Honda ZR-V Launched In India For Rs 48 lakh! This Could Be The Only Premium SUV You Will Ever Need.

Honda has finally launched their premium SUV in India called the Z-RV for the price of Rs 48 lakh (ex-showroom) onwards. After years of hopes and rumours, Honda has brought a premium SUV which is also the only hybrid option in the segment. Let’s explore what Honda’s simplicity packs in.

Price And Variants

The Honda ZR-V is launched with only one variant, and the pricing details are as follows:

Design

The Honda ZR-V, in typical Honda fashion, has a clean and family-friendly design. The soft design language is welcoming, with the LED reflector headlamps with L-shaped LED DRLs.

The air dam sits in the middle of the bumper and houses a 12-slatted grille. The sleek bumper also houses air curtains on either corner, which aid in better aerodynamics.

The lower lip of the bumper also houses the lower air dam with a honeycomb mesh, while the lip carries the character line towards the side profile of the ZR-V.

Moving to the side, the ZR-V has a quintessential crossover look thanks to the softly shaped silhouette and the subtle character lines, like the mild muscular line over the rear wheel arch. The 18-inch alloy wheels give it an SUV road presence, also thanks to the accentuated character lines over the wheel arches. Note the large outside rear-view mirrors (ORVM), which aid in giving great rearward visibility.

The rear end of the ZR-V sports smoked LED tail lamps and dual exhausts. Unlike the rest of the car, the ZR-V carries even more sporty characteristics like a rear spoiler with side aero blades to improve aero efficiency. Apart from them, the tailgate houses the number plate housing and the model badging on either side.

The ZR-V comes with a total of 4 colour options:

Twilight Mist Black Pearl, Crystal Black Pearl, Meteoroid Gray Metallic and Platinum White Pearl.

Interior And Features

Step inside the ZR-V and you will be welcomed by a simplistic, yet high-quality cabin which screams functionality over being fancy.

The 9-inch infotainment display follows the theme of being functional and not having a screen too big. The driver also gets a 10.2-inch digital display which changes themes with the drive modes. 

Interestingly, the gear selector is a set of different buttons on the centre console. Another interesting design feature is the horizontal grille running across the width of the dashboard, which neatly houses the air vents. 

The overall interior feels spacious and premium thanks to the soft-touch materials on the dashboard and door cards, and the overall fit and finish.

Features of the ZR-V include a powered tailgate with a walk-away function, auto headlamps, an 8-way powered driver seat and a 4-way powered passenger seat, wireless charger, PM 2.5 cabin air filter, dual-zone automatic climate control, and acoustic sound-dampening windshield. 

It also gets 12-speaker Bose sound system, 10.2-inch digital driver’s display, and interior ambient lighting.

Safety

The Honda ZR-V includes Level-2 ADAS, 360-degree camera, 8 airbags, ISOFIX child seat mounts, ABS with EBD, electronic parking brake (EPB), rain-sensing wipers, hill-start assist (HSA) and hill descent control (HDC).

This generation of the Honda ZR-V has scored 4-stars in the Euro NCAP crash test.

Powertrain

The ZR-V comes with one powertrain, which includes a 2-litre hybrid petrol engine.

Powertrain details are as follows:

*e-CVT - Continuously Variable Transmission (automatic)

Rivals

The Honda ZR-V, being where it is placed in the premium SUV segment, does not have direct rivals. However, the closest rivals could be the Skoda Kodiaq and the VW Tayron. This could be an alternative to the larger SUVs like the Toyota Fortuner and the MG Majestor.

ZigSays…

The Honda ZR-V sits in an awkward place in the premium SUV lineup. However, takers of the ZR-V would be a niche set: ones who are looking for a premium, no-nonsense, and understated car, which they can also keep for a long time without having to worry about reliability. Though the ZR-V comes with only one variant, the powertrain and the feature list would leave no one asking for more. 

Honda could’ve priced the ZR-V better, giving it a much better chance of commercial success and giving signs of Indians wanting more from Honda’s global lineup.