We already know about Honda ZR-VA are from in the first day of this month – even earlier if you count the version set up for sale in the US, called HR VUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU there – but we have not yet shown the inside of the Toyota Corolla Cross fighter. That changes with the arrival of the new SUV in China for all to see (including its interior), as these images from Autohome recital.
Effect of civic – based on the ZR-V – can be seen clearly here, with the analog dashboard sporting a nine-inch infotainment touchscreen, a 10.25-inch digital instrument display, in Three-spoke steering wheel and brand-designed full-width air vents with a mesh cover.
However, some details are a little different. The air vents – which are more rounded than the sedan’s – now have a chrome strip, on which the usual directional tabs are located instead of the sedan’s joystick-like controls. The upper dash also appears to be stitched.
Meanwhile, the center console has been reduced to a pile containing the central gearshift lever, driving mode selector and electronic parking brake lever; a large compartment with two USB Type C ports located below. At the back of this panel are the rear air-conditioning vents and two USB-C ports for the rear passengers.
We have also confirmed the size of the ZR-V, which is much larger than expected. Measuring 4,568 mm long, 1,840 mm wide and 1,621 mm high, the Honda is 108 mm longer, 15 mm wider and one mm taller than the Corolla Cross, while the 2,655 mm wheelbase is also 15 mm longer.
This gives the car a length of within 55 mm and a wheelbase of just five mm CR-VATin spite of coming sixth generation of the latter will grow significantly to make room for the ZR-V. Remember, Honda still has Smaller HR-V (global) for sale and have a even smaller than SUV in works.
As expected, the ZR-V will be offered in China with the popular 1.5-liter VTEC Turbo four-cylinder engine of the Civic. In the latest iteration (with actual VTEC), it makes 182 PS and 240 Nm of torque, as emblematic on the rear. Power is transmitted to the front wheels through a CVT gearbox as usual. Expect an e:HEV hybrid, which will be the only powertrain option in Europe, to be offered later.
It remains to be seen whether the ZR-V will be sold in Southeast Asia – the region where the Corolla Cross was designed and is best seller in. But the HR-V was an expensive car in these parts, and with the ZR-V ditching Toyota’s cheaper torsion beam rear suspension for a more complex multi-link layout, it’s arguably going to be more expensive when traveling off-court. Corolla’s shadow. We’ll just have to wait and see.
