Stylish hybrid highlights Honda know-how

Honda has plenty of know-how when it comes to understanding what its customers need. The ubiquitous Civic is Honda's best-selling model and one of the world's best-selling cars.

Then it should come as no surprise that its new Z-RV is based on the Civic. It looks nothing like it, however, with a bold SUV styling gamble from Honda.

It is a smart SUV in its own right, bridging the gap, says Honda, between the HR-V and CR-V, with a distinctive design to the front end with deep black grille flanked by sleek headlamps while the rear end features a full-width lightbar.

 The smart alloys and panoramic roof on this model round off an impressive road presence. It comes in three specifications, Elegance, Sport and Advance and none are cheap, with the prices ranging from £39,505 to £42,910.

Impressive outside, it's even more impressive inside the roomy cabin area which has a premium feel to fixtures and fittings. The brains of the car is the nine-inch screen at the centre of the wraparound-style dashboard. This controls infotainment and connectivity via Android and Apple phones, while a 10-inch driver display delivers real time driver information.