Honda ZR-V vs Renault Austral: Hybrid SUVs head-to-head

[@FrugalRoo]

I had high hopes for a good review but alas, the presenter did not do her homework at all. In the Honda the flappy paddles are not for gears, there are no gears because there is no gearbox, they are to adjust the regeneration! The electric motor does not assist the petrol engine at all. The petrol engine can drive the wheels directly or provide charge for the electric motor. One or the other. The petrol motor is always connceted to the second electric motor used as a generator to provide electricity to the battery even when driving the wheels. When you hear engine noise when accelarating it is a completely simulated noise that stops when cruising at a constant speed. Not a noisy cabin!

[@richardsmith579]

I did wonder. Thanks for this information as it means I won’t watch the review. Hopeless journalism.

[@I_hate_Vegemite]

Can you turn off the simulated engine noise/gear changes?

[@joemunro2845]

Renault wins really

[@FrugalRoo]

@@joemunro2845 , good luck with that!

[@tommyzoo]

@@joemunro2845 Yep good for Renault. Just make sure you get an extended warranty and AA or RAC breakdown cover for the entirety of your ownership.

[@worrywart1311]

Amusingly, "a bit fidgety and never quite settles down" is also how I would describe Vicky Parrott's review. She sounds like she's just remembered she's left the stove on and needs to get home as soon as she can get this boring chore out of the way.

[@MrKryss2k]

I noticed that when you were mentioning the Austral's handling the lighting was red and in "sport mode" unless you modified the lighting - is that the mode you had it in for the "handling" segment or did you try the other modes?

[@RogerMorello-d8u]

The Sportage and Tucson feel and look more modern that the Austral!!!!!!!!!!! I was kinda just managing to watch this review until that point, just as well that comment came at the end.

[@Ali_Ercan]

Very nice review. Thanks so much.

[@lffit]

Thanks for your very fair and balanced review!

[@alfamonk]

pretty good economy compared to the favourite Tucson; we're struggling to get more than 45mpg out of the Hyundai HEV

[@sanjayboro1]

Monotone and boring, rather follow car wow.

[@Kingdonnerkebab]

Great review Vicky

[@I_hate_Vegemite]

How can the Z-RV HEV cost a ridiculous £42.5K with a lousy 3yr warranty. Top spec in Oz is only $AUD51K ($55K drive away) with a minimum 5yr warranty (occasionally 7yr offers). Are you paying 50% of the on-road cost in UK Government taxes and emissions penalties? Hardly anybody in Australia would buy the Renault (Arkana), resale value will be horrendously poor. Historically Renault reliability is poor and manufacturer support is terrible.

[@CptSpears007]

I’ve got a great idea for the space under the boot floor. How about putting a spare wheel in there

[@johnalbone3372]

Unfortunately they have put the 12v battery there on the top models, so the spare is only an option on lower models

[@CptSpears007]

@@johnalbone3372 dang

[@principsus]

How Hyundai Tuscon looks more modern compared to Austral? have you looked inside?

[@davevernon99]

The Austral is not perfect but it's definitely modern. Not sure what planet this presenter is on.

[@FF_1872]

The Tucson is utterly abysmal compared to the Austral. Genuinely amazed you have driven both and have came to that conclusion.

[@stevenmoran4060]

Some people just dont like French cars and, clearly she is a German car fan.

[@Harriboy1974]

But, but, but, but, but. I’ll have to watch it again and count all the but’s.

[@m3csl89]

the paddles in the zr-v is actually for regenerative braking.

[@davidbell2649]

Lazy journalism. Zrv does not have a gearbox, never mind a 7 speed one. This also applies to the Jazz, Civic, HRV and CRV. Direct 1:1 drive either by the electric motor or engine at motorway speeds.

[@stevenjones916]

​@@davidbell2649@10:37 She states it has a 2 litre petrol engine, an electric motor mated to a *SINGLE SPEED* transmission

[@revykevy2221]

Honda will still be working perfectly in next 30yrs where the Renault will be recycled x4!

[@sharonec5419]

I do not even need to watch this video to know which car is the best one here. The Renault Austral of course.

[@carfella7994]

The Honda just reminds me outside of a Ford Kuga.

[@elliex20]

True. It is much better looking than Ford Kuga though.

[@sharonec5419]

I disagree. The sportage and Tucson are not bad but compared to the Austral they are old hat. The Austral is way better then either of them.

[@robinhughes8822]

That’s why carwow has over 8 million subs and car gurus 108 thousand 😂

[@alfamonk]

car wow is for 12 year-old boys, this is a little bit more in-depth 😅

[@andrewwheeler8591]

​@alfamonk spot on sir 👌

[@robinhughes8822]

@@alfamonk I obviously don’t know as many 12year old boys you

[@principsus]

Carwow these days is all about drag racing, less reviews. boring content to be honest.

[@stevencampbell1150]

Couple of things the Renault with 160hp isn't coming to the UK and it's a mild hybrid. We're only getting the full hybrid ie the one with 200hp.

[@martyn9323]

I am sorry but the Honda just looks boring as sh*t! Much prefer the Renault! Even if the ride may not be brilliant it’s still overall much better than a lack lustre looking object like the Honda! But personally I think the Renault austral is a great drive! Just need to put it on the mode that suits the personal person, I think it also looks far better than the Kia sportage too

[@marantamil459]

The KIA and Hyundai are too edgy for their own good, also their quality oong term isn't great. The Austral is great but so is the Qashqai too. The HRV is clever - its basically a larger CIVIC - a great car and the infotainment has Apple Carplay so who cares about the nav. The one car that is great at all things is the CX5 - apart from efficiency.

[@Magicalreborn]

This review barely adds any value and says everything is middling. The irony when her review is poor and not even middling

[@JeremyGeduldt-m2h]

Renault Austral & Hoinda ZR-V available in Britain Europe & down under ,

[@MongoPayne]

The Renault is useless if your tall, I couldn't get into the Renault desoite it being higher than the Honda, where as the Honda has loads of headroom and room to get in and out of the car.

[@1real11]

Disappointing review. The comment about the paddles simply makes the whole video pointless.

[@devonbikefilms]

Goodness me, so difficult to chose between these paragons of mediocrity. I mean that constructively and in no way is it a comment on the quality of the presentation.

[@meryuk]

CR-V is in the class you were talking about.

[@mgmarrison]

I was thinking this too. Feels like they’ve had two fleet vehicles offered for review and banded them together. Surely the Renault Arkana is the closes to the ZR-V.

[@ytlurker220]

@@mgmarrison Arkana still has a bigger boot

[@rc666]

That Honda looks like a fridge, boring design.

[@joemunro2845]

Did you really study these cars before you opened your mouth.

[@AlwaysHungry.]

The austral is just...spot on ❤

[@findecycle6533]

Something any potential ZR-V purchaser may wish to take into consideration before parting with £40k, this vehicle is sold in the US as the HR-V and retails for £22k - £27k and is also available with AWD, which its European counterpart is not. Even if you are prepared to overlook this, the hybrid only HR-V has a serious issue where the battery can leave the vehicle immobile if not driven for around a week or so (some owners have reported their vehicle dies after less than 24 hours, though the average time frame is a fortnight), and Honda do not seem to have a firm grip on this. Some owners have resorted to using power packs and chargers to prevent this. On a brand new £30k+ vehicle!! Interesting to see if it also affects the hybrid only ZR-V. Also the US HR-V (Euro ZR-V) seems to suffer from an issue with the rear screen shattering for no discernible reason and have issued a safety notice in relation to this. Also of note, when the MkIII HR-V was released in 2022 its price range was around £26k - £29k. Since then, Honda UK have introduced several price increases and it is now nearer £31k - £37k, and if you have a gander on Honda UK's website, you will see 2022 models being sold at or around their original price. Apart from a 100 litre boot and being slightly larger overall, the ZR-V does not really bring anything to the market over the HR-V, apart from it allows Honda UK to place the CR-V range a step closer to the £50k market.

[@davidbell2649]

If you drive both cars the 2.0 set up in the zrv puts it in a different stratosphere to the 1.5 unit in the hrv. You cannot compare uk to us prices as taxes are different and you haven't included dealer mark ups which they extract from telephone books. The average mark up on a type R is around $10k. I agree the Honda pricing in the uk has gone bananas since late 2021 and the zrv has not gone up yet as the Elegance models won't be arriving until next month. The same applies for the crv self charging models and come January I predict you will have to add a minimum of £1000 to the price of all zrv/crv models. Its just what honda do and up until retiring yesterday, had 8 years experience selling them.

[@maff257]

​@@davidbell2649As a Gen 5 CR-V driver I cannot see myself by a Gen 6 due to the crazy price increases alone. I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels this way and Honda do rely on their loyal customers. The ZR-V was an unnecessary addition to the European range and the cynic in me thinks it may have been introduced just to push up the price of the CR-V.

[@nnhub007]

Thanks for review

[@newbeginnings8566]

Buy a Civic rather than that model.... the Civic drives very well, has good storage and great economy... There is no way a Renault will last as long as a Honda..

[@johnalbone3372]

The four wheel steer is adustable and can be switched off but I have it on all the time and love it The gear boxes there are 2 are maintenance free and have over 14 ratio cominations also it will run on Electric only up to 70 +mph which mine does regularly on the Motorway In sport mode it will keep up with most over similar cars It is extremely hard to feel the changes and if you change modes the ride changes I also think it looks so much better than the Kia and Hyundi The 3 stalk set up is brilliant and so much better for ease of use

[@faisalparvez7797]

Hey bud I'm wondering buying the austral and wondering what kind of mpg you have been getting in the city and moterway. Also any feedback about the car your feel is important for me to know would be amazing thank you

[@kingneptune8937]

£40k got to be joking

[@8arcbal]

Quite boring review indeed🤔

[@boybianchi]

Nice review. I quite like the fast paced and personal style. Keep it up!

[@terrymartland47]

18.42p paddles are for braking and the battery not gears.

[@vladvld3433]

40k for a renault or honda.. what times we're living...

[@SrdjanPoznanovic]

There is so much mistakes in this review...crucial mistakes for both cars...

[@colinrenfrew48]

The Honda is completely anonymous looking. For once, the Renault wins imo.

[@I_hate_Vegemite]

Huh! Aren’t the paddles for adjusting the level of regenerative braking? Also the ‘direct electronic drive’ Honda Hybrid system is substantially different to the ‘electric motor mechanical assistance’ Toyota hybrid system.

[@sheyone9075]

In my opinion, Austral way way better than ZRV. ZRV looks cheap in and out. Even Hyundai Tucson stay below Austral in terms of of design.

[@commentator704]

I got this car last week Wednesday and let me tell you, it is absolutely incredible. The amount of comments I have got from people when they see it. The multimedia system is phenomenal, the cockpit is lovely and the amount of tech you get in the car is fantastic. Lovely drive, super smooth. The fact you can watch your favourite streaming shows when stationary is amazing!

[@I_hate_Vegemite]

Which one - Honda or Renault?

[@commentator704]

@@I_hate_Vegemite I have never drove the Honda but I do love my Austral. The only negative I would say for the Austral is the cabin noise on the road can be a little loud, but if you have your Harmon Karmon speakers on you do not notice it at all. It drives really smooth and has all the tech you can ask for 👍

[@davevernon99]

I test drove the Austral - great car but just seemed a bit 'tippy' - apart from that was happy with it. The Honda is very ugly and the Austral seems to be the most attractive car in its class.

[@h_h9851]

Thanks for the review !

[@lewisjohnston6831]

Super review with a lot of factual information

[@robinhughes8822]

No wonder everyone watches carwow 😂

[@findecycle6533]

That's factually not true. I don't.

[@JMB1891]

Seriously, don’t bother listen to this waffle. Just take either car out for a test drive and decide for yourself.

[@wolvoman1]

A car reviewer that doesn't know the difference between wing mirrors and door mirrors !!!

[@pierre-de-standing]

Yet more SUVs. I'd sooner have a hatch or an estate.

[@98Blackbess]

Very poor reviews and a monotonous voice. And then at 4:22 ? Wing mirrors ?? No such thing as wing mirrors these days. The mirrors are bolted to the DOORS, not the WINGS. I turned this video off after that. 👎👎👎👎👎👎

[@toyradish1]

Really was a boring review. Sorry but hopefully this feedback can be taken as genuinely constructive.

[@patriotbarrow]

It's only constructive if you give examples as to how it could be better, not just complain.

[@davidrowan9163]

Do you know what ‘constructive criticism’ is ?

[@findecycle6533]

Not enough car chases in it for you? It's difficult to make a boring product interesting. When these vehicles have been on sale for a few months, most people would walk past them without a second glance.

[@davidbell2649]

Getting facts right will help. Paddles on the zrv to change up/down the 7 speed gearbox when they actually adjust the level of battery re-gen and the car doesn't have a gearbox. Matt Watson won't be shaking in his boots.

[@craig3211]

@@davidbell2649Completely agree.

[@tomcat7525]

Style is a hit or miss thing at Honda it seems, that is a boring vehicle inside and out compared to the Renault.