Honda will rush the refreshed ZR-V SUV into Australian showrooms this May, just two months after it was first revealed in Japan.
Key updates for the 2026 ZR-V include styling tweaks, deeper Google integration and the axing of turbo-petrol power in favour of a hybrid-only lineup, although it’s unclear at this stage which changes will be adopted for Australian-market models.
With that said, Honda Australia President and CEO Jay Joseph has hinted at what to expect.
“ZR-V is next month, similar updates to what you see on CR-V,” Mr Joseph told CarExpert at the launch of the updated CR-V.
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The revised CR-V lineup contains four hybrid options, up from just one, so it’s fair to assume Honda is preparing to also introduce additional petrol-electric variants of the ZR-V to slot in under the e:HEV LX flagship – currently priced at $54,900 drive-away.
That would align with Honda’s plan to increase the number of hybrid variants available for itsHR-Vsmall SUV andCivichatch, and help it to combat the top-selling Toyota RAV4.
Whether the 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine will disappear from the ZR-V altogether, as it has been in Japan, remains to be seen.
Australian ZR-Vs will also likely pick up Google Built-in with embedded Google apps such as Google Maps and Google Assistant, which features in both the JDM ZR-V and updated CR-V.
Three new exterior colours have been made available in Japan – Twilight Mist Black Pearl, Meteoroid Gray Metallic, and Seabed Blue Pearl.
The aforementioned styling tweaks are spread across the ZR-V range, and include fresh alloy wheel designs, a new honeycomb grille, gloss black exterior accents, door protection strips, and a more aggressive front bumper design complete with faux bash plates.
Honda sold 3940 ZR-Vs in Australia last year, making it the brand’s third most popular model behind the family-friendly CR-V (5595 sales) and smaller HR-V (4817).