Civic SUV will have Corolla Cross price and arrives in Brazil next year

Such the vigor that has been updating its global line, Honda came to confuse those who saw the launch of the American Honda HR-V – which has nothing to do with the Brazilian SUV. As expected, however, the American HR-V will arrive in Brazil next year, called ZR-V. The information came directly from the commercial vice president of the brand in Brazil, Roberto Akiyama, during an event this Thursday (23).

With this confirmation, Brazil will revive a historic rivalry between Honda and Toyota. Although the national Corolla tends to easily surpass the sales volume of the new Civic, which will be imported, the “feud” will be repeated, with more competitiveness, in the mid-size SUV segment.

It’s a matter of “DNA”, since the new Honda ZR-V uses the same platform as the 11th generation Civic. While the SUV’s suspension geometry is its own, it also mimics its sibling in independent rear suspension and the use of low-friction crankshaft components in order to improve engine efficiency.

The American press approved the changes, with the Car&Driver noting that the suspension multilink, combined with the greater torsional rigidity of the bodywork, made the SUV a “pleasant little machine”. The foreign publication also praised the internal comfort and the success of the direction, with a certain degree of “joy”.

Imported at national price

Although the Brazilian versions remain a secret, Roberto Akiyama confirmed that the Honda ZR-V will have the same price range as the Corolla Cross. According to the executive, the medium SUV recently launched in North America will be imported from Mexico, taking advantage of the import tax exemption resulting from an agreement with Brazil.

Thus, the cheapest Honda ZR-V should cost something around R$160,000. Although the Toyota Corolla Cross XRX costs R$ 204,190, it is possible that the top-of-the-line ZR-V will be cheaper, since it will not have hybrid versions for sale in the Brazilian market.

The expectation is that the launch uses the same 1.5 turbo as the new Civic, with figures in the range of 182 hp and 24.5 kgfm. Another possibility, less exciting, is the 2.0-liter aspirated from the North American market, with 160 hp and 19.1 kgfm – the car’s main defect, in the opinion of the foreign magazine.

As it has been doing even in its sports sub-brand Acura, Honda will equip all versions of the ZR-V with a CVT gearbox; economy issue. the journal AutoGuidewho guided the SUV through steep roads in the Northwest of the United States, pointed out that it is definitely not the most exciting choice in the world, but that the continuously variable transmission, with new adjustments, manages to extract more emotion than it seems.