Hybrid SUV shake-up confirmed for heavy hitting brand

Tuesday, 21 February 2023

Honda will indeed bring its new Civic-based ZR-V SUV to New Zealand this year.

Honda New Zealand has confirmed that it’s set to shake up its SUV line-up with the introduction of a new nameplate and some much anticipated electrified powertrains.

The brand confirmed at a recent media event for the new Jazz RS that it is set to introduce its all-new ZR-V crossover to New Zealand in May of this year. It is set to be sold alongside the HR-V, which is also set for a local return.

Honda's small SUV has been electrified.

The ZR-V will come equipped with a hybrid engine, making it the company’s first electrified SUV sold locally. It won’t be the only one, either, with the ZR-V e:HEV hybrid set to eventually be sold next to a CR-V e:HEV hybrid by the end of the year.

The news finally puts to rest a lengthy discussion over whether Honda’s local arm would take in the all-new HR-V (sold in Japan and Australia, amongst other markets) or the slightly larger ZR-V (which is sold in North America as an HR-V).

It had been speculated that Honda’s local arm might ditch the HR-V and draft the ZR-V as a replacement, instead of offering the pair alongside one another. The brand says that once supply constraints have cleared, it will have more information to give around the HR-V’s timing and pricing.

**READ MORE:

The ZR-V will land in May 2023 in e:Hev hybrid form.

* Next-gen Honda Jazz headed to New Zealand

* Honda teases electrifed HR-V

The Civic lends its interior to the ZR-V as well as its underlying architecture.

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For reference, the ZR-V measures in at 4567mm long, 1829mm wide, and 1610mm tall with a 2654mm wheelbase. The new HR-V, meanwhile, is 4335mm long, 1790mm wide, and 1590mm tall with a 2610mm wheelbase.

These figures mean the ZR-V is actually a little closer in size to mid-size competitors like the 4614mm long Ford Escape, 4660mm Kia Sportage, and 4575mm Mazda CX-5. This, in theory, means it should pack a broader appeal than the old HR-V.

Along with being larger, the ZR-V is also quite different to the European and Japanese HR-V’s visually. It features more American and more athletic styling aspects.

It’s also based on the eleventh-generation Civic, which means it will get a similar interior treatment with the slim dash-width grille, touchscreen running the latest (and much-improved) infotainment system, and a new multi-function steering wheel along with plenty of leather and soft-touch materials.

Honda New Zealand has had to bat on in the recent past without the star-performing HR-V in its line-up, with the model having been listed as ‘sold out’ for most of last year on the brand’s website.

Overseas, the ZR-V e:HEV is offered with a turbocharged 104kW/182Nm VTEC 2.0-litre petrol engine making 131kW of power and 240Nm of torque, paired to a 135kW/315Nm electric motor.

Full pricing and spec detail for the ZR-V has yet to be confirmed.