The visitors took the lead in the second half through a Joe Ralls penalty, before Matt Smith responded with an equalising header.
However it was debutant Paul Smyth who was the star of the show, as he rounded off a perfect debut display with a powerful effort to wrap up the points for QPR.
The Hoops had a late scare as former player Junior Hoilett had the ball in the back of the net, but the referee ruled it out for offside.
A great result, but how did we rate the team?
QPR starting XI
Alex Smithies - 7
Made a couple of key saves and was quick off his line to close down the on-rushing Junior Hoilett on several occasions.
Jordan Cousins - 6
Defensively sound, but took too long on the ball on numerous occasions, slowing down the attack and losing possession.
Alex Baptiste - 7
Had a good game. Looked solid in defence and was able to cover for the mistakes of Josh Scowen and Nedum Onuoha in the first half.
Nedum Onuoha - 6
Tasked with man-marking Zohore, Onuoha looked strong enough against the burly forward, doing what was required. Lost the ball on the edge of the area putting Hoilett through but thankfully Baptiste was on hand to bail him out.
Jack Robinson - 7
Was a big miss against Millwall and looked solid in defence. Always willing to get stuck in and embraced the physical challenge that Cardiff posed. Clearly has the goal-scoring flavour as he looks to shoot whenever he's in sight of goal.
Jake Bidwell - 6
Had a decent game until his push gifted Cardiff City a penalty in the second half.
Massimo Luongo - 6
Has looked slightly off the pace in recent games, giving the ball away in midfield. Still shows moments of quality but needs to step his game up to truly influence things.
Josh Scowen - 6
It was a welcome sight to see Scowen back in the QPR team, and they looked more solid as a result. Nearly got caught out on a couple of occasions as he tried to play his way out of difficult positions, losing the ball in the process.
Luke Freeman - 6
Other than his set-plays, he had a quiet first half by his standards, but almost scored a screamer with a fizzing 25-yard effort in the second.
Nearly gave QPR a lead in the second half as a fizzed cross was cleared from the goalmouth.
Paul Smyth - 10
My first 10/10 for the season goes to the debutant.
He wasn't overwhelmed by the occasion, and looked to get on the ball at every opportunity. Showed great control and pace as he looked to run at the Cardiff City defence.
Capped off his performance with an excellent solo goal, as he ran at the defence before his effort found the net.
Matt Smith - 7
Employed in a typical target man role, but struggled to get the ball to stick, losing possession on too many occasions. Had a great chance at the end of the first half which he headed against the post.
Scored the equaliser with a well-placed header.
QPR substitutes
Aramide Oteh - 7
The forward came on to replace Paul Smyth and showed good experience to take the ball the corner as QPR looked to see out the game. Could have had a goal late on but his shot was well saved.
Joel Lynch - N/A
Wasn't on the field long enough to affect the game, but made some crucial late headers.
We've had our say, it's time for you to have yours.
Use our player rating tool to score the QPR players out of 10 for their performances against Cardiff!
