Perhaps not the Honda most would expect to win an NZ Company Vehicle award considering the most recently launched SUV from the brand is the CR-V, but in the first instance, CR-V launched a little late and in the second, its growth has taken it out of the medium segment.
Honda does, however, have an entrant in the medium sector and it was launched well within the 12-month timeframe. The ZR-V – a brand new, from-the-ground-up SUV was introduced in May of 2023.
The Z-RV could be considered a ‘step-in’ as its market position and arrival bolstered the HR-V (arriving in ’24) and the CR-V with its late ’23 arrival time.
In saying this however, the Z-RV does considerably more for Honda, retaining the brand’s DNA but also opening a chapter in design and technology for the brand.
Core to this technology is the e:HEV powertrain, which incorporates a 2-litre petrol engine, two electric motors and an e-CVT.
The petrol engine barely talks to the drive wheels – front – being primarily an electricity generator for the electric motors.
This means the ZR-V is effectively a self-charging hybrid able to deliver all the advantages of a pure electric vehicle when it comes to torque at the wheels.   
There is a more conventionally-powered 1.5-litre turbocharged engine option available, and while the ZR-V Turbo affords a sportier drive, its specification level is slightly lower than the e:HEV, which is our pick of the pair.   
Design-wise, the ZR-V is based on the Civic which has won NZ Company Vehicle awards in the past for its handling and style considerations, so it was almost a foregone conclusion that an SUV version of the same would acquit itself rather well.
The ZR-V borrows quite a lot from the Civic, especially in terms of the interior design, but the exterior is something new for Honda and this is what scored well from the judge’s perspective.
Following on from that was the ride quality which – because of the couple-like body atop the Civic platform is decidedly neutral with minimal body roll characteristics.
The e:HEV ZR-V demonstrates Honda’s advances in terms of its genuine luxury specification levels.
Even the newly arrived CR-V doesn’t quite measure up to the sophistication of the ZR-V which, while it bridges the gap between the HR-V and CR-V in every respect, sets the mid-range Honda apart from its stablemates.