REVEALED Honda's triple threat for its SUV rivals

OFFICIAL Mid-sized ZR-V will be joined by new CR-V and electric e:Ny1 as firm seeks to boost market share

- John Mcllroy

Hybrid tech for new ZR-V

CR-V is Honda's first PHEV

HONDA ZR-V

PRICE: From £31,000 (est) ON SALE: Autumn

HONDA has been electrifying its range in a typically conservative fashion, but now the Japanese brand is really pushing ahead with the process. And that will extend to three models being launched this year, starting with the all-new ZR-V.

It'll be joined by a more practical CR-V, while the electric e:Ny1 means the Honda e supermini will no longer be the brand's only EV sold in the UK. We've got the low down on all three.

THE ZR-V is designed to slot between Honda's line-up, although it's closer in size to the second of those two vehicles. The company says that the car will have "the same DNA as the Civic e:HEV", so it's fair to say that the ZR-V is, in effect, a crossover version of the popular family hatchback. That should make it a serious rival for the likes of the Nissan Qashqai and Volkswagen Tiguan, albeit with a more swoopy roofline.

Honda has pushed hard to make the ZR-V not look too much like a jacked-up Civic, and on first inspection, it's succeeded. The front has a relatively small grille and slim headlights, while the flanks have much less complex surfacing than we've seen on many recent Hondas. The C-pillars are narrow, and the rear features a large tailgate that's clearly designed to deliver a low load lip.

Inside, the ZR-V adopts much of the same 'horizontal' design language as the Civic. There's a nine-inch touchscreen mounted high in the centre of the fascia, but the car also retains conventional rotary controls for the heating and ventilation. Boot capacity is 380 litres (20 per cent larger than the HR-V's) and folding the second row expands this to 1,291 litres - around 70 litres up on the Civic's maximum.