Honda ZR-V 2024 review: VTi LX long-term | Part 1

I don't want to sound like I'm ragging on Honda here, but it feels a little bit as though the other, other Japanese brand kind of lost its way for a while there.

They didn't sour so much as they just kind of disappeared from view for a bit, facing accusations of making mostly dull vehicles that weren't selling in anywhere near the numbers they used to.

You could blame the shift to a fixed-price sales model, I guess, but I suspect at least part of the problem was there wasn't much in its fleet that people were getting excited about.

Anyway, I tell you all of this because, for me, one key turning point came with the launch of the Honda Civic Type R. Not just arguably the best front-wheel drive performance car ever built, but also a big slap across the face with a petrol-soaked rag to anyone who doubted Honda's ability to build a fun, engaging vehicle.

What's all this got to do with the Honda ZR-V I've been piloting for the past month? Well, it's not a performance car, that's for sure. But on first-month impressions, it absolutely continues the brand's winning run.

In fact, it's Honda's first all-new nameplate in decades, and it joins other new product in the HR-V and CR-V. It's pretty much a new Honda.

The ZR-V VTi LX lists at $48,500, drive-away. (Image: Andrew Chesterton)

For one, I think my VTi LX trim (the second-most expensive model) looks bloody spectacular, and it's not just the 'Premium Crystal Blue' paint job. The design is modern and premium, and the deep black of the grille pops against the paint, giving it a cracking front-on view.

In fact, from all angles it looks pretty sharp, from the slightly swept-back roofline to the two-tone alloys which properly fill the arches to the tiny roof spoiler and sharp but not-too-sharp body creases.

Inside, too, it's a happy place to spend time, soaked in black leather and high-def screens, and a thumping 12-speaker Bose sound system. So far, so good.

From all angles, the ZR-V looks pretty sharp. (Image: Andrew Chesterton)

But it's mostly in the way it drives. To be honest, I climb into most mid-size SUVs and expect to be lulled gently to (almost) sleep by bland dynamics and disinterested steering.

A-to-B transporters, good for carrying people and stuff, but that don't so much ignite your senses as they do stifle them with a wet blanket.

But not so the ZR-V, which has a liveliness to its direct steering, and a level of connection through its tyres, that I wasn't expecting.

Inside, it's a happy place to spend time, soaked in black leather and high-def screens. (Image: Andrew Chesterton)

It's not fun to drive, per se (see earlier note about performance cars... ) but it's satisfying, if that makes sense? I've spent a ton of time in town, and plenty on longer journeys, and I'm really liking the way the Honda has been behaving itself so far.

It's also, unfortunately, not cheap, listing at $48,500 drive-away, with only the hybrid model, at $54,900, above it. But you get a whole lot of stuff for that investment.

Ours arrives with those leather seats and 18-inch alloy wheels, along with body-coloured bumpers and wheel arches, a drive-mode selector (which, to be honest, I'm yet to bother with).

Features include a powered tailgate. (Image: Andrew Chesterton)

Heated seats in the front and in the rear, a heated steering wheel, as well as active safety functions like rear cross-traffic alert and a surround-view monitor.

It also gets LED lighting, a powered tailgate a 10.2-inch driver display, and a 9.0-inch multimedia touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and wired Android Auto. All of which is a fair bit of stuff.

Downsides? While it drives nicely, I don't love the powertrain. The 1.5-litre turbo-petrol produces 131kW and 240Nm, which is paired with a CVT auto, and while I'd describe the power as generous enough, especially in town, things can get noisy when you ask a lot of it, as when overtaking.

The ZR-V wears 18-inch alloy wheels. (Image: Andrew Chesterton)

Also, my tyre-pressure warning has come on, and won't turn off, no matter how many times I fill the tyres or recalibrate the system. I might be an idiot, though, so I will report back on the fix, whether it requires a trip to a service centre or just recalibrating my stupidity, next month.

Acquired: February 2024

Distance travelled this month: 1501km

Odometer: 7119km

Average fuel consumption this month: 9.3L/100km