Honda: CR-Z News **Facelift Revealed (page 31)**

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Old 06-08-2010, 10:01 PM
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Originally Posted by dom
I expected about equal to the Civic Si performance wise. If that was an overblown expectation than I obviously have to lower my expectations (immensely) when it comes to Honda.
agreed.
Old 06-08-2010, 10:05 PM
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Originally Posted by PortlandRL
Now for some news that nobody here will likely care about. The first ship load of CR-Zs are en route from Japan and is due into the Port of Portland next week. Not sure if I will get to drive one but if anybody is interested, I'll try to snap a few pics.
Please get some shots and if you can, give us a heads up as to how it feels driving one. My expectations have been low for this car since I first heard "sporty hybrid" but a quick review would be pretty cool.
Old 06-08-2010, 11:00 PM
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We really don't go above 25 mph on the docks but I'll see what kind of balls it has...if any.
Old 06-18-2010, 06:45 AM
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NEW YORK — Honda's about to take another swing at selling a gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle as a sporty, performance car that just happens to have a hybrid drivetrain to save fuel.

That's similar to its pitch for the current Insight sedan hybrid, which has fallen well short of its goal to dent Toyota Prius sales.

The pitch also is like the one Honda made for the Accord V-6 hybrid a few years back. Yep, marketed that one right into extinction.

But Honda's sure the performance-first approach will work this time.

It better, because the CR-Z two-seat, sporty, hybrid coupe doesn't win any fuel-sipping prizes. You could do nearly as well in a Mini Cooper, get more passenger space and fit in smaller spots than the CR-Z. Mini costs more, though.

The CR-Z, on sale Aug. 24, resembles no other Honda. It's mechanically similar to the Insight, but it seemed more pleasant and refined.

CR-Z's mileage ratings are in the 30s, hardly outstanding for a hybrid. Honda says federal rules required the mileage to be tested in the car's "normal" mode. If you use the "econ" mode and drive delicately, you could top 50 mpg, they say.

We, however, much preferred the third choice, "sport," which made CR-Z a scooter. The sport setting typically kept the engine revving at least 500 rpm faster than normal or econ settings. Much livelier response at the expense of some mpg's.

We'd also be among the 25% or so of buyers opting for the six-speed manual, which gets less mileage than the CVT automatic. The stick-shift is a short-throw delight, the kind that encourages you to shift gears just for fun.

The manual also seemed a happier match for the hybrid drivetrain, masking the occasional, faint gas-engine shudders the CVT seemed to amplify.

"You can't have it all," says Norio Tomobe, 38-year Honda veteran and chief engineer of the CR-Z. It is, he says, "very, very difficult" to deliver both exciting performance and eye-popping fuel economy.

Honda sees the likely buyers as folks 25 to 35, with education beyond a bachelor's degree and household income of $40,000 to $60,000.

CR-Z loosely resembles the Honda CR-X sporty two-seater sold in the U.S. from the 1984 through 1991 model years, so the CR-Z could lure Baby Boomers who fondly remember the X. (It was so popular at first that you could buy one, drive it a few months and sell it for at least what you'd paid.)

The test cars were preproduction models but almost identical to what will be in showrooms Aug. 24. Honda's route included a few miles through Manhattan and winding, fast-moving parkways north of the city. We drove a manual and a CVT, and rode as a passenger in the CVT model, just to see.
Some impressions:

•Don't be afraid of the manual, even if you're a stick-shift virgin. It works so well with the way the hybrid system delivers low-speed power that it's easier to use than most manual boxes.

•Put your head on a swivel in traffic. CR-Z has considerable blind spots. Fat rear roof pillars and triangular rear side windows rob glance-ability.

The glass in the hatchback extends lower, so you can see straight back using the mirror, but even that view is partly blocked by a hefty horizontal rib.

•Be sure you're OK with a stiff ride. Small cars with short wheelbases are inherently bouncy. When they emphasize sportiness as much as Honda wants CR-Z to, you get stiff suspensions, too.

•Don't look for luxe. No lumbar-support adjustment for the seats. No sunroof. No heated cup holders or super-duper sound system. Don't expect configurable instrument panel lighting or the most modern version of Honda's navigation.
Not a deprivation chamber, but in these days of full-featured small cars, CRZ isn't that kind.

Honda's hybrid system is simpler than the more common setups used by Toyota, Ford and others. Honda sandwiches a thin electric motor between the gas engine and the transmission.

You almost can think of it as providing on-demand help the way turbochargers do for gasoline engines.

Because there's that power reserve to tap, the gas engine can be smaller and less powerful, and thus use less fuel (theoretically).

But, as you can tell from a scan of fuel-economy ratings, the Honda system doesn't deliver the monster mileage the other types sometimes can.

If you don't care, if you accept Honda's pitch that CR-Z is a sporty, interesting small car — that happens to be a hybrid — a sub-40 mpg rating might seem inconsequential.

And the flashy design will make it obvious you aren't a "me-too" person.
2011 Honda CR-Z

•What? Small, two-seat, front-drive gas-electric hybrid, to be marketed as a sporty car that just happens to be a hybrid. Available with six-speed manual transmission or continuously variable automatic (CVT).

•When? Goes on sale in the U.S. Aug. 24.

•Where? Made at Suzuka, Japan.

•How? Modify the drivetrain, chassis from Insight sedan hybrid.

•How much? Roughly $20,000 to $25,000. Honda will announce exact prices closer to on-sale date.

•How powerful? 1.5-liter, four-cylinder gasoline engine rated 113 horsepower at 6,000 rpm, 107 pounds-feet of torque at 4,800 rpm. Electric motor draws from 100.8-volt battery pack and is rated 13 hp and 58 lbs.-ft.

Gas and electric power peaks don't coincide, so you can't simply add the separate ratings. Honda says the maximum combined power from the hybrid system is 122 hp and 128 lbs.-ft. (manual transmission) or 123 lbs.-ft. (CVT) at 1,000 rpm.

•How big? Bigger outside, smaller inside than a Mini Cooper. CR-Z is 160.6 inches long, 68.5 in. wide, 54.9 in. tall on a 95.9-in. wheelbase. Weighs 2,637 to 2,797 lbs. Maximum cargo space, 25.1 cubic feet.

Turns around in 35.4 ft.

•How thirsty? Manual rated 31 miles per gallon in town, 37 on the highway, 34 in combined driving. CVT: 35/39/37.

Trip computers in test cars registered 35.8 to 38.1 mpg. Route was mostly freeway-speed rural parkway, with some city traffic.

Burns regular. Holds 10.6 gallons.

•Overall: Manual's fun, CVT's not. Unimpressive mpg by hybrid standards.

Old 06-18-2010, 07:08 AM
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Let's get this out of the way right now: the 2011 Honda CR-Z is not a CRX redux. To compare the two – no matter how much Honda may want to – is to misunderstand the former and besmirch the latter.

No, the hybrid CR-Z is an entirely different beast. Despite its three-door shape and two-seat configuration, it has about as much in common with the O.G. hatch as a big-screen remake of your favorite childhood TV show. The basic components are there, but the whole concept has been throttled to within an inch of its life with high-tech gadgetry, odd casting decisions and a questionable demographic.

But to Honda's credit, its rhetorical comparisons to the CRX have died down considerably since the CR-Z debuted in concept form and then progressed into a production model. Honda may have recognized after a lukewarm introduction outside the U.S. that glomming onto nostalgia will only get you so far (see: Dodge Challenger and Chevrolet Camaro). And to make something special – a vehicle that transcends the emotional baggage of its predecessor – you've got to evolve the concept and avoid relying on rose-tinted sentimentality.

To an extent, that's exactly what Honda has created. It hasn't built another hot hatch – the lightweight, K20-powered three-door enthusiasts crave – and instead it has attempted to meld the technology of the moment into a greenified competitor to the Mini Cooper. Think of it as the rogue lovechild of the original and current Insight, with a few sporting genes spliced into its DNA. But can a hybrid hatch be an entertaining steer? We took to California's twisties and clipped a few cones to find out.

If you were completely smitten by the CR-Z concept from the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show, the retail model may leave you a bit cold. Viewed side-by-side, the basic elements are there – high hatch, wedge shape, massive snout – but as with so many designs rotating on pedestals, everything's been watered down in the production process.

The deeply recessed grille and its center mounted "H" have been dispatched for a more pedestrian-friendly nose, while the blistered fenders, glass roof and aggressive haunches have all been relegated to the designer's trash bin. We won't call it neutered, nor will we result to the roller-skate cliche, but the CR-Z's 16-inch wheels (the only hoops available) and higher ride height have laid to waste the concept's edgy aggressiveness. And the first time a state-mandated front license plate is fitted, crouching Bugs Bunny references won't be far behind.



On the positive side, the blacked-out A- and B-pillars combined with the highly contoured windshield and greenhouse provide a pleasant wrap-around effect, while the high, split-glass hatch and triangular taillamps lend the CR-Z a more purposeful stance. The visibility afforded by the thinner A-pillars – something that's largely absent on modern vehicles – is a breath of fresh air, but on the flip side, the tall hatch and massive C-pillars make lane-changes a double- then triple-check affair.

Viewed as a whole (and if you hadn't seen the concept), it's a smart, youthful design with dozens of subtle stylistic elements that catch your eye over time. The only thing that's obviously missing is a visible exhaust outlet – something akin to the integrated exhaust tips on the Euro-market Civic would've been a nice touch.



The interior does a better job of tipping you off to the CR-Z's sporting pretenses, beginning with a pair of sufficiently bolstered seats and a small diameter steering wheel. All the controls are canted towards the driver, including the optional sat-nav, standard climate controls and drive mode selectors. The dash doesn't extend as far forward as we would have expected given the steeply raked windshield, nor does it completely encompass the occupants (note the odd cliff-face on the passenger side of the dash).

Mercifully, Honda has decided to ditch the Civic's two-tiered instrument panel for a center-mounted pseudo-3D tach with a technicolor digital speedo mounted in the middle. Battery and charge status, shift indicator, fuel level and real-time consumption flank the sides and look both futuristic and slightly half-baked. If you must, think of it as a low-rent version of the Ferrari 458 Italia's driver command center, complete with a user-customizable Multi-Information Display for standard trip readings, along with an Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) flow indicator, "Eco Guide and Eco Scoring" and exterior temperature reading.




Fit and finish is on par with anything from Honda in the $20,000-25,000 segment, with soft-touch materials lining the major touch points and an interesting vacuum-formed metal coating the door handles (an industry first). The rear cargo area was obviously designed with kid seats in mind for the European and Japanese market, but in the U.S. we get a pair of recessed, carpeted plastic trays in their stead. The upright panel can be folded down to expand the standard 25.1 cubic feet of cargo space, although the only way to fold or snap it into place is to move the front seat forward and reach through the door opening. Thankfully, it's a single-handed affair.

With all the techno-tidbits available inside (along with standard USB audio and a 12V power source), oddly, our favorite interior feature came in the form of a configurable cargo cover. You can mount the vinyl overlay in three different ways to either completely obscure the cargo area or leave it open for luggage, golf bags or small bodies. But the third setup – humorously dubbed "Secret Mode" – creates a small parcel area at the very end of the hatch to hold smaller items (grocery bags, laptop and camera cases) so they won't shuffle around during spirited sprints. Speaking of which...


If you're not already aware, the CR-Z's roots are based on the new-for-2010 Insight hatch. You can groan now if you wish, but take solace in the fact that Honda has managed to shorten the wheelbase to 95.8 inches, widen the track to 59.6 inches in front and 59.1 inches in the rear, with a total length of 160.6 inches. MacPherson struts work in concert with 18-mm front and rear stabilizer bars, and the whole setup has been fitted to a suitably taut chassis. The bad news: We're stuck with a torsion-beam suspension in the rear. The worse news: the curb weight comes in between 2,637 and 2,707 pounds depending on the transmission and equipment levels. For reference, the four-passenger, five-door Insight tips the scales at 2,734 pounds, which isn't much difference at all.

As you'd expect, Honda's focus lies on the CR-Z's Integrated Motor Assist hybrid system and its 1.5-liter i-VTEC four-cylinder pulled from the Fit. In the five-door runabout, the four-pot is good for 117 horsepower and 106 pound-feet of torque, but combined with the IMA system's Ni-Mh battery and brushless DC motor, Honda rates the CR-Z with the six-speed manual at 122 hp at 6,000 RPM and 128 lb-ft of torque from a deceivingly shallow 1,000 to 1,750 RPM. Honda says the electric motor is good for 13 hp and 58 lb-ft of twist on its own, so we're not entirely sure how the maths work out on that. We've left it to our engineering-savvy Mr. Abuelsamid to parse out the details, so let's get to the driving.


Judged by the stats alone, we started up the CR-Z with more than mild trepidation. In the Fit, the 1.5-liter isn't exactly an inspired engine and sadly, that hasn't changed in this application. The engine note is more hotel-grade Oreck than the manic, high-revving Hondas of yore, and as you move up through the rev-range, the wasps under the hood get angrier but fail to deliver a sting.

With the traction control switched off, the IMA delivers just enough torque to spin the tires when you launch around 3,000 RPM. Acceleration through the first two gears is on the high-side of acceptable as the four-pot strains towards its 6,500 RPM redline, but by the time you reach third, most of the steam has escaped the engine bay. Our best guesstimate on a 0-60 mph time is somewhere in the 10-second range. Hardly stirring, but not unexpected.

However, off-the-line performance isn't the CR-Z's forte. If Honda's "Hybrid Cafe Racer" line is to be believed, this hatch's true calling is in the canyons. And here, a faint light shines through.


In Normal and Eco mode, the CR-Z trundles along as you'd expect; a lazy commuter focused on efficiency. However, press the Sport button and the steering and throttle tighten. Inputs are more direct as you crank the quick ratio steering (2.5 turns lock-to-lock) and the shifter effortlessly slips through the gears. The six-speed manual tranny is slightly notchier than other Honda 'boxes, but it inspires you to row up and down the ratios to find the meat of the powerband. Lay into the throttle in third or fourth and there's more noise than motivation, but when the first corner appears, the brakes haul down the CR-Z at a decent clip. On the road, brake fade remained absent, but during a few hot laps around a makeshift autocross course, pedal feel got progressively mushier as we pushed harder and braked later, particularly when attempting to stop in a cordoned-off cone box.

Steering is typical Honda: direct, if slightly overboosted. Initial turn-in and mild mid-corner corrections were encouraging, as is the additional weight of the rear-mounted battery pack, allowing the CR-Z to rotate quicker than other short-wheelbase three-doors we've sampled. That additional pounds and 60:40 weight split inspired confidence through high-speed sweepers, but the downside is a fair amount of body roll through trickier, twistier bits and a penchant for understeer without a good flick of the wheel or a fair amount of trail-braking.


We only had a brief stint in a CVT-equipped model, and the seamlessness of the start-stop system in the manual version was replaced with a more abrupt shudder when switching back on from a stop – exactly as we've experienced on the Insight. As with most CVTs, the "elastic band" sensation is there, albeit slightly more refined, holding the revs at around 6,000 rpm when matting the throttle and allowing you to shift through seven faux ratios when the mood strikes you. As you'd expect, the manual is easily the more sporting setup, but Honda estimates somewhere between 70 and 75 percent of all CR-Z's will be equipped with the quasi-automatic. Which brings up the obvious question: Who's the CR-Z for?

If we were a cynical bunch, we'd assume it's yet another vehicle designed to improve overall CAFE ratings. And with fuel economy ratings of 36/39 mpg city/highway with the CVT and 31/37 on the manual model, it's certainly going to help. But that's too easy. If you believe Honda, it's estimating that the average buyer will be a style and eco-conscious consumer between 25 and 35, smitten by the small size and blue Hybrid badge on the boot. That we can almost buy, particularly given that Honda will be pricing the base model under $20,000 and the fully-kitted EX with Navi will slide in under $24,000 when it goes on sale August 24. But is it an enthusiast's vehicle? Hardly. With more power, bigger brakes and a more sophisticated suspension (we're sure Hasport is working on a engine mount kit as you read this), this could've been the CRX for the 21st century. Instead, it's a capable fuel miser that can muster some sport when summoned. Unsurprising, but disappointing nonetheless.
Old 06-18-2010, 07:19 AM
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When the 2011 Honda CR-Z hits the streets this Fall, it will feature the latest iteration of the company's Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) mild hybrid system. The basic concept of IMA hasn't changed since the original Insight debuted in 1999, but it has been refined to improve performance and efficiency while reducing overall cost.

There's a wide spectrum of hybrids in the market, ranging from low-end, belted-alternator-starter (BAS) mild hybrids to the full-blown power-split strong hybrids at the top. The latter category includes systems from Toyota, Ford and General Motors (two-mode), while Honda's IMA provides a healthy boost in overall efficiency compared to a conventional powertrain, but falls well short of the best power-splits. Read on to learn more about the IMA system and how it's implemented in the CR-Z.

Architecture

The basic architecture of IMA consists of a compact electric motor sandwiched between the internal combustion engine and transmission. A nickel metal hydride battery pack is used for storing the energy captured through regenerative braking. The final component is the power electronics module that incorporates the inverter, battery management system and motor control.

When the first generation Insight launched in 1999, it was only available with a manual gearbox until a continuously variable transmission (CVT) was added in 2001. The manual was discontinued around 2003 and all subsequent Insight and Civic hybrids were only available with the CVT. The short-lived Accord Hybrid used a conventional step-ratio five-speed automatic. The introduction of the CR-Z marks the return of a manual transmission, this time with six forward ratios, with a CVT as an option.

Motor

The motor is integrated into a 61 millimeter wide case that's bolted directly to the output face of the engine. From the beginning, IMA has used a permanent magnet AC synchronous motor which is both compact and efficient. The stator is fixed to the internal perimeter of the case while the rotor is bolted to the output face of the crankshaft. The clutch for the manual transmission or the input plate for the CVT are bolted to the output side of the rotor.


The electric current in the adjacent coils of the stator is flowing in opposite directions, creating reverse magnetic fields. The motor control causes the current direction (and thus the field) to switch back and forth, which causes the rotor to move in response. The switching rate controls the motor speed and as the rotor spins, it applies drive torque to the transmission providing an electrical boost.

Since the motor is hard-coupled to the engine, there is no mechanism to shut-off and de-couple the engine and drive on electric power alone the way strong hybrids like those from Toyota and Ford. Starting several years ago with the Civic Hybrid, Honda added the ability to shut off fuel flow and close the valves with the VTEC variable valve timing system when cruising at low speeds. This allows the car to motor along on just electricity. However, the hard-coupling means that the crankshaft is still turning and the pistons are pumping. The result is more drag than you would find in a strong hybrid. Because of the sportier nature of the CR-Z, the VTEC system has been used to increase power rather than boost efficiency, so it can't motor along on electrons alone.

At 13 horsepower and 58 pound-feet of torque, the motor (which is shared with the Insight) is adequate for providing a noticeable boost in performance, but not really sufficient to propel the CR-Z on its own for any significant time or distance. However, the beauty of an electric motor is that it typically produces maximum torque at zero speed and stays at that peak before dropping off, making it ideal for boosting off-the-line performance without sacrificing fuel consumption.


Engine

While Honda's inline-four cylinder engines are highly regarded for smooth and efficient operation, low-end torque has rarely been considered a strong suit. This is certainly true of the 1.5-liter unit in the CR-Z with its 113 hp and 107 lb-ft peak torque, especially since that peak occurs at a fairly lofty 4,800 rpm. At 1,000 rpm, the engine is producing barely 80 lb-ft. The addition of IMA has allowed powertrain engineers to fatten up the bottom end of the net torque curve so that it produces 128 lb-ft of torque between 1,000 and 1,750 rpm on the six-speed manual-equipped model. On the flip side, the CR-Z with the CVT is limited to 123 lb-ft of torque. Regardless of the transmission choice, total combined peak power of the engine and motor is 122 hp at 6,000 rpm.

In addition to providing a torque boost during acceleration, the IMA motor is also used to start the engine when you twist the ignition as well as re-starting it after an idle-stop. Generally, any time the car comes to a stop, the engine will shut-off to conserve fuel and cut emissions. However, if the battery state of charge is too low or the electrical demands are too high (when driving with the headlights on or with the air-conditioning turned up) the engine won't be shut off. On the manual transmission CR-Z, the engine is only halted if the car is stopped and the transmission is in neutral. When the clutch pedal is pressed or the brake released, the engine automatically re-starts.


Regenerative Braking

Like other hybrid systems, applying a drive torque to the rotor turns the motor into a generator. During deceleration, the motor is used to recharge the battery and slow the vehicle, negating the need for the brakes to be used as much. The low cost nature of IMA hybrids means that Honda doesn't incorporated fancy brake-by-wire systems to blend friction and regenerative braking. Instead, the regenerative braking is overlaid on the friction brakes and then gently ramped out at low speeds. Compared to the Civic Hybrid, which exhibits a distinct loss of deceleration at about seven mph as the regenerative braking is switched off, the Insight and CR-Z have a much more gradual phase out making the transition almost imperceptible.


Battery

The key to any hybrid, whether it's a mild or strong system, is the energy storage system. Like every other system on the road, the CR-Z uses an electrochemical battery; in this case, a nickel metal hydride unit. The 100.8 volt unit consists of 84 "D-sized" cells arranged in seven modules of 12 cells each. It has a total capacity of 580 watt-hours, a bit less than half the size of most strong hybrids. Like the motor, the guts of the battery pack in the CR-Z are basically carried over from the Insight. The most notable change for the battery is the air cooling system which has been upgraded to improve its efficiency. The cell temperatures are closely monitored and controlled closer to the optimum operating temperature.

Batteries have a limited temperature range where they can provide optimal performance both for charge and discharge. The new cooling system is better able to manage the battery, especially at higher ambient temperatures which improves the ability to recapture and release energy when it's hot. Tighter control of the temperature also improves the durability of the battery pack.


Sport and Econ Modes

In keeping with the CR-Z's mission of being a sporty hybrid, Honda has also added a driver selectable sport mode in addition to the Normal and Econ modes found in the new Insight. The Econ mode filters the driver commands and slows down the throttle response to smooth out acceleration and improve efficiency. The new Sport mode does the opposite, cajoling the CR-Z to life. Both the manual and CVT versions receive reduced steering assist and increased throttle response in Sport mode, while the CVT chooses a lower gear ratio range for higher engine speeds and more available power. With the manual transmission, the system monitors the accelerator pedal position and if the driver applies the gas beyond a certain rate, the IMA will provide full motor power immediately rather than ramping it up.

Given the limited hardware capability of the IMA system, Honda has managed to do quite a bit with it. While Toyota arguably created the first performance-oriented hybrid systems with the Lexus GS450h and LS600h, Honda is the first to create a dedicated platform and body that is overtly sporty. The CR-Z is by no means a speed demon, as you've read in our driving impressions, but it certainly feels much stronger than the Insight.

Fans of the original CRX of the late-80s may complain that the hybrid CR-Z can't match the 51 mpg combined rating of the old HF. However, it's also important to remember that the way fuel economy sticker values are computed has changed several times in the last 25 years. The EPA estimates that under the current procedures the CRX HF would have been rated at 43 mpg. The CVT version of the CR-Z is rated at 37 mpg combined which is lower than the CRX but the new car is considerably larger and heavier. The CRX would never meet current emissions or crash safety standards and it's also considerably slower than the modern car. In almost every way, the CR-Z is a much better car. But is it really a better drive? Find out here.

Old 06-18-2010, 07:23 AM
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2011 Honda CR-Z Hybrid
Honda’s sporty hybrid is better than expected. Still, who’s going to buy it?



It’s tempting to think of the CR-Z hybrid as the second coming of the CRX, Honda’s light, tossable mid-1980s funster, what with the two cars’ stubby rear ends, two-seat layouts, and frugal intentions. On the CR-Z launch, in fact, Honda plopped us down in a cherry 1985 CRX Si and told us to go nuts. We did, and we’re sorry, Big H, but the CR-Z just isn’t quite as awesome.

Where the impish CRX used lightness and a stripped-down approach to deliver entertainment and efficiency, the CR-Z looks to a gasoline/electric hybrid powertrain. The difference between the two paths is stark, or so goes conventional wisdom: With less weight and simplicity comes fun and momentum-style hoonage, and with a hybrid powertrain comes, well, soul-crushing dullness. Somewhat shockingly, however, this hybrid is entertaining, even as it tries to marry the disparate concepts of sport and efficiency.


Nowhere is that conflict more evident than in the two transmissions. Opt for the six-speed manual, and the CR-Z delivers perhaps the most transparent hybrid experience available today, because you control the shift points and how quickly the gears are changed. Particularly with the three-mode adjustable drive system in Sport, it’s a relatively fun little car. But go for the CVT, as Honda expects 75 percent of buyers to do, and besides being a downer of a person, you lose any sense of joy and immediacy. In the CVT’s manual mode—actuated via standard paddle shifters—you can wind through six fake ratios, but the “shifts” into those ratios are slurred and slow. Moreover, while the four-cylinder is never sonorous even with the stick, the CVT causes an unpleasant droning.

Heavy, Man

At 160.6 inches long, the CR-Z is 16 inches longer than the original CRX, but it doesn’t look like that much with the two cars side by side; for modern reference, the CR-Z is an inch shorter than Honda’s own Fit. It’s not as light, however, with Honda estimates putting the CR-Z around 2700 pounds. We measured the bigger Fit at 2500 pounds with a manual, and a CRX Si we tested 25 years ago weighed in at a svelte 1840. Of course, beyond the hybrid system, the CR-Z includes a boatload of stuff unavailable on the original CRX, like airbags, a couple of decades’ worth of crash-worthiness improvements, and doors thicker than a Trapper Keeper. Still, from behind the wheel, you never shake the sense of extra weight.

At the heart of the CR-Z is the 1.5-liter four-cylinder from the Fit, here making 113 hp and 107 lb-ft of torque. It mates to Honda’s Integrated Motor Assist hybrid system as seen in the Insight, which is comprised of a nickel-metal hydride battery pack and a 13-hp electric motor. Combined output stands at 122 hp and 128 lb-ft of torque. Acceleration isn’t scorching by any means, but the CR-Z doesn’t feel poky like the Fit or Insight. Helping foster that sense is the Sport mode, activated via a button to the left of the steering wheel. In Sport, throttle sensitivity is increased, the steering tightens, the electric motor provides more assistance on manual-equipped cars, and, in CVT models, the “gear ratios” are optimized for acceleration. There are also Normal and Econ modes, and the latter dulls throttle response, retunes the CVT for fuel-economy gains, turns down the fan speed and minimizes compressor use for the A/C, and reduces power and torque by four percent except in wide-open-throttle situations.


The mileage returned by the CR-Z isn’t as stellar as you’d expect in a hybrid this small, at 31 mpg city/37 mpg highway with a manual and 35/39 with the CVT. (The EPA tests were run in Normal mode.) Would those numbers be the same if the car were lighter with no hybrid gadgetry? Let’s just say we got 32 mpg from that 1985 CRX Si. But before you start ranting about how disappointing the numbers are—“I’ve seen 167 mpg in my Prius! Uphill and into the wind! Rarghargh!”—remember that Honda has the Insight and upcoming Fit hybrid to appeal to the hypermiler crowd; this is a sporty car with green leanings more than anything else, and that likely guided the engineers’ efficiency targets.

A Great Ride and More Steering Feel than Expected

The chassis plays a big part in making the hybrid experience transparent. While the brakes are a touch grabby, they have only the slightest hint of hybrid-style sponginess, and the transition from regenerative to conventional braking is essentially seamless. The linearity of the brakes is good, too. The electrically boosted steering has more feel than we expected, and turn-in is eager in Normal mode and quick in Sport. Where the CR-Z impresses most is in ride quality. Generally, when something has the wheelbase of a Matchbox car, you can expect to be re-vectored as you hit mid-corner bumps, plus a jarring, crashing ride—the sportiest Minis being prime examples. The CR-Z exhibits very little of such behaviors, though, with part of the credit going to the standard 16-inch wheels and the relatively tall sidewalls of the 195/55 Dunlop SP Sport 7000 rubber. That’s not to say the CR-Z is firmly planted all the time. Pitch the thing hard into a corner with stability control disabled and lift off the throttle, and the back will swing around (and quite quickly due to the short wheelbase), so you need to be ready to dial in some opposite lock. Blame the weight of the batteries, which live between the rear wheels. The handling would benefit from a firmer suspension—it would shore up slight body roll, for one thing—but at the expense of compliance. Such a strategy would certainly alienate a good chunk of buyers, a large majority of whom will find the current setup to be sporty enough.


The CR-Z comes in three flavors: base, EX, and EX with navigation. Honda says pricing will start under $20,000 with destination charges and top out at just below $24K when the car goes on sale in late August. Standard across the range are stability control, power mirrors, power locks and windows, keyless entry, automatic climate control, cruise control, a tilting and telescoping steering column, USB and auxiliary inputs, LED taillamps, and the three-mode drive system. EX models get HID headlamps, fog lights, aluminum pedals, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, and an upgraded audio system with subwoofer. The rear cargo area will accommodate a couple of golf bags with the rear bulkhead folded down and two suitcases with it up, not too bad considering this car’s diminutive size. To the CR-Z’s credit, too, it has the best interior among Honda’s cheaper offerings, with cloth door inserts, a soft-touch dash covering, and attractive switchgear. It’s certainly better than the cost-cut, hard-plastic-riddled cabin of the Insight.

Who Will Buy It?

We admit to wondering just who’s going to buy this car. If fuel-efficiency is the goal, better mileage (and practicality) can be found in the Toyota Prius and the Insight, which are EPA-rated for 50 and 41 mpg combined, respectively. And those in the market for an inexpensive sporty car can also shop the conventionally powered Mini Cooper and Scion tC, while perhaps pocketing some savings. The Mini in particular isn’t much off in efficiency, either, being rated as high as 32 mpg combined. Further, all those CVT buyers will effectively negate the CR-Z’s reason for being, its sportiness. Without that, you’re left with a less-efficient, two-seat Insight that can’t carry as much stuff. Sounds dicey, even at Honda’s stated U.S. sales goal of 15,000 per year.


Meanwhile, we await word of a CR-Z Si. If it does happen, we’d prefer such a car to be created by ditching the hybrid stuff, which adds roughly $2000 to the cost of the regular CR-Z; further chassis tightening; and bumping the 1.5’s output by 20 hp and 20 lb-ft or so. Honda, on the other hand, appears to lean toward turning up the wick on the electric motor for an Si. At the very least, the base car shows a desire to build fun-to-drive vehicles still exists within Honda. After the death of the S2000, the big-ification of the Accord, and the introduction of off-target stuff like the Crosstour, we were beginning to have doubts. Still, it’s sad that this is the second-sportiest U.S. Honda behind the Civic Si, and you could argue that in making this car hybrid-only—instead of making the hybrid powertrain an option—the company still is trying to be all things to all people, and that it would be better served focusing on what led its success in the first place: making stuff that’s great and not merely good. Ultimately, while the CR-Z can be good, it’s a compromise. And that’s a shame, because it could be even better.
Old 06-18-2010, 07:28 AM
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Just the Facts:

* 2011 Honda CR-Z will go on sale on August 24 in the U.S.
* The hybrid is expected to start below $20,000.
* No Si version is planned.
TORRANCE, California — Honda has released more details about its 2011 CR-Z, saying it will go on sale on August 24 in the U.S. with pricing tentatively set to start at under $20,000. The Japanese automaker also confirmed that it has no plans for an Si variant or an electric version of the CR-Z — and that there will be no federal tax credit on the sporty hybrid coupe.

When asked about whether the CR-Z will qualify for an alt-fuel federal tax credit, in an e-mailed query on Thursday, Honda spokesman Chuck Schifsky replied: "No. The limit per car company is 60,000 hybrids, and we passed that long ago."

In a press conference earlier this month, Honda confirmed that there will not be a CR-Z Si at launch this summer. "Nothing official," said John Mendel,Honda's U.S. executive vice president of sales, when asked whether a future Si variant is in the works.

When asked about plans to offer an electric version of the CR-Z and whether EVs will "flop in the U.S.," Mendel replied: "I don't think that there's [sic] plans to make this vehicle a pure electric. I wouldn't say that we believe that the pure EV or BEV [battery-electric vehicle] will flop in the U.S. It depends upon the application. If you talk about longer charging times and limited range, it speaks to a different usage than a 150-miles-per-day commuter would require."

Although formal pricing on the CR-Z has yet to be announced, Honda executives said that pricing will start at under $20,000, including destination, and will top out at under $24,000 for a fully equipped CR-Z EX with a navigation system. Honda said that the decision to equip the CR-Z with a nickel-metal hydride battery, instead of the more up-to-date lithium-ion battery, helped hold down the cost of the vehicle.

The CR-Z will be available in three trim levels: CR-Z, CR-Z EX and CR-Z EX Navi. The EX version adds a seven-speaker premium audio system, foglights, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, LED footlights and alloy pedals. The CR-Z EX Navi adds a navigation system to the aforementioned features.

All models will be available in five exterior colors, including red. All are equipped with a silver mesh cloth interior. Options include body-side molding, XM Radio and 17-inch alloy wheels. Option prices have not yet been announced.

Honda said it is aiming the sporty hybrid coupe at a "younger, cost-conscious buyer" ranging in age from 25-35 with an annual household income of $40,000-$60,000.

The CR-Z is equipped with a 1.5-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine and an electric motor with a combined output of 122 horsepower and 128 pound-feet of torque. The engine is linked to either a six-speed manual transmission or a CVT. Fuel economy for the six-speed manual version of the CR-Z is estimated at 31 mpg in the city and 37 mpg highway, said Honda. The CVT version is expected to return 35 mpg in the city and 39 mpg on the highway.

Inside Line says: You've got to wonder if the lack of a federal tax credit will force some consumers to put the brakes on a CR-Z purchase. — Anita Lienert, Correspondent

Old 06-18-2010, 08:03 AM
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This is the long-awaited Honda CR-Z, a car Honda claims is the reincarnation of its legendary CRX hatchback. It's a 122-hp hybrid two-door that ambles to 60 mph about as quickly as a Toyota Prius. Say what?

Full Disclosure: Honda flew a host of journalists to San Francisco and put them up in a nice hotel on the Embarcadero — the same hotel used for one of the 2011 Ford Fiesta launches — for the launch of the 2011 CR-Z. Because I lived in the area at the time, I simply drove downtown. I also took a Honda-sponsored tour of the California Academy of Sciences, a really cool place that has a blue whale skeleton hanging from the ceiling. If this review is biased, it's only because I find whale bones impossibly cool.
No matter how you slice it, the Honda CR-Z is an interesting car. Five months ago, when the CR-Z debuted at the Detroit auto show, it was met by a wave of public indifference. "Fat," said the pundits. (A curb weight of just over 2800 pounds, which seems impressive until you consider the car's 95.8-inch wheelbase and 55-inch height.) "Slow," they said. (122 hp at 6000 rpm.) "Small and silly," they said. (Two seats, 25.1 cubic feet of storage with the rear partition folded.)


Also, fuel economy — 31/37 mpg with the standard six-speed manual, or 35/39 with the optional CVT — wasn't impressive.

Us, we were just confused. Hell, I own a CRX — an '88 Si, one of two that have passed through my driveway — and after spending a half-hour walking around the CR-Z on the show stand, poring over the numbers, and trying to make sense of my disappointment, I left puzzled. I published the following fifteen minutes later:
How did this happen? A million questions pop into my mind: If mileage, not marketing, is the goal, then why doesn't the CR-Z have a tiny, high-revving gasoline engine - or, better yet, Honda's excellent diesel four - under its hood? Is a power-to-weight ratio of almost twenty-three pounds per horsepower supposed to be fun, or merely fun by comparison? (I suppose that anything is entertaining next to a Toyota Prius, but "better than blah" doesn't make for much of an ad line.) Isn't a fun, carefully engineered, minimalist approach to the hybrid problem exactly what everyone expects from Honda? And in what world does a two-seat, 2800-pound fuel-economy special — remember, the base Civic weighs 2630 pounds, has a back seat and a large trunk, and offers 34 mpg — fulfill that expectation?
Other relevant facts: The 1984-1987 CRX weighed just over 1800 pounds. The second-generation car, produced from 1988 to 1991, hovered around 2000 pounds. A host of different models — including the gas-sipping CRX HF, which offered over 50 mpg by period EPA standards — were offered through the years, and all of them were quick, nimble, and fun to drive. They made sense.

What, pray tell, is this?


And Now For Something Completely Different

If you've been paying attention, the details are hard to miss: The front-wheel-drive CR-Z uses a mildly modified version of the hybrid drivetrain found in Honda's five-door Insight, a machine that boasts all the motive excitement of a piece of toast on a skateboard. It also uses a modified version of that car's platform, albeit with weight-saving aluminum control arms, more rigid front-hub bearings, lighter wheels, a wider rear axle beam, and a 30% more powerful electric motor.

The Big H claims that the CR-Z is the first "truly sporty" hybrid. During the launch, John Mendel, the company's executive vice president, claimed that the car was "as much about the driving experience as our commitment to fuel economy."

You know what? He's right. Mostly.


The CR-Z's engine is the same 1.5-liter i-VTEC twin-cam four found in the Fit; it makes 128 lb-ft of torque when bolted to a manual transmission (123 lb-ft with the CVT), and it does so between 1000 and 1500 rpm. Some 58 lb-ft of that comes from the hybrid system's electric motor, but from behind the wheel, you'd think you were in a traditional gasoline-powered car. The engine responds to your right foot like a Fit with a heavy, inertia-preserving flywheel, but it also doesn't mind being revved and — wait for it — doesn't feel like a hybrid.

What does that mean? Simple: This is easily the most transparent hybrid produced to date. There's no acceleration surge under heavy load, no dead drone from the engine bay, no soul-sapping bleh when you stab the right pedal. Ignore the hybrid system's configuration buttons (Eco, Normal, Sport; they alter throttle response and the electric motor's assist level) on the dash, and the car reminds you of a sleepy, sedated Fit.

Predictably, there's a catch: The CR-Z is not a fast car; it is not even a quick car. Acceleration estimates weren't available at the time of this writing, but Road & Track tested a Japanese-spec model, a car nearly identical to the American one, and hit 60 mph from rest in 10.5 seconds. The CR-Z feels faster than this, but not by much.


Handling is about as you'd expect. Mild understeer gives way to moderate understeer when pushed; turn stability control off and lift in the middle of a corner, and the car gradually oversteers. (That's the clinical answer. The hyperbolic answer is that the CR-Z cranks into corners like a CRX — a notoriously manic handler — that grew up, got a little lazy, and ate too much tempura.) In other words, it's no Civic Si, but it's still moderately entertaining. Part of this is undoubtedly due to soft springing and damping — the CR-Z rides like a cloud-filled couch over even the crappiest of pavement.


Random facts that popped up in my notes but aren't relevant to the above information: Hill assist is standard on manual-transmission cars. When the car goes on sale in August, there will be three models (CR-Z, CR-Z EX, and CR-Z EX Navigation), five exterior colors, and one interior color (silver). Seventeen-inch wheels will be optional. Honda brought a first-generation CRX Si to the CR-Z launch and let journalists drive it, but if I started comparing the two cars, you would probably get depressed.

Pricing has not yet been announced, but Honda claims to be aiming for a range that "starts under $20,000 and goes up to just under $24,000."


Any Step Is Better Than None

Where does that leave us? Let's close things out with a quote from the CR-Z's chief engineer:
"We wanted a car that would excite people, a car that only Honda could create."Norio Tomobe, Large Project Leader, Honda CR-Z
Hm. I know you did, Norio, and I firmly believe that, given what you had to work with, you did your best. Is this the most entertaining hybrid car money can buy? Yes. Is it what I want and, frankly, what the market needs? Not quite.

Make no mistake: The CR-Z is not a bad car. But there's something missing here — it lacks a certain Honda joy, the kind of less-is-more, sharp-engineering vibrance that you find in everything from a Civic CVCC to a stripped Fit or S2000. I understand that the car was designed with two seemingly incompatible purposes in mind, and I know that, at least in this case, weight and performance are largely tied to price. People who don't need a back seat or a lot of luggage space, people who want decent fuel economy and modern-car convenience, they will buy this. They will likely not care that the CR-Z isn't the fun, inspiring, fuel-friendly car that the CRX was. But that doesn't mean that we shouldn't.


The takeaway? The car you see here is a decent, though not remarkable, answer to the Where's the fun in green? question. It does what it was designed to do. We should probably take solace in that fact — the CR-Z may not be exactly what the enthusiast wants, but at the very least, it's a step in the right direction.
Old 06-18-2010, 08:19 AM
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Further, all those CVT buyers will effectively negate the CR-Z’s reason for being, its sportiness. Without that, you’re left with a less-efficient, two-seat Insight that can’t carry as much stuff.

...

Still, it’s sad that this is the second-sportiest U.S. Honda behind the Civic Si, and you could argue that in making this car hybrid-only—instead of making the hybrid powertrain an option—the company still is trying to be all things to all people, and that it would be better served focusing on what led its success in the first place: making stuff that’s great and not merely good. Ultimately, while the CR-Z can be good, it’s a compromise. And that’s a shame, because it could be even better.
Old 06-18-2010, 08:47 AM
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June 18 (Bloomberg) -- Honda Motor Co.’s hybrid cars haven’t rivaled Toyota Motor Corp.’s Prius in sales so it’s trying a different tactic with the CR-Z coupe and aiming to carve out a U.S. niche for a low-priced, sporty hybrid.

Honda, Japan’s second-largest automaker, is targeting sales of just 15,000 units a year of the CR-Z that goes on sale in August with a starting price below $20,000. Instead of targeting Prius’ volume or 50 mile per gallon fuel-economy rating, the two-seater is intended to be a “fun” hybrid, said John Mendel, Honda’s U.S. sales chief.

“It has the potential to be a kind of halo vehicle, not because of the volume it will do but because of the volume it doesn’t do,” Mendel said in an interview in Santa Rosa, California on June 9. “Nothing sells like a shortage.”

The CR-Z joins Honda’s lineup as the Tokyo-based company looks to accelerate growth in its biggest market amid a sluggish U.S. recovery. While sales of Honda and Acura models grew 13 percent this year through May, it trails an industrywide 17 percent gain and improvements of 30 percent and 23 percent for Asia-based competitors Nissan Motor Co. and Hyundai Motor Co.

The 1.5-liter engine coupe will be available with a continuously variable or a 6-speed manual transmission, a rarity among hybrids, Honda said. The company expects the automatic version to average at least 37 mpg in city and highway driving, and 34 mpg for the manual. The most expensive version of the car, an EX model with navigation system, will retail for less than $24,000, Mendel said.

Should demand exceed Honda’s annual goal “there’s some room” to increase supply, Mendel said, without elaborating.

Not ‘Overly Ambitious’

U.S. hybrid sales grew 8.3 percent in 2010’s first five months to 108,636 units, with Toyota’s Prius accounting for 51 percent of the volume, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Demand for the fuel-saving models cooled as fuel costs remained stable over the past year and below 2008’s price surge, said Jessica Caldwell, senior analyst for industry researcher Edmunds.com.

Honda’s annual target for CR-Z “doesn’t seem overly ambitious,” said Caldwell, who is based in Santa Monica, California. “There are also a lot more hybrid models, but there’s also more competition from new types of small cars that cost less and offer fuel economy that’s almost as good.”

Gasoline cost an average of $2.70 a gallon across the U.S. on June 15, just 2.6 cents more than a year ago, according to AAA’s Daily Fuel Gauge Report Web site. Prices peaked at $4.11 a gallon in July 2008.

‘Marrying Two Concepts’

With the CR-Z Honda “is marrying two concepts that don’t really go together: hybrid and sport,” Caldwell said. “Drivers who want sporty vehicles don’t usually go for hybrids and vice versa.”

The CR-Z, already on sale in Japan and Europe, is derived from the underpinnings used in Honda’s Insight hatchback, and equipped with an identical nickel-metal hydride battery pack and hybrid components. The Insight, released last year, sold only about a third of Honda’s initial 90,000-unit U.S. goal. So far this year, the Insight is averaging monthly sales of just 1,750 units.

Like the Insight, the CR-Z has software that coaches drivers to improve fuel-economy, with a display light around the center gauge that changes from green to blue depending on how efficiently the car is driven. It can also be shifted into “Econ” driving mode to further boost fuel economy or “Sport” mode to enhance performance by drawing more heavily on the battery pack and engine.

The CR-Z will be promoted as “fun and clean,” said Steve Center, Honda’s U.S. marketing chief, in an interview in Santa Rosa last week. “People expect ‘green’ from Honda. Right now we’ve got a bit of a fun deficit because we don’t have the S2000,” roadster discontinued last year, Center said.

Honda’s U.S. operations are based in Torrance, California.

To contact the reporter on this story: Alan Ohnsman in Los Angeles at aohnsman@bloomberg.net


Old 06-18-2010, 08:55 AM
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Honda may have come up with the first fun hybrid car. The Insight, Prius, Camry, and Fusion are all very practical hybrids, and Lexus makes a few comfortable cruisers. But the 2011 Honda CR-Z made us want to drive fast. We wanted to find the windiest road around and torture it through the corners.

Honda obliged during our preview drive, prescribing a twisty route north of San Francisco we've previously used to test the BMW M3, Porsche 911, and Audi R8. Those cars had it all over the CR-Z for power and speed, but the plucky little CR-Z showed its stuff in the turns. Honda also set out an autocross course so we could really thrash the CR-Z, a test that we haven't previously seen a hybrid put through.

The CR-Z certainly has its quirks. In other markets it is produced with 2+2 seating, but Honda removed the rear seats for the U.S., launching it as a two-seater. We assume Honda thinks Americans are too fat to use the tiny rear seats. We're not going to argue the point.

The CR-Z's hatchback design means it offers decent cargo space in back; removing the rear seats adds an oddly formed cargo area immediately behind the front seats, the two spaces divided by the former rear seat back rest.

Old nav, good stick
Two things stood out for us when we got into the car. We groaned a little when we saw the navigation unit, Honda's original system launched with its first generation of navigation-equipped cars. Needless to say, this system is badly in need of an update. It looks very rough compared with the latest nav units coming out from competitors.


At its top trim EX level, the Honda CR-Z can be had with navigation.
(Credit: Wayne Cunningham/CNET)

Honda has fitted a Bluetooth phone system and iPod connector into the cabin to round out the electronics. The audio system consisted of six speakers, a subwoofer, and a 360-watt amp. We didn't get a lot of time to listen to the stereo, but what we heard came through with good clarity.

But we were also pleased to see a six-speed manual shifter. Up until now, no hybrid has used a manual transmission. And this six speed, similar to that used in the Civic Si, is a good one. This transmission makes the intent of the CR-Z clear. However, Honda representatives said they expect about 25 percent of CR-Z purchasers to opt for the manual transmission.

The other transmission available for the CR-Z is continuously variable, like that used in the Insight. After driving the manual version, we can't see why anyone would take the CVT. Honda includes a hill start function with the manual, making it practical in a hilly city like San Francisco.

Our preview drive began in the City by the Bay, and the car gave us three choices for its drive mode: Eco, Normal, and Sport. Setting out in Normal mode, the CR-Z showed its hybrid nature at the first traffic light, shutting down the engine as we stopped. On the green, we lifted off the brake, but the engine didn't start. We pushed the clutch in, and the engine still didn't start. But flicking the shifter into first, something it does with a nice precision, caused the engine to crank over with enough power to get us moving as we let the clutch out.


A manual transmission is a rarity in hybrids.
(Credit: Honda)

In fact, the manual transmission encouraged some fast starts off at the light, something the hybrid power train was all too happy to do. The power train consists of a 1.5-liter four-cylinder i-VTEC engine mated to Honda's Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) system, producing a combined 122 horsepower and 128 pound-feet of torque. With the CVT, shave 5 pound-feet off that torque number. Those numbers don't sound like much, but the electric motor makes a lot of torque available immediately for a satisfying launch.

On rough pavement, the ride quality suffered from the car's firm suspension, but the electric power steering seemed well-tuned for precise handling. The CR-Z's small size made urban maneuvering easy, letting us slip in between cars from one lane to another.

Colorful instrument panel
The instrument cluster, covered in a Christmas tree of colored lights for fuel economy information, included a green up arrow indicating when we should shift. Designed to optimize fuel economy, it wanted us to change gears early and often, putting the car in sixth at 40 mph.

Honda estimates its EPA numbers for the CR-Z at 31 mpg city and 37 mpg highway for the manual transmission version. The CVT gets it up to 35 mpg city and 39 mpg highway. So there is a reason for taking the CVT version. Our drive was too short and spirited to get a real-world number. Honda says its testing was done in Normal drive mode, so the Eco mode might run the mileage above 40.

Switching the car into its Eco drive mode resulted in a slight slow down as the throttle response retuned. It also made a ring in the tachometer change from blue to green, a visual indicator of the drive mode. Similar to the Insight, that ring stayed green when the car thought we were driving in an environmentally responsible fashion, and blue when we floored it. It is a color-coded conscience.

Getting the CR-Z onto the twisty roads north of San Francisco called for testing out the car's Sport mode. Beyond the start/stop feature, the hybrid system never reared its head on our drive through the city and the ensuing freeway. It remained equally in the background as we tossed the car through the turns on Highway 1.


The CR-Z is a uniquely styled car, the first really sporty hybrid.
(Credit: Wayne Cunningham/CNET)

Ignoring the shift recommendations of the instrument cluster, we kept close to third gear, changing down to second for the really tight turns and up to fourth for longer straights. The CR-Z performed like an inexpensive little sports car. Honda says the Mini Cooper is one of the CR-Z's competitors; the Cooper has a slight edge in handling, but most people will find the CR-Z equally as fun.

The CR-Z showed its small displacement weakness heading up the hills, where the power train quickly lost steam. Going up a rise on the freeway, the CR-Z wouldn't maintain 70 mph in sixth gear, requiring a downshift to fifth. On steeper ascents on back roads, we found ourselves putting the car in second just to pull the hill.

This trip ended up at a parking lot autocross course, a series of cones defining tight turns and a slalom. When we stopped the car, a monochrome display to the right of the instrument cluster showed our Eco score, 5.5 little leaf icons. Without any context, we decided it was a high score, unlocking a virtual Eco Warrior badge in our mental video game version of the car.


Honda removed the rear seats for the U.S. market, leaving this oddly formed cargo area.
(Credit: Honda)

The autocross course gave us a more-detailed understanding of the CR-Z's handling. In Sport mode and running it through tight turns in first and second gear, the electric power-steering proved well-tuned, ready for point-and-shoot operation. The all-season tires, wrapped around 16-inch alloy wheels, let the car slip a little too much on this hot, sunny day, causing more than a couple cones to go airborne.

The handling, while good, proved just a little loose. Honda seems to have tuned some softness into the suspension to make the CR-Z a comfortable everyday driver. As such, suspension travel allowed a little bit of lean in the corners. The CR-Z still can claim sports car handling, but there are more tightly screwed down cars available.

The 2011 Honda CR-Z goes on sale this fall. It will be available in standard and EX trim levels, at prices ranging from less than $20k to $24k. We drove an EX trimmed car with the optional six-speed manual transmission.
Old 06-18-2010, 11:48 AM
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I still like that car. Alot actually. Its just a shame the powertrain is awful.
Old 06-18-2010, 12:14 PM
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The Prius Rule: Electric motors attached to internal combustion units mercilessly dispose of any pleasure left in the already sanitized modern driving experience.

Glance at its lineup and you could be forgiven for thinking that Honda closely adheres to The Prius Rule. Despite Honda’s efforts to persuade us otherwise, the automaker’s Insight, the cheapest hybrid currently on sale in North America, is a Prius by another name.

Yet this is the brand that has given us the zippy S2000, the sublime NSX and even the highly-entertaining mainstream Accord sedan and coupe. Stretch back a few years and you’ll find one of the greatest “affordable enthusiast” cars ever created, the Honda CRX. These little two-door fastbacks are the automotive gods’ gift to autocrossers and canyon carvers thanks to their trim dimensions and sporty demeanor.

And that’s precisely what the CR-Z is designed to recreate, albeit in a politically correct 2011 sort of way. Call it a new segment: The world’s first hybrid sports car.

Channeling Honda of Yore
Sure, Honda could have simply rebuilt the CRX, or even weeded through Craigslist to find all six unmolested ones still on the road, but modern safety and emissions standards stood in the way. The little sub-2,000 lbs. sportster sold in the ’80s and early ’90s instead needed to serve as an inspirational launchpad for a 21st century low-emissions recreation of sorts.

Enter the CR-Z, the world’s first mass production hybrid sports car. Looking a little bit like the CRX, the CR-Z is a two-seat hatchback boasting not much power, but also not much weight. Tipping the scales at a mere 2,637 lbs., it is about 100 lbs. lighter than an Insight. It is a few Big Macs portlier than a MINI Cooper, but, at 160.6 inches long and 68.5 inches wide, it boasts a considerably larger footprint. A MINI measures 145.6 by 57.4.

By 2011 standards, the CR-Z is a genuine lightweight.

It utilizes a 1.5-liter four-cylinder with variable valve timing (VTEC in Honda-speak), derived from the Honda Fit’s mull, mated here to a 10 kW electric motor. Combined, the two units produce 122 horsepower and 128 lb-ft. of torque when hooked up to the standard six-speed manual transmission (123 lb-ft. with the optional CVT). Like most hybrids, the CR-Z’s engine clicks off at stop lights and provides some boost under acceleration while serving as a generator during braking or coasting.

What it won’t do is move under its own power using only the electric motor. Still, fuel economy is impressive at 35 mpg in the city and 39 mpg on the highway with the CVT, or 31/37 mpg with the stick.

This isn’t the first time Honda has tried making a hybrid aimed at a mainstream audience, or at least one outside of the green car niche. The Accord Hybrid lasted for three model years (2005-2007), but failed to catch on with the buying public despite offering a sub-7 second 0-60 sprint and about 30 mpg combined. The CR-Z represents a thorough rethink of hybrid performance by offering expressive style in a dedicated sporty car package instead.

Three CR-Z variants will be availalbe, each in a handful of exterior colors and all with silver-tinted cloth seats. The base model gets a decent level of equipment including alloy wheels and automatic climate control, while the EX adds a high-zoot stereo, leather around the steering wheel and Bluetooth. The EX-Navi adds – you guessed it – a somewhat dated voice-activated navigation system.


Hybrid Performance?
Like the original CRX, the CR-Z wasn’t built to take on Dodge Challengers and Ford Mustangs. Instead, Honda focused on making the little two door into a docile puppy dog that can play in the corners when called upon. Agility reigns supreme here.

Sitting low in the especially supportive sports seats, the CR-Z’s dashboard wraps neatly around the driver. The execution isn’t necessarily artistic, but the spaceship-style command center is nonetheless interesting and convenient. No control is a long reach away from the driver aside from the far side of the audio head unit.

But the most important buttons to become familiar with are on the left side of the steering wheel – Sport, Normal and Econ. Their intentions are obvious; press Sport for increased steering resistance and more throttle response and press Eco for borderline dangerously weak performance aimed at minimizing consumption. The system reverts to Normal after every restart, so get used to pressing Sport before taking off if driving is your thing.

With Sport engaged, the CR-Z’s steering is rapidly responsive, endowing the little personal coupe with the moves of a genuine compact sportster. Steering feel isn’t its forte, but combined with a simple-is-better suspension (MacPherson struts up front with an H-shaped torsion beam out back), the front-wheel-drive CR-Z is genuinely entertaining to throw into corners.

Better yet, the standard six-speed manual (expected to account for around a quarter of all sales) is delightfully pleasing to chuck between the nicely spaced gears. It lacks the overall precision of, say, a German unit, but it matches nicely with a well-weighted clutch.

Don’t look for rip-roaring performance, but the little hybrid powertrain is a veritable torque monster at lower rpms. Honda motors love to sing up high in the rev band, but we found more joy in keeping the 1.5-liter under 3,000 rpm, where it emits a raspy growl and just enough vibration into the cabin to qualify as sporty, not unrefined.

The optional CVT is among the better we’ve experienced, but we’ll reserve full judgment for a more extended drive in the near future.

Two’s a Crowd
With its tossable nature and slot car-like performance, the CR-Z begs to be compared to the MINI Cooper. Unfortunately, that’s not a good thing. The Cooper has room for four, but the CR-Z is strictly a two person affair. Europe and Japan get a small back seat, while North America gets a parcel shelf. Trust us, we’re the lucky ones. An average size adult simply won’t fit in the JDM CR-Z’s seating area. It’s not a matter of comfort, it’s a matter of impossibility.

Instead, we get a flop-down partition that gives the CR-Z decent room for a weekend away – about 25.1 cubic feet with the partition stowed. You won’t fit much of a suitcase back there beyond a roll-on overnight bag. But with the prices airlines charge for checked luggage these days, maybe the CR-Z’s limited cargo capacity will help save a few bucks.

Practical for a family of four, the CR-Z is not. But that’s not the point here.

Why You Would Buy It:
Always an early adopter, you think (rightly so, we estimate) Honda is on to something with the world’s first hybrid sports car.

Why You Wouldn’t:

You’ve got MINI fever.

Leftlane’s Bottom Line
By defining a new automotive niche, Honda has channeled one of its most important and most respected vehicles to help legitimize the concept of a hybrid sports car. In an era where steering feel and sporty suspensions take a back seat to lowered emissions and reduced fuel consumption, the CR-Z manages to remind us that it’s possible to have fun while using less.

And that’s not just because it doesn’t have a back seat.


2011 Honda CR-Z base price, $19,800 (estimated).

A 9,700-mile 1985 Honda CRX Si

Although Honda doesn’t necessarily bill the CR-Z as a reincarnated CRX, the automaker realized that only someone who slept through the ’80s and early ’90s would think otherwise. Capitalizing on the connection, the automaker resuscitated a showroom fresh 1985 CRX Si from its Southern California museum and allowed us to take it for a quick spin.

Weighing in at about 1,900 lbs., the CRX is a study in simplicity. Luxuries are relative – how about an ashtray and lighter and a graphic equalizer for the AM/FM/cassette unit?

Hustled through the curves of Sonoma, California, the CRX reveals its true mission. Despite its surprisingly plush and cossetting ride, the CRX is as positively connected to the road as any sports car costing ten times its original list price. The large steering wheel seems archaic by 2010 standards, but it serves up gobs of natural, unassisted feel, while a short throw five-speed manual transmission makes the most of the available 91 horsepower from a 1.5-liter four-banger. The CRX is pure, undiluted fun.

As for a CR-Z Si? Honda’s executives have their lips sealed. But we saw that glimmer in their eyes. And we like it.
Old 06-19-2010, 08:07 PM
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I watched the June 2010 episode of Best Motoring and they did a comparison test of the CR-Z (123hp/1130kg) against the following cars:

Suzuki Swift Sport: 125hp/1060kg
Fiat Abarth 500: 135hp/1110kg
Renault Twingo RS: 134hp/1120kg

There are several parts to the test:

A.) 6 laps of 700m oval (total of 4200m long)
B.) Fuel efficiency (city+hwy for a total of 250km)
C.) 1/4 mile (heavy rain condition)

Results:
A.)
First: CRZ (2'57"50)
Second: Twingo RS (2'58"44)
Third: Abarth 500 (2'59"47)
Forth: Suzuki Swift Sport (3'00"50)

B.)
First: CRZ (19.37km/L or 45.56mpg)
Second: Abarth 500 (19.17km/L or 45.09mpg)
Third: Suzuki Swift Sport (36.29km/L)
Forth: Twingo RS (28.81km/L)

C.)
First: Abarth 500 (15.794s)
Second: Twingo RS (16.727s)
Third: Suzuki Swift Sport (16.81s)
Forth: CRZ (17.256s)

There's actually a "Part D" to the test. They took them on a small track (based on the Tsukuba track) for 3 laps but it was only between the CR-Z and the Twingo RS. The CR-Z started in 2nd place, and it couldn't pass the Renault. The Renault is faster on the straight, but the CR-Z is right on its @$$ in corners. The best lap time however goes to the CR-Z.

Note:
It's a 700m oval (less than 1/2 mile). These cars will reach close to 130km/h (80mph or so) on the straight, take the turns at around 70-80km/h (45mph or so). So it's not one of those ovals that Nascars race on. The "oval" is not smooth too, so not only will it test tire grip and brakes, but the bumps will also test the chassis and suspension.

CR-Z: Bridgestone Potenza RE050A (Max performance summer)
Swift Sport: DL Sport Maxx (Max performance summer)
Fiat 500 Abarth: Conti Premium Contact2 (Grand Touring Summer)
Twingo RS: Conti Premium Contact3 (Can't find this on Tirerack, but I would assume it's a newer version of the contact2)

All of these cars use 16" wheels and tire width of 195.
Old 06-19-2010, 08:28 PM
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Originally Posted by TSX69
As for a CR-Z Si? Honda’s executives have their lips sealed. But we saw that glimmer in their eyes. And we like it.
Old 06-20-2010, 02:43 PM
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There are many things to love about the Honda Motor Company. I love the fact that Honda's engineers can't talk to their mothers without resorting to spider graphs and a PowerPoint presentation. I love the fact that when they get it just right—as they did with the Honda Fit—it's a warm bath of wonderful, a singular car with a charisma not easily explained and impossible to deny. And when they get it wrong—as they did with the cetacean Accord Crosstour—it's a hot sweet mess but still, withal, a Honda.

It's easy to be cynical about the CR-Z. But Honda's new hybrid has a few aces up its sleeves, says Rumble Seat columnist Dan Neil, including a 6-speed manual transmission that makes it entertaining to drive.

This is a company convinced of its own righteousness, and with the new 2011 CR-Z we again find it marching to its own curious drumbeat. Indeed, the car is practically a contradiction on radial tires, a "sport hybrid" aimed at environmentally aware driving enthusiasts, 15,000 or so young Americans annually who are "willing to sacrifice some power for a socially responsible vehicle," according to the press briefing held here last week. This segment constitutes marketing metaphysics, as far as I'm concerned, since there's no compelling evidence such people exist. In any event, Honda's shorthand for these buyers is "responsibly indulgent," which goes in my oxymoron hall of fame with "willful negligence" and "bagpipe music."

It's easy to be cynical about the CR-Z, but let's not, at least not right now. Instead, let's go to the spider charts. The CR-Z—which uses essentially the same hybrid powertrain as the Honda Insight—scoots from 0-60 mph in under 9 seconds, gets 39 miles per gallon on the highway and is priced under $20,000 to start. Those are some worthy numbers. Compared with the driving experience of the CR-Z, the Toyota Prius (which represents half of the hybrid market) feels like going on a hunger strike. Why is the CR-Z being positioned as a low-volume, niche-y vehicle when any right-thinking young person ought to be camping out in front of a Honda dealership as if he or she were waiting for the new iPhone?

Honestly, I don't know, but Honda has been down this road before, with the now-defunct Accord V6 Hybrid (2005-07). This so-called power hybrid used the company's Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) technology as a kind of electric turbocharger on the flagship-model Accord. This car barreled to 60 mph in less than 7 seconds and got 35 mpg on the highway, per the EPA. And it went absolutely nowhere on the market. Yes, it was pricey and, true, you could get a proper performance sedan from BMW for about the same money. But there was something deeper at work with the Accord Hybrid, a sort of strange Manichaeism in the consumer mind that found appeals to performance and appeals to fuel economy incompatible. To a lot of people, the Accord Hybrid was too slow for a performance car and/or too thirsty for a hybrid. Go figure.

Engineering footnote: Honda's IMA approach to power hybridizing has by now been thoroughly vindicated. BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and Volkswagen have all deployed similar hybrid architectures in their cars to ramp up power while saving a few joules. However, in terms of maximizing fuel economy, the Toyota Prius's parallel-hybrid powertrain seems to have emerged as the clear winner. The Prius gets 50 mpg combined mileage as compared with the look-alike Honda Insight's 41 mpg.
Rumblings

2011 Honda CR-Z
The Specs

Base price: $19,995 (est)

Price as tested: $24,000 (est)

Powertrain: Gasoline/electric hybrid, 1.5-liter dual-overhead cam four-cylinder engine with variable valve timing and lift; 10-kilowatt DC brushless electric motor with 100.8-volt nickel metal hydride battery pack; six-speed manual transmission or continuously variable transmission; front wheel drive.

Horsepower/torque: 122 at 6,000 rpm/128 pound-feet (with MT), 123 pound-feet with CVT

Length/weight: 160.6 inches/2,637 pounds

Wheelbase: 95.9 inches

Cargo capacity: 25.1 cubic feet

EPA fuel economy: 31/37/34 mpg, city/highway/combined (with MT); 35/39/37 mpg (with CVT)

CRX, Then CR-Z. What About Why?
Behold the Honda CR-Z, a sport hybrid billed as the spiritual successor to the 1980s-era CRX. Fanboys may differ. The CRX was a minimalist, 1-ton hot hatch, beloved for its fervid handling and ease of performance tuning. The CR-Z is another 700-plus pounds and feels it. Meanwhile, the techy hybrid is practically immune to DIY tuning. Sell your wrenches, lads.

A 6-Speeder Makes All the Difference
Uniquely, the CR-Z is available with a six-speed manual transmission as well as the typical continuously variable transmission. With the six-speed gearbox, the CR-Z wakes up and becomes a fairly amusing car to drive, though mileage may suffer.

Hello? Is Anybody Out There?
Honda's product planners figure there are about 15,000 annual buyers in the U.S. for this car, people who will want to split the difference between fun and efficiency. This is a special car for special buyers, who may or may not be figments of the corporate imagination. We'll soon see.
The CR-Z does have some aces up its kimono sleeves. First, it's a feisty-looking little doorstop of a car, wedgy and short-coupled and well planted, nearly a foot shorter, 1.3 inches lower and nearly 2 inches wider than the Insight (which is, of course, nobody's idea of a good-looking car). Honda fanboys will instantly recognize the car's kinship with the CRX hatchback (1985-93) but—lest nostalgia for the heroic old beater take over—Honda points out the CR-Z is about a foot longer and 747 pounds heavier than a 1985 CRX Si, and just as quick. Hmmm. We'll get back to that.

Under the hood is a sweet-singing 1.5-liter in-line four that, combined with the output of the 10 kilowatt electric motor, produces 122 hp at 6,000 rpm. The battery, which mostly serves to store and discharge current recaptured from the car's regenerative braking system, is a pack of 84 D-sized nickel metal hydride cells (100.8 volts and 5.75 amp-hours energy storage). Total gas/electric system torque is 128 pound-feet with the car's continuously variable transmission (CVT).

Well, what else would the little hybrid have? This brings us to the CR-Z's other sleeve: the availability of a six-speed manual transmission. While most other hybrids use CVTs—which are highly efficient automatic transmissions that use bands and pulleys instead of fixed gears—the CR-Z can be had with a conventional, stir-your-own gearbox, and it makes all the difference. With a 6-speed manual, the CR-Z is actually pretty entertaining to drive, a furious electrified hamster eager for kibble. It pulls its tiny guts out in the high-rev range and makes rewarding bleating sounds when you hammer it around a autocross course, as I did during the press event.

The tradeoff, naturally, is efficiency. The six-speed CR-Z gets a combined fuel economy of 34 mpg, as compared with the CVT-equipped version's 37 mpg. But to the extent anyone would take my advice seriously—after all, I also recommended the doomed Accord V6 Hybrid—I would strongly advise getting the CR-Z with the manual transmission. There is where the pleasure of ownership resides. Besides, the manual-equipped CR-Z has a nice little polished-alloy gearshift lever, while the CVT model has a positively creepy shifter handle that looks like it should be popping out of someone's abdomen, "Alien" style.

Like the Insight, the CR-Z offers a three-mode drive system (Sport, Normal and Economy) actuated at a switch panel to the left of the steering column. These modes provide three distinct behaviors—maps, they're called—for the drive-by-wire throttle, transmission, electric power-steering assist (less for Sport mode) and the power delivery for the electric motor. In what is absolutely the only thing these two vehicles have in common, the CR-Z tach bezel glows red in sport mode, just like that of the new Jaguar XJ.

In Economy mode, however, the car just goes completely limp—the phrase that crossed my mind was "fainting goat." The throttle response becomes stupefied, the idle-stop kicks in as you're coasting to a stop and the air-conditioning system develops the work ethic of a French postal employee. There are couple of different eco-coaching displays in the luminescent, quasi-3-D instrument display, helping you to drive more efficiently and banish the final iota of fun from the car.

All that left me liking only one version of the CR-Z—the six-speeder edition, in Sport mode. This is the only color of the car that didn't clash with my aura, and I must say, so configured the thing was a lark. Set just so, the CR-Z is interesting, involving, endearing. It aims to please and will gladly herniate itself, if it can only get you to smile. It still gets awesome fuel economy, even if you drive it like an idiot.

Going fully in the other direction, with the CVT model set on Economy, I think I'd rather crawl on my hands and knees to the coffee shop.

Is the CR-Z the spiritually evolved successor to the CRX? Well, I wouldn't be surprised if, around a road course, the CR-Z were as quick or quicker than the old hot hatchback. But there's the matter of that additional 700 pounds. The old car felt livelier and more in-hand, vastly more tossable. The CR-Z—with its rear beam axle and strut front suspension—simply feels like a smaller version of the Insight on better tires. Ten out of 10 fanboys would prefer the CRX, I'd estimate. If only for breeding purposes, I think Honda needs some sports cars, but quick.

Still, you have to respect this company. Hardy or foolhardy, it means to scratch a niche out of the hybrid segment that it can call its own. It's got a program, it's got a mission, it's got a machine. Meanwhile, year by year, model by model, Honda is crafting a portfolio of faster, more fuel-efficient cars. You can't hate on that.
Old 06-20-2010, 02:54 PM
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Hybrids are many things. Efficient, yes. Practical? Sure. Attractive? Hmm, well, maybe. Sporty? You're kidding, right? No one in their right mind would call hybrids sporty.

Until now.

Honda delivers much-needed excitement to eco-friendly driving with the CR-Z, an attractive, affordable hybrid that's a genuine hoot to drive. It isn't, contrary to the buzz, the second coming of the venerable CRX and you aren't going to see it tearing up any tracks, but the CR-Z is, dare we say it, sporty.

The thing is, the CR-Z doesn't feel like a hybrid. There's no lag when the 10-kilowatt electric motor hands off to the 1.5-liter engine. The responsive antilock brakes lack the mushiness found in other hybrids, and the continuously variable transmission is smooth.

There's a paddle-shifting slushbox available if you want to row through the gears, but the 6-speed manual — a 1st in a hybrid — is the way to go. It's much more fun. Trust us on this.


We spent several hours exploring some of our favorite back roads north of San Francisco, and the CR-Z showed its athletic side with nimble handling and reasonably brisk acceleration. The chassis is tight, the suspension is firm and there's a hint of understeer. The car feels a bit heavy — the 6-speed model weighs 2,630 pounds — but most of the bulk is down low, and the CR-Z is fairly easy to toss around.

You've got a choice of three driving modes to suit your style. Sport — where we spent most of our time — gooses the output of the electric motor, optimizes throttle response and gives the electric power-steering a tighter feel. Econ shifts the equation toward maximum fuel efficiency. Normal splits the difference.

The gasoline engine does most of the work regardless of the mode. The small (5.7 ampere-hour) nickel–metal hydride battery and 10-kilowatt electric motor are there to boost acceleration and ease the load on the engine when cruising. The gas-electric combo gives you 122 horsepower and 128 pound-feet of torque.


Set the car in normal mode and it'll get 35 mpg in the city and 39 on the highway (37 combined) with the automatic tranny. Chose the 6-speed and you'll see 31 city, 37 highway, 34 combined. Yeah, you might expect a hybrid to do better, but the CR-Z skews ever so slightly toward performance end of the spectrum over efficiency. Still, Honda says it's among the top-five fuel misers in America (based on combined fuel economy figures of 2010 models).

Around town, the CR-Z trudged through an afternoon commute without complaint. The cabin is relatively spacious and nicely appointed. Our car had the optional seven-speaker, 360-watt audio system and the optional navi (with 6.5-inch screen). Both were easy to use and performed reasonably well.

The seats are supportive, and there's plenty of leg and headroom for all but the tallest people. You've got up to 25.1 cubic feet of cargo space behind the seats, and a huge hatchback makes it easy to use it all.

When Honda unveiled the production version of the CR-Z at the Detroit auto show earlier this year, it all but called it CRX 2.0. It has toned down the comparisons, but the Z bears a strong resemblance to the X. It's wide and low, and at 160.5 inches long and 54.9 inches tall about the size of the Honda Fit. Honda claims it's more aerodynamic than the Toyota Prius.


The car is not without its flaws. The instrument cluster, though comprehensive and easy to read, is laughably futuristic. "Aluminum-style" interior trim always looks cheap. The shifter feels limp — a mortal sin in a car with sporting pretensions. And the rear quarter windows are useless, with blindspots about the size of an SUV.

But those are minor quibbles in a car that'll run less than $20,000 or so when it goes on sale Aug. 24. Choose all the options that came with our test model, and Honda says you'll pay less than $24,000. (Honda hasn't finalized pricing.)

As nice as the CR-Z is, those who truly enjoy driving will want a bit more power and handling prowess. Honda has "nothing official" to say about whether we'll see a sportier Si version, but the tuner crowd already is developing parts. If the CR-Z isn't the second coming of the CRX, it might soon be.

Until then, Honda has done something remarkable. It's made an affordable hybrid that's actually fun to drive, even sporty.
* Body Style: Coupe
* Engine Type: Hybrid
* Manufacturer: Honda
* Price: $24,000 (estimated)
Old 06-20-2010, 03:28 PM
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The one thing I am nervous about is the estimated price. If, by some incredibly optimistic longshot they actually make an Si version, is it going to be in the high 20s??

I can justify an Si version for ~$24-25, but any higher is Accord territory.
Old 06-20-2010, 04:09 PM
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The base CR-Z will be around $19k and a loaded one with navi will be near $24k. A Si version will probably be in the high 20's, unfortunately.
Old 06-20-2010, 06:54 PM
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exterior looks good from certain angles. seats are fantastic too.



but there are some issues i have with the car:

1. the dash setup has zero class
2. tunnel-vision speedo
3. possibly the most ridiculous rear seating setup of the millennium
4. rear seats would most likely be folded down at all times, giving the driving experience of two-seater cargo van
Old 06-20-2010, 08:38 PM
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What rear seats? The NA market isnt getting rear seats.
Old 06-20-2010, 09:31 PM
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Originally Posted by civicdrivr
What rear seats? The NA market isnt getting rear seats.
did you see the photos?

yes, technically they arent seats. it was just faster for to me to refer to it as "rear seating" instead of "look-alike seating cubby device without cushions." there goes the time saved with this here post.
Old 06-20-2010, 10:05 PM
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The pricing made me laugh.

Thanks for that, Honda. With seemingly every new release I'm reminded of why many of us have turned to brands like Ford and Hyundai.
Old 06-20-2010, 10:15 PM
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Originally Posted by ThermonMermon
did you see the photos?

yes, technically they arent seats. it was just faster for to me to refer to it as "rear seating" instead of "look-alike seating cubby device without cushions." there goes the time saved with this here post.
Easy buddy. You could have referred to it as the "rear shelf" in the first place.
Old 06-21-2010, 08:38 AM
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but they're not shelves. they're really seating spots without the cushions...
Old 06-21-2010, 02:29 PM
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Theres no seat belts, so......

Theres no point arguing over semantics though.
Old 06-21-2010, 04:20 PM
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$24k?!?!?!
Old 06-22-2010, 02:05 PM
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The all-new 2011 Honda CR-Z sport hybrid coupe is set to debut at dealers on August 24, 2010, with a manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) starting at $19,200, plus a destination and handling charge1 of $750, American Honda Motor Co., Inc., announced today.

Developed as a stylish, driver-focused vehicle with an emphasis on efficient performance, the all-new 2011 Honda CR-Z introduces a sleek two-passenger coupe design with quick, sporty handling to the gasoline-electric hybrid segment. A 1.5-liter i‑VTEC 4-cylinder engine works with Honda’s unique, compact and lightweight Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) system to supply both power and efficiency to the CR-Z. A sport-focused, six-speed manual transmission is a first for any mass-produced hybrid. An automatic Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) is available and includes steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters for manual-like gear-ratio control.

A new, exclusive 3-mode drive system allows the driver to configure the vehicle’s responsiveness for Sport, Normal or Econ (Economy) driving modes. Driver efficiency tools include Eco Assist™ and Eco Scoring, which together can help drivers find improvements to efficient driving styles, while also comparing economy achievements to previous trips as well as the life of the vehicle.

The CR-Z is available in two equipment grades – the well-equipped CR-Z (base) and the feature-rich CR-Z EX. Standard features on the CR-Z include an AM/FM/CD/USB audio system with six speakers, automatic climate control, power windows and door locks, remote entry, cruise control, and more.

The CR-Z EX adds a 360-watt AM/FM/CD high-power audio system with seven speakers – including a subwoofer – Bluetooth® HandsFreeLink®, leather-wrapped steering wheel and more. The CR-Z EX is available with the Honda Satellite-Linked Navigation System™ with Voice Recognition2.

The CR-Z demonstrates the Honda commitment to safety in the vehicle’s design and construction. The Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) body structure is designed to help protect vehicle occupants in a frontal collision. Additional safety technologies include Vehicle Stability Assist™ (VSA®); standard dual-stage, multiple-threshold front airbags; standard front-side airbags with passenger-side Occupant Position Detection System (OPDS); side-curtain airbags; active head restraints; an anti-lock braking system; a tire pressure monitoring system; and a pedestrian injury mitigation design in the front of the vehicle.
Old 06-22-2010, 02:18 PM
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The claim that reviewer mag or whatever made that the CR-Z beat out an Abarth 500 around a road course is LOL worthy. Clearly an example of under the table advertising.

The price is LOL worthy. How about something actually sporty like, oh I don't know, a Civic Si? Or pocket the cash and buy a Fit Sport.

The fact that Honda calls it the first hybrid sportscar is LOL worthy. What is sporty about it? Not even the looks are hugely sporting compared to other small hatches.

They had so much potential that has been completely wasted.
Old 06-22-2010, 03:39 PM
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Ridiculous. I still don't understand the point of the car, and the price is ludicrous. $24k for a turtle-pace 2 seater with ok mpg, no utility, and an economy-car cheap interior. Got it. LOL

Honda needs to start putting some effort into something that will actually make them some money and that makes sense, instead of this bullshit. And ditch the IMA approach, please. Mediocre mpg does not work in the hybrid market, doesn't take a genius to realize that.
Old 06-22-2010, 08:56 PM
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X2 with the above statements. This car is fail.
Old 06-23-2010, 06:48 AM
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Arrow Fun & Sporty


SAN FRANCISCO -- Although it's no sports car, the Honda CR-Z may change some people's minds about just how sporty a hybrid vehicle can be.

On the other hand, by giving the two-seater such a sporty appearance, Honda may be overstating how hot the CR-Z is.

The Basics: For the United States, Honda made the CR-Z just a two-seater, whereas Japan and Europe get a plus-two version of a back seat.

Honda saved development costs by using the engine and much of the Integrated Motor Assist hybrid system from the Insight hybrid five-door hatchback. The CR-Z comes with a choice of a six-speed manual transmission or a continuously variable automatic.

Notable features: To improve performance, Honda shaved weight in such places as the 16-inch wheels and by using forged aluminum lower control arms for the front suspension.

A "sport" mode provides a noticeable boost in power by monitoring throttle input. An "eco" mode cuts the power but sips gas. The federal fuel economy tests were done in "normal" mode.

The instruments have nice touches, like a 3-D speedometer and tachometer ring that glows green, blue or red depending on how cautiously or aggressively the CR-Z is being driven. The stereo is a six-speaker, 160-watt system with a USB port. Instead of two rear seats, the U.S.-edition CR-Z has an expanded cargo area that can be reconfigured.

Standard features include security system, variable wipers, LED brake lights, automatic climate control, cruise control and the usual traction and braking-assist technologies.

What Honda says: "The engine is the main driver and the [electric] motor is just an assist," Norio Tomobe, CR-Z chief engineer, said about using the hardware carried over from the Insight. "It is a light, compact, low-cost system. It is optimal for small vehicles."

Compromises and shortcomings: Honda considered using a 1.8-liter engine instead of the Insight's 1.5 liters, but it would have added only 20 hp. Tomobe said a higher-performance version may come in the future.

The ride is a bit jouncy because Honda chose a torsion-beam rear suspension instead of a fully independent setup. A day of spirited country-highway driving netted 35 mpg -- not much better than the similarly sized Honda Fit, which isn't even a hybrid. The CR-Z received four stars out of a possible five on the revised New Car Assessment Program crash-test ratings.

The Market: The CR-Z goes on sale Aug. 24 at a price expected to be less than $20,000, including shipping. Sales goals are modest -- about 15,000 annually. The CR-Z Web site has had 1 million hits since the car's public unveiling at the Detroit auto show in January.

The Skinny: So is it a sports car? Well, it won't set your hair on fire, and a small car can feel fast even when it isn't. Is it more fun to drive than a Prius or Insight? Definitely.
2011 Honda CR-Z
Wheelbase: 95.9 in.
Length: 160.6 in.
Width: 68.5 in.
Height: 54.9 in.
Engine: 1.5-liter inline-4
Horsepower: 122 @ 6,000 rpm
Torque, lbs.-ft.: 128 @ 1,000 rpm*
Electric motor: 13 hp, 58 lbs.-ft. torque
Curb weight: 2,637 lbs.
Base price: Less than $20,000 (est.), including shipping
*Manual transmission; CVT has 123 torque rating
Old 06-23-2010, 07:49 AM
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Ill take a Fit. That curb weight, power output, and price is absolutely pathetic.
Old 06-23-2010, 10:23 AM
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I'm just not feeling this at all.... so sad.
Old 06-23-2010, 10:31 AM
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Originally Posted by LuvMyTSX
Ridiculous. I still don't understand the point of the car, and the price is ludicrous. $24k for a turtle-pace 2 seater with ok mpg, no utility, and an economy-car cheap interior. Got it. LOL

Honda needs to start putting some effort into something that will actually make them some money and that makes sense, instead of this bullshit. And ditch the IMA approach, please. Mediocre mpg does not work in the hybrid market, doesn't take a genius to realize that.
100000000000000%


This car is a joke. When is Honda going to grow up and get a REAL hybrid system like the Prius. Something that returns better than below average returns. I see nothing spectacular about a car of this size getting those numbers.
Old 06-23-2010, 11:01 AM
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Originally Posted by fsttyms1
100000000000000%


This car is a joke. When is Honda going to grow up and get a REAL hybrid system like the Prius. Something that returns better than below average returns. I see nothing spectacular about a car of this size getting those numbers.
Probably around the same time that they realize VCM is absolutely worthless.
Old 06-23-2010, 09:19 PM
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Wait, whut? $24k for a CR-Z?

Fit>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>CR-Z.

I love the style, but it's not worth $24k fully loaded. I will take a Fit any day of the week over this. (Can you tell? I'm a Fit fan, it's my favorite small car.)
Old 06-23-2010, 09:25 PM
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The only area where this car is better than the Fit is the fact that it comes with HIDs stock.
Old 06-23-2010, 09:46 PM
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Originally Posted by phile
The only area where this car is better than the Fit is the fact that it comes with HIDs stock.
Well that's good. I hope this means they'll start adding HIDs to other EX models in the Honda line.


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