2023 Honda ZR-V owner review

Have you experienced any reliability issues with your vehicle since you purchased it?

No

Have you had to make any warranty claims?

No

Has your vehicle been serviced at least once since you took ownership?

Yes

Our car has been serviced according to the service book by the selling dealership. No issues have appeared, the loan car is always appreciated, and the ZRV has always been returned to us clean and running like the day we picked it up.

Overall, are you satisfied with your ownership experience so far?

Yes

We wanted a smaller car than the CR-V we traded, but bigger than the HR-V.

In this way, the ZR-V is the goldilocks of the range. However, I do think Honda missed an opportunity by not calling it the Civic Sportswagon! It has a lower profile than the CR-V, and the fact that it is based on the brilliant FL Civic platform means the ride and handling characteristics are more sporty than an SUV.

Would certainly buy another, and would probably consider a hybrid version, but only if there is some way a temporary spare wheel could be made available in it.

David’s experience with the 2023 Honda ZR-V

The ZR-V is a great size, and the VTI-L spec is genuinely the sweet spot of the range.

It picks up some nice pieces of equipment over the base car, notably cloth trim with heated seats (the perfect combination), the remote tailgate, and softer (and some leather-appointed) touchpoints throughout the interior. The interior is a very pleasant place to be, with a lovely weighting to the controls as well.

Visibility is good, but as a 2023 model, it unfortunately doesn't have blind-spot monitoring (we do miss the very clever lane watch camera from our 2018 CR-V). But I understand newer models have it now as an update.

The servicing is very well priced, and as mentioned, has been completed efficiently and effectively. It's also great on the open road, and still handles the daily commute with aplomb. A very competent allrounder.

Probably the only disappointing feature of the ZR-V was that it was one of the first to have the app-based Honda Connect feature. From day one, it proved clunky and tricky to use, requiring us to log in kilometres travelled, and I could never work out how to start it remotely to pre-warm or cool the car as required. I believe there is a new version of the app that I probably should explore, but haven't bothered to so far.

MORE: Explore the Honda ZR-V showroom