- Doors and Seats
5 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
1.5T, 4 cyl.
- Engine Power
131kW, 240Nm
- Fuel
Petrol (91) 7.4L/100KM
- Manufacturer
FWD
- Transmission
Auto (CVT)
- Warranty
5 Yr, Unltd KMs
- Ancap Safety
NA
2023 Honda ZR-V VTi L video review
The Honda ZR-V is the latest addition to the company’s SUV line-up, slotting between the HR-V and CR-V. Is the middle-of-the-range VTi L the pick of the line-up?
- Comfortable and easy to drive
- Interior technology easy to use
- Well priced and equipped compared to rivals
- Missing safety technology standard on rivals
- Small boot for the class
- High floor in rear seats compromises comfort for taller passengers
2023 Honda ZR-V VTi L
The Honda ZR-V is the newest addition to the Japanese car maker’s line-up, and targets Australia’s most popular new-vehicle segment: mid-size family SUVs.
Measuring 4568mm long, it slots between the small HR-V (4335mm) and larger CR-V, which has just become significantly larger for the new model (4704mm, up from 4635mm) in showrooms from September 1.
It is within a centimetre of a Mazda CX-5 in length, width and height, and is a few centimetres shorter bumper to bumper than the top-selling Toyota RAV4 – or a Hyundai Tucson.
As with all newly introduced Honda models, there is the option of hybrid power, but for now it is only available on the top-of-the-range model grade.
If the HR-V is too small for you, and you don’t need the size of the new CR-V, does the Honda ZR-V occupy the Goldilocks zone?
How much does the Honda ZR-V cost in Australia?
The vehicle on test is the ZR-V VTi L, the second most affordable variant in the four-model Honda ZR-V range.
No, we didn’t fall asleep on the keyboard. The jumble of letters means it mixes a turbocharged petrol engine (VTi) – without hybrid technology – with a mid-tier level of equipment (L), above the base VTi X petrol, but below the better-equipped VTi LX petrol and e:HEV LX hybrid.
It is priced from $43,200 drive-away nationwide. Since July 2021, new Honda cars in Australia have been sold at fixed, non-negotiable prices no matter which showroom you buy from, with no extra-cost options (excluding accessories).
Its closest rival is the Mazda CX-5, which in G25 Maxx Sport petrol front-wheel-drive form – one up from the base model – is priced from $39,910 plus on-road costs, or $43,508 to $44,755 drive-away depending on where it is registered, according to Mazda’s website.
Other rivals include the base-model Toyota RAV4 GX 2.0-litre petrol ($39,760 plus on-roads, or $43,318 to $44,641 drive-away per Toyota’s website) and mid-trim Hyundai Tucson Elite 2.0-litre petrol ($40,150 plus on-roads, or $44,013 to $44,680 drive-away per Hyundai’s website).
The new-generation, larger Honda CR-V is priced from $44,500 drive-away for the base VTi X, while there may be some stock left of the outgoing CR-V priced from $35,900 drive-away (though base-model versions may no longer be in stock).
Key details | 2023 Honda ZR-V VTi L |
Price | $43,200 drive-away |
Colour of test car | Platinum White |
Options | None |
Drive-away price | $43,200 |
Rivals | Mazda CX-5 | Toyota RAV4 | Hyundai Tucson |
How much space does the Honda ZR-V have inside?
The Honda ZR-V shares much of its DNA under the skin with the latest Honda Civic hatch, and that’s more than evident in the cabin.
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There are some ZR-V-unique features, including an unconventional ‘flying bridge’ design for the centre console, but the screens, steering wheel, gear shifter, switchgear, and even cool details such as the honeycomb air vent styling feel plucked out of the Civic – which is a good thing, not a bad thing.
Unlike a growing list of rivals that move key functions into their infotainment touchscreens, there are physical controls for every key function (which are welcome inclusions).
The dials for the air conditioning and volume controls are beautifully weighted and pleasant to use.
Once you adjust the headrests to match your height, the front seats offer a good mix of long-distance comfort and support in tight corners. In this VTi L model they are manually adjustable (but with height adjustment for the driver only), heated, and trimmed in a pleasant mix of cloth and synthetic leather-look material.
The leather-trimmed steering wheel feels solid in the hand, and offers reach and tilt adjustment to find the ideal driving position.
There is a mix of synthetic leather-look and squidgy plastic surfaces around the cabin – which are soft to the touch – and perceived build quality in our test vehicle was reasonable, though there was noticeable movement in the centre console when resting your knee on it.
As for storage, the door pockets are on the small side – though they can still fit a 600mL bottle – and the glovebox is not as large as some rivals. However, the centre console storage box is roomy, and there are two cupholders plus a sunglasses holder in the roof.
There is space under the infotainment screen and air-conditioning dials for phones and wallets – where the wireless phone-charging pad would go on more expensive models – as well as a rubberised slot between the shifter and centre console box.
Features up front include dual-zone climate control, keyless entry and start, illuminated vanity mirrors, a 12-volt power socket, one USB-C port, and one USB-A port – though the USB ports are placed far away from the infotainment screen, which could create a tangle for long cables.
In the rear, at 186cm (6ft 1in) I can sit behind my driving position with ample head room, knee room and foot room.
However, the floor in the rear seats is unusually high, and means taller passengers will feel ‘perched’ on the seat on longer journeys. The cabin is wide enough to travel three abreast if needed, but the middle seat is not the widest in the category and is very firm.
The door apertures are quite narrow – and the doors do not open to 90 degrees like a Nissan X-Trail – so ingress and egress for adults, or loading kids, may be harder than anticipated. There are three top-tether points and two ISOFIX points in the rear, though the centre top-tether point is in the roof, not the back of the seat as with many other cars.
Rear-seat amenities include rear air vents, two USB-C ports, map pockets on the back of each front seat, bottle holders in the doors, and a fold-down centre armrest with two cupholders.
The ZR-V VTi L’s boot has a claimed capacity of 380 litres, or 10L more than VTi LX and e:HEV LX models with leather seats and a premium sound system that adds a subwoofer audio speaker under the boot floor.
It is the smallest boot in the mid-size SUV class – when seven-seat models, and plug-in hybrids with batteries under the boot floor are excluded – and even by small SUV standards, it would not be a class leader.
Features include a power tailgate with kick sensor, a 60:40 split-folding rear-seat bench for loading longer items, a 12-volt power outlet, a two-piece boot floor that can fold up to prevent items rolling around, and a net pocket. There is a space-saver spare tyre under the floor.
2023 Honda ZR-V VTi L | |
Seats | Five |
Boot volume | 380L seats up 1312L seats folded |
Length | 4568mm |
Width | 1840mm |
Height | 1620mm |
Wheelbase | 2655mm |
Does the Honda ZR-V have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto?
The Honda ZR-V’s 9.0-inch infotainment touchscreen – shared with other new Honda models – is smaller than the 12-inch screens in flagship Kia and Nissan rivals, but the icons are large, the graphics are sharp, and it is easy to use.
It offers wireless Apple CarPlay – but only wired Android Auto – as well as Bluetooth, and AM, FM and DAB digital radio. Embedded satellite navigation is not available unless you step up to the $5300-dearer VTi LX model, while over-the-air downloadable software updates are included.
All Honda ZR-Vs come with a five-year subscription to Honda Connect, a smartphone app that allows the car to be remotely locked and unlocked, its cabin remotely cooled, location tracked, fuel level checked, and other internet-connected features.
The 10.2-inch digital instrument cluster offers minimal customisation – beyond changing the information shown within the simulated speedometer and tachometer (rev counter) dials – but the graphics are sharp and clear.
The eight-speaker unbranded sound system is average and offers decent punch at low to moderate volumes, but at more than 80 per cent volume, there is a significant drop in sound quality.
Is the Honda ZR-V a safe car?
The Honda ZR-V is yet to be tested by ANCAP or its European counterpart, Euro NCAP.
The Civic hatch on which it is based earned five stars in Euro NCAP testing, while the smaller HR-V – on the underpinnings of the city-sized Jazz – was awarded four stars.
2023 Honda ZR-V VTi L | |
ANCAP rating | Untested |
What safety technology does the Honda ZR-V have?
Standard advanced safety technology includes autonomous emergency braking, lane-keep assist, lane-centring assist, adaptive cruise control, traffic sign recognition, driver attention warning, automatic high beams and tyre pressure monitoring.
There are front and rear parking sensors and a rear-view camera for easier parking.
The ZR-V is equipped with 11 airbags. This is comprised of the usual six – dual frontal, front-side and head-protecting side curtains – plus a front-centre airbag to prevent front occupants’ heads clashing in severe side impacts, knee airbags for both front occupants, and a rarity in this class, rear-side airbags to protect outboard rear passengers’ torsos in side impacts.
However, the VTi X and VTi L specifications miss out on blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert.
It is disappointing to see these features omitted – and not even bundled into an option pack – as they are standard on rivals from Toyota, Mazda, Kia, Hyundai, Mitsubishi and more, and very useful safety features in city traffic and shopping centre car parks, where a car such as this will spend much of its time.
We experienced no false activations of the autonomous emergency braking function, and the adaptive cruise-control system was good – with the exception of one occasion, where you could feel it stuttering and pulsing the engine power to hold the set speed.
The performance of the lane-centring function was mixed. In some cases it would struggle to hold the lane markings around gentle curves – while in others, when turning from a major road with clearly defined lanes to a suburban street with no markings, the system would guess where the lanes would be and try to steer the car along markings that didn’t exist.
Hitting big bumps and potholes in the middle of a corner would also knock the lane-assist system off its line, which on a long drive on a pockmarked country road became irritating. The rest of the time, the advanced safety systems were not too intrusive.
How much does the Honda ZR-V cost to maintain?
The Honda ZR-V is covered by a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, as with all new Honda cars sold in Australia.
Routine maintenance is scheduled every 12 months or 10,000km, whichever comes first. The time interval is the industry average, but the distance interval is shorter than most rivals that offer 12-month/15,000km intervals.
Services are among the cheapest of any car brand in Australia at $199 each. Over three years or 30,000km the ZR-V will cost $597, while over five years or 50,000km it will cost $995.
For comparison, a Toyota RAV4 costs $780 to service over three years/45,000km, or $1300 over five years/75,000km, as it has longer 12-month/15,000km intervals that cost $260 each.
However, when calculated to the Honda’s distance intervals, a Toyota RAV4 owner would have paid $520 over 30,000km (after just completing the second service), and $780 over 50,000km after the third service completed at 45,000km.
A Mazda CX-5 G25 Maxx Sport over 12-month/15,000km intervals would cost $1258 over three years/45,000km, or $2114 over five years/75,000km. Using the Honda’s distance intervals, a CX-5 owner would pay $856 after 30,000km and two services, or $1258 after 50,000km following the third service at 45,000km.
The ZR-V is too new to appear on our go-to car insurance quote calculator.
At a glance | 2023 Honda ZR-V VTi L |
Warranty | Five years, unlimited km |
Service intervals | 12 months or 10,000km |
Servicing costs | $597 (3 years) $995 (5 years) |
Is the Honda ZR-V fuel-efficient?
Honda claims the 1.5-litre turbocharged ZR-V VTi L consumes 7.2 litres per 100km of petrol in mixed conditions, 9.1L/100km in urban driving, and 6.1L/100km on the highway and extra-urban roads.
Over a week of testing – split 60:40 between city and highway driving – the trip computer displayed 8.9L/100km.
It is not unusual for real-world fuel use to be higher than the claim – which is recorded based on controlled laboratory testing – however we would expect a little better, as it is comparable to rivals with larger, non-turbo engines which should, on paper, be less efficient.
We are yet to test the ZR-V e:HEV LX hybrid for a full week, but based on our limited time behind the wheel thus far – at and away from the brief media preview drive earlier this year – the hybrid should cut fuel use by about 30 per cent.
All Honda ZR-Vs can run on 91-octane regular unleaded fuel.
Fuel Consumption - brought to you by bp
Fuel Useage | Fuel Stats |
Fuel cons. (claimed) | 7.2L/100km |
Fuel cons. (on test) | 8.9L/100km |
Fuel type | 91-octane regular unleaded |
Fuel tank size | 57L |
What is the Honda ZR-V like to drive?
Powering the ZR-V VTi L is a 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine developing 131kW and 240Nm, sent to the front wheels through a continuously variable automatic transmission.
The ZR-V is lighter than its rivals so performance is respectable and provides more than enough punch in all conditions.
It can feel sluggish off the line – in part due to the tuning of the accelerator pedal – but push your foot down further and it gets up to the speed limit quickly enough. It helps to prevent chirping the front tyres off the mark, given it is only front-wheel drive.
The continuously variable transmission is a good example of its kind. It can feel slow to rev at times – with an ‘elastic’ feel – and can make the engine groan when the car is being pushed, but in normal motoring it is smooth and easy to drive.
The metal shift paddles behind the steering wheel produce a satisfying click that’s better than many hot hatchbacks we’ve tested. Push them and the CVT will attempt to simulate gears like a conventional automatic transmission, but it is not particularly convincing and can’t help slurring ‘shifts’ between its fake gears.
For sharper response off the mark, the gear selector can be moved down into Sport (S) mode, but unlike other cars it requires pushing down the unlock button on the shifter – so when exiting Sport it is easy to overshoot drive (D) and engage neutral on the move.
Comfort over bumps is good, absorbing and settling over speed bumps quickly and feeling tied-down at high speeds – though the suspension can transmit more of potholed city streets and broken road surfaces than you might expect. It’s not uncomfortable, however, and we got used to it.
The firmer feel pays dividends in handling, with decent grip from the 225/55 R18 Yokohama Advan tyres, confident brake pedal feel, and not much body roll. It contributes to a driving experience that feels more like a taller hatchback than a cumbersome SUV.
The steering is on the heavier side around town, but it’s accurate and inspires confidence at higher speeds. The 11-metre turning circle (from the centre of the wheels) is competitive with rivals, and front and rear parking sensors are on hand to make parking easier.
Visibility is good, with expansive side windows, modest windscreen pillars, big mirrors and a large rear window – particularly important given the lack of blind-spot monitoring in this specification.
On smooth surfaces and at lower speeds, road and wind noise are well suppressed. However, on the highway there can be some whistle from the side mirrors, and on coarse-chip country roads, quite a lot of tyre roar despite the tyres featuring Yokohama's ‘dB’ noise-reducing construction.
The LED headlights are sharp under low and high beams, and the scrolling indicators are a nice touch at this price.
Key details | 2023 Honda ZR-V VTi L |
Engine | 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol |
Power | 131kW @ 6000rpm |
Torque | 240Nm @ 1700–4500rpm |
Drive type | Front-wheel drive |
Transmission | Continuously variable automatic (CVT) |
Power to weight ratio | 88kW/t |
Weight (kerb) | 1488kg |
Spare tyre type | Space-saver |
Tow rating | 1500kg braked 700kg unbraked |
Turning circle | 11m |
Should I buy a Honda ZR-V?
The Honda ZR-V does not break any new ground in the mid-size family SUV category, but it could be a good alternative for buyers looking for a vehicle that is not too big and not too small.
The engine is perky enough for the class, and the suspension is comfortable in the daily grind. It is reasonably roomy inside, the technology is easy to use, and this model is generally well equipped for the money – particularly in terms of servicing costs – compared to its main rivals.
There are some shortcomings. Comfort in the rear seats is compromised due to the high floor, the boot is small, the decision to keep some key advanced safety features exclusive to more expensive models is disappointing, and we wish it were a touch more fuel-efficient.
However, as a whole, it is a commendable package.
How do I buy a Honda ZR-V – next steps?
While the $43,200 VTi L on test presents good value for money in our opinion, if your budget can stretch that far, we think the extra features – including some key safety inclusions – of the VTi LX are worth the extra $5300.
The hybrid is another $6400 on top of that – more than double what Toyota charges for a hybrid RAV4 over a petrol model – but based on our early testing, the fuel savings do not appear significant enough to pay back the extra spend in the showroom in any reasonable timeframe.
At the time of publishing in September 2023, Honda Australia says it has "sufficient stock levels for Honda ZR-V VTi-L in showrooms", and it has "additional stock on [boats on the] water and arriving in the coming months".
Wait times on the more expensive ZR-V VTi LX petrol and e:HEV LX hybrid are three to four months, according to the Honda Australia website.
To contact a Honda dealer for more information on cars in stock, click here to find your nearest showroom. You can also find Honda vehicles for sale at Drive.com.au/cars-for-sale.
To read our latest news on the Honda ZR-V since this review was published, click here.