Compact crossovers are not an unusual sight in the Middle East, but Honda has released a fresh version that neatly fills a gap in its existing roster of vehicles.
Called the ZR-V, the new arrival is a hybrid that has been designed to dutifully adhere to the brand’s “advanced and sporty” ethos, as well as being fuel-efficient. On paper, the Honda ZR-V should be able to get up to 940km out of a single tank of petrol, but that might entail some seriously careful driving.
Honda is pitching the car as a snug fit between the HR-V (heftier) and CR-V (niftier) models, though all three share many similarities.
All those letters in the names do actually stand for something, rather than just being technical references – CR-V is Comfortable Runabout Vehicle, HR-V is Hi-rider Revolutionary Vehicle, while ZR-V is simply Z Runabout Vehicle.
The Z here refers to Generation Z, which is the demographic the car is being pitched to.
It may not be obvious, but it does have a certain logic to it. To give perspective about where the latest arrival might sit in the market, its rivals will be vehicles along the lines of Toyota’s RAV4 and Mazda’s CX-5.
In line with some of its similarly named Honda brethren, the ZR-V has a 1.5-litre engine. The specifications of each are different, though. The newcomer’s power train is turbocharged and can produce 180 horsepower and 240Nm of torque.
Looks-wise, the ZR-V is pretty rather than fierce. It is one of those SUVs that is curvy, not straight, with barely a block or harsh corner in sight.
A glossy black grille and LED headlights are also notable features, and those who decide this is the vehicle for them can choose one of seven exterior colours.
Inside, the ZR-V is pleasingly practical, with most of the controls clustered around the steering wheel.
Honda’s Sensing safety suite comes as standard, as does a 360-degree camera set-up.
The ZR-V is available in UAE showrooms now, with prices starting at Dh119,900.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Zayed Sustainability Prize
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The five pillars of Islam
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
