Catching up
Honda was once the first brand with a compact crossover and was also early in the larger segment with the CR-V. Nissan mainly does good business in Europe with the mediocre Qashqai, a model that single-handedly invented this class. It’s strange that Honda of all people remained absent here for so long. The ZR-V has the honor of putting this right.
Was Honda the first with a compact crossover? I did not know that.
There is no shame if you no longer remember the first Honda HR-V, but this still quite modern-looking car was the very first compact crossover in 1998. In fact, the Honda, which was initially only available as a three-door (!), was simply too early, because success really took off with models such as the Renault Captur and Nissan Juke. Nissan also had such a pioneering moment. That was in 2006, when the first Qashqai as a true crossover was placed right between the then well-known SUVs and hatchbacks. Unlike the HR-V, Nissan’s discovery immediately became a resounding success in Europe. It is telling that Honda never had a direct answer to this model in all that time and over no less than three Qashqai generations. After all, the Qashqai is mainly intended for Europe, and we Europeans generally do not have to expect that much dedication from Honda. That brand would much rather focus on an area like North America, where Civics, CR-Vs and Pilots are not available. However, with the new ZR-V, Honda kills two birds with one stone. This same model is marketed as HR-V in North America and therefore serves as a somewhat larger successor to the previous HR-V, while in Europe the car under the name ZR-V fits exactly between the existing HR-V and the larger CR-V fits. Voilá: Honda has a Qashqai competitor!
Can the Honda keep up with the Qashqai when it comes to space?
The ZR-V is even about fourteen centimeters longer on the outside than its rival, but that is not reflected in more interior space. The luggage compartment of the ZR-V is even downright tight at 380 liters (Qashqai: 479), which is a shame, because that makes it less suitable for the family car role that lurks for cars in this segment. The legroom in the back seat is remarkably good, especially considering the relatively short wheelbase of the ZR-V. What the Nissan lacks here, however, is made up for when we look at the headroom. In the Nissan we have just enough space on all sides, in the Honda the space is somewhat unfairly divided between head and legs.
What kind of powertrains do these cars have?
They are both hybrids without a plug. Honda has now completely focused on hybrid powertrains and the ZR-V is no exception. The car shares its platform and drive combination with the Civic. The way in which the naturally aspirated two-liter four-cylinder engine works together with the electric motor is typically ‘Honda’. The engine can drive the wheels directly, but only via one fixed transmission that is comparable to a fifth or sixth gear. So this only happens at a higher and fairly constant pace. If the situation is different, the drive is electric and the electric motor receives its power from a battery that is in turn powered by the same four-cylinder. Nissan takes this same principle one step further and is the first car manufacturer to deliver a full-fledged series hybrid, in which the combustion engine never directly drives the wheels. That engine, in this case a 1.5 three-cylinder with turbo, is therefore only responsible for the power supply. Nissan calls it ‘electric driving on petrol’ and technically they are right, even though the phrase is somewhat misleading. In any case, the car is equipped with typical EV gadgets such as the ‘e-Pedal’, in which it recovers more strongly when the accelerator pedal is released. If you step on the gas, the engine speed does indeed increase with the required power and the Qashqai therefore ‘just feels’ like a hybrid. In any case, an advantage of this form of drive is that strange shocks never occur. After all, there is no need to switch between electric and petrol drive, and there are no gears either. The Nissan drives completely shock-free and smoothly, which is pleasant. However, we also never noticed any jerks in the ZR-V. With this powertrain, Honda shows that it has a lot of experience with hybrid technology and has created a pleasant drive combination that is economical, but also feels nice and natural. Very nice. You can arrange recuperation here with the ‘paddle shifters’ on the steering wheel, just like in many EVs. The total power in both cars is equal to the power of the electric motor: 184 hp for the Honda, 190 for the Nissan. That doesn’t make either car fast, but both cars are smooth enough. It is true that the Nissan gets off the starting blocks a bit slowly, which can be annoying if, for example, a small gap has to be used on a roundabout.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl