carried different engines, listed in the specification table below. On the scales it comes to 3159 –. That is roughly 56 horsepower per tonne: unhurried — enough for the job, not for the bragging. Drive goes through a CVT. The wheelbase is 104.5 in. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Family and rivals
In the Honda line-up the Honda ZR-V has a clear place: it replaced the Honda HR-V (second generation) (North America); the factory was Yorii, Saitama. The cars a buyer would have weighed it against include the Kia EV6, the Porsche Taycan, the Chery Arrizo 8. Its Honda stablemates include the Honda Envix and the Honda Crider.