2016 Honda CR-Z Reviews

A sporty hybrid is still an oxymoron, despite Honda's best efforts with the CR-Z. That's not to say the 2+2 sports coupe isn't a good thing, it's the best (affordable) hybrid on the market. But city driving and flowing roads are its forte, not tight corners linked by point and squirt straights. The trouble is when Honda says sporty, you think of the S2000 and Civic Type R, and the CR-Z isn't in that league.About 80 per cent of the 600 annual CR-Z sales are predicted to be the $40,790 Luxury model that has a continuously variable transmission with seven pre-set "gears" operated by the paddle shifters. The $34,990 Sports comes with a six-speed manual (the CVT is a $2300 option) and is arguably the better buy. Both models have enough features to justify the spend, with cruise-control, climate airconditioning and Bluetooth telephony all included.The electric motor kicks in from standstill and boosts the CR-Z's 1.5-litre engine for respectable off-the-line performance. Then it stops, sadly ... Honda says the 0-100km/h time is 9.7 seconds. The stop-start system in the CR-Z is barely noticeable, making it as good as any engine deactivation on the market and it's the first hybrid here to have a manual transmission. The three driving modes, Eco, Normal and Sport, are selected via the right-side "wing" (aircon controls are on the left) but, outside of a traffic jam, Bob Brown is the only one who'll select Eco to watch the trees grow on the dash.There is no doubting the CR-Z will turn heads. The tapering nose ends in an aggressive grille and the side profile is just as good, extending high up to the rear hatch. The interior is a contradiction  - the futuristic instrument cluster looks great, but the dash plastics are hard and reflect light. The satnav screen on the Luxury model has none of the pizzazz of the instrument binnacle - it looks like an aftermarket add-on and takes too long to remap a route. The rear seats are for emergency use only, but fold 'em flat and Honda says the CR-Z will take two sets of golf clubs.Engineering is Honda's thing, so a five-star ANCAP rating is no less than you expect. Six airbags and great brakes with the usual software assistance provide extra reassurance but it's the solidity of the basic body that buyers will notice when they first open and shut the doors.If you don't expect the CR-Z to handle as well as it looks, you won't be disappointed. If you do, be prepared for understeer as the car tracks straight on when pushed into a tight corner. I'd be buying aftermarket rubber as a priority. Treat it as a stylish light car and it is a responsive urban commuter and even fun to pedal on flowing routes like the Great Ocean Road. The steering is well weighted, the suspension is firm without shaking loose your sunnies.The CR-Z is the most stylish mass-production hybrid on the market. It's also the quickest - faster than either the Prius or upmarket Lexus CT200h - but that isn't saying a lot. If you want to save the planet and enjoy the drive, it still pays to buy a European-made diesel.Honda green credentials with the CR-Z extend to the car being 92 per cent recyclable, including the 100-volt nickel-metal hydride battery that's housed under the spacesaver spare wheel.

Back in the late 1980s, Honda sold a Civic-based three-door hot hatch called the CR-X. It was like a motorcycle with four wheels and had a 1.6-litre VTEC engine that revved to about 9000rpm. The thing hooked around corners and almost achieved cult status though it was a fairly expensive proposition at the time.The shape of CR-X and the name has bounced back in Honda's new CR-Z hybrid sporty coupe due in Australia late next year for around the $35,000 mark.  We had a chance to drive the dart-shaped CR-Z last week in Germany and found the experience quite enlightening. It's no CR-X but the days of cars like that are numbered and Honda wants to make more of a green statement these days.It showed a concept CR-Z at Tokyo Motor Show in 2007 and will go into production soon with styling faithful to the stunning concept car though slightly toned down.MechanicalIt runs a 1.5-litre single cam, petrol engine hooked up to an electric motor for a combined output of 91kW and 174Nm. Those numbers spell sporty performance as opposed to sports car performance and Honda is not claiming that for the six-speed manual CR-Z which can cover the 0-100kmh split in 9.8 seconds. A CVT auto is also on the agenda.This is the first time a six-speed manual transmission has been available on a hybrid car and in this instance, it works a treat –- even offering engine stop/start as a further petrol saver. Stop/start uses the electric motor to instantly fire up the engine if moving off from a stop. It is a low emission vehicle as well as being economical.The engine also has a valve shut down function at low revs to conserve fuel, helping the car achieve official consumption of a handy 5.0-litres/100km in what is the first of an expected flurry of sporty hybrid cars by many manufacturers. Until now, hybrids have focused on family type vehicles and SUVs.DrivingThree driving modes are selectable on buttons arrayed on the left hand satellite pod flanking the sports steering wheel. They are Econ, Normal and Sport. The car has different engine and dynamic set-ups for each mode.It also has a reward system for ‘green’ driving, like that found in Honda Insight. Drivers earn leaves of a virtual tree for ‘good’ driving and penalties for ‘bad’ driving. It creates a competitive environment for the driver to use less fuel.CR-Z is relatively light weight at 1140kg which aids handling and performance. The chassis has been rated at similar rigidity to the Civic Type R.  CR-Z is Robinson Crusoe in the market but could be seen as competition particularly for the Alfa Mito and possibly Mini Cooper.Honda engineered a sporty exhaust note for CR-Z to complement its striking good looks. It’s a fun thing to drive especially at higher engine revs. The slick changing manual transmission entices sporty driving as does the cars neat dynamics aided by aluminium front suspension.It has a distinctive look complete with the chopped-off rear like the old CR-X. The interior is similarly funky and functional. But forget about it being a 2+2, the rear seats are essentially a parcel shelf.We had a ball driving this car through the forests surrounding Frankfurt last week. It offered plenty of comfort and control and a decent turn of speed once the revs were up.Honda CR-Z hybridOn sale: late 2011Price: from around $35,000Engine: 84kW/145Nm 1.5 litre i-VTEC engine, 10kW/78Nm electric motorTotal outputs: 91kW/174NmTransmission: six-speed manualEconomy: 5L/100kmEmissions:117g/kmRivalsHonda Insight from about $30,000Honda Civic Hybrid from $35,000Toyota Prius from $39,900

Hybrid motoring just got sexy with the Honda CR-Z. And it also added a much-needed fun factor.  But if you were a fan of the late 1980s Honda CR-X – a former halo sports car for the brand -- don’t be misled by the new car’s name, or by the similar looks.It’s not as successor to the missile performance of the CR-X. Instead, it’s a sporty, design-driven package that offers the ultra-hip a stylish way to broadcast their environmental consciousness.Appearance and fit-outForget the earnest, slightly geeky looks that go with most enviro-cars. The CR-Z is a stunner from every angle, and particularly from the back – an area where most car designers run out of ideas.The production version is thankfully not too far removed from the concept car that did the rounds of motor shows, and retains a lot of the sharp lines and creases.  Daytime running lights accentuate the width – and help safety in the lower light of evening and early morningThe interior design has some nice touches – lots of clever illumination, flowing shapes and some perforated finishes, and the fan of instrument bezels behind the steering wheel is well set-out.It has lost the flat-bottomed steering wheel of the concept, and likewise there’s not as much of a blue light disco going on with the mood lighting in the footwells and on the console and dash – and in European markets you can get illuminated blue bezels for around the audio speakers.But except for the touchpoint surfaces – door handles, gearshift etc – there’s still a lot of hard plastic that undermines the effect.PlatformThe CR-Z platform has been developed from the Jazz from the a-pillar forward, and from the hybrid Insight – itself developed from the Jazz – backwards from there.  It’s slightly shorter – and 44kg lighter – than the Insight, but with the stiff body having a wider stance that helps with handling. Suspension is set up for rigidity, with a torsion beam in the rear adding extra stiffness.But the compact body means some costs in space. Honda calls it a ‘2+2-seater’, and while even tall front seat passengers will have no lack of room, the rear bench offers little joy for adult – or child, if they’re past the toddler stage.With our front seats in normal position, there was barely room for little legs, and the low rear roofline even leaves doubt about fitting any child sitting high in a booster seat.Even Honda acknowledges that it is not really a seating area, saying ‘behind the front seats there is a small area where you could put cargo, or perhaps small people’.However, the rear folds flat to boost the luggage space from 223 litres to just over 400 litres, which is plenty for a couple away on holiday.DrivetrainIt uses the 84kW/145Nm 1.5 litre i-VTEC engine from the Jazz, coupled with a 10kW/78Nm electric motor – making for total outputs 91kW at 6100rpm and 174Nm at 1500rpm – and mated with a revised six-speed manual transmission driving the front wheels.There’s no plan at the moment to bring an auto, which will disappoint a lot of buyers, but when it does come it will likely be a twin-clutch sequential – which should be a sales-booster in a country that is increasingly moving away from self-shifting.With the electric motor chipping in torque right from the turn of the key, acceleration is competent – startling for a hybrid – with the car getting from 0-100km/h in about 9.8 seconds and reaching a top speed of 200km/h.Fuel economy is 5L/100km, and CO2 emissions are 117g/km, with those results achieved mainly by using the Econ mode to restrict the throttle, rather than Normal or Sport.A three-mode drive system changes steering effort, engine response, motor assist and airconditioning from their default settings in Normal. In Econ mode it gives priority to fuel economy, reducing engine response and limiting the motor assistance and airconditioning. In Sport it adds more weight to steering feel, engine response is quicker, the motor assist is stronger and the aircon is back to normal.Like the hybrid Insight, an electronic eco-nanny shows leaves sprouting from five twigs as you drive more frugally – and then kills them off if you get too heavy on the pedal.Pricing and marketThe CR-Z will not come to Australia until the second half of 2011, and Honda hopes to pitch it at around the $35,000 mark – the same level of their more conservative-looking Civic Hybrid. That means it would undercut the Prius by about $5000 – and easily overshadow it in the style stakes.But supply could be an issue, because it’s taken off strongly overseas, especially in Japan – where it was launched in February. However if they can get enough, Honda Australia expects to do about the same as the sporty Integra did in its day. “It should be about 350-400 per month … maybe even more,” Honda Australia senior director Lindsay Smalley says.But he admits it’s not touted as a family car, like the Prius. “It’s a totally different market to the Prius. The CR-Z is for people driven by exceptional design – it’s a two-seater capsule for childless families.”DrivingThe CR-Z starts well off the line. And while those looking for a successor to the CR-X won’t find it here, there’s more than enough performance for most buyers. After trying all the modes, we voted Sport as the favourite and left it there, but still had to keep the revs up above 3500 to get real joy – and to get the special tuning of the exhaust to talk to us.But there’s definitely a lot of fun to be had with the car. Its little short-throw six-speed is smooth and precise, and the steering is well-weighted and turns in nicely. The CR-Z feels solid and handles surprisingly tightly, staying planted and nimble on the road and happily sashaying through series of even tight corners.Like the Insight, steep slopes can take the wind out of its sails a bit if you’re looking for speed. But approached in normal fashion, there’s little problem. And although Honda claims a top speed of 200km/h, it hit 205km/h on the autobahn in fifth gear and held it, but slotting it up to sixth drops the speed back considerably.The price Honda Australia is aiming at will put it $5000 under the entry-level Prius, and the CR-Z uses 1.1 litres more fuel per 100km (Civic hybrid uses another 0.5L). So you wouldn’t have to drive far in the Toyota to recoup the difference, and you can get a couple of kids in the back – three if they’re well-behaved.But the looks and staid performance of the Prius don’t please everybody. While it did attract the early-adopter trendies who wanted the world to know they were driving a hybrid, the sharp styling of the CR-Z will have far more appeal.  It’s stunning enough to create a lust factor on the exterior design alone – and it’s fun, too. And that’s a big step forward for a hybrid.Honda CR-Z hybridOn sale: late 2011Price: from around $35,000Engine: 84kW/145Nm 1.5 litre i-VTEC engine, 10kW/78Nm electric motorTotal outputs: 91kW/174NmTransmission: six-speed manualEconomy: 5L/100kmEmissions:117g/kmRivalsHonda Insight from about $30,000Honda Civic Hybrid from $35,000Toyota Prius from $39,900

An unlikely sports hybrid coupe is about to inject some passion back into Honda.  The CR-Z is unlike any other hybrid, and not just in the way it looks. It promises to drive more like a performance car than a Prius hybrid and even has a six-speed manual gearbox.It comes at a time when Honda has backpedalled on many fronts, from its Formula One team to the NSX supercar project and a plan to revive the S2000 droptop. Instead, it has been focussing on good, clean family transport like the Jazz, Civic and CR-V.The CR-Z is expected in Australia later this year with a pricetag somewhere beyond $35,000, although there is no hint yet on the final number.  The car began as a concept at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show and there were some people who questioned the final production car when it was revealed at the Detroit show in January. It was toned down in the nose and the futuristic cabin was gone.But the project leader on the CR-Z, Norio Tomobe, says people have misunderstood the objectives.  “We were not aiming for a modern-day CR-X. We wanted to create a totally new type of hybrid sports coupe that would take us into a more discerning and environmentally-conscious 21st century," Tomobe says."The fact that’s it’s a hybrid just adds another intriguing dimension to the sporty mix. If it reminds you of the CR-X then that’s purely coincidental.”Sitting on a slightly shorter but wider Insight mechanical platform, the CR-Z employs a wheelbase that’s shrunk by 115mm, while it has also lost 30mm in height and is 44kgs lighter than the Insight.Slipping into the driver’s seat, that 30mm seems undervalued because you sit so much lower in the CR-Z. There’s plenty of headroom for driver’s up to 194cm, but forget the rear seats, which would struggle to hold a 12-year-old. But flatten the seats and you create 401 litres of luggage space, enough for a couple of suitcases or two golf bags. Cabin trim and quality is well above the Insight and the instrumentation shows more design flair. It’s also well set-out, superbly illuminated and intuitive.To boost performance and lift the thrill factor, engineers replaced the Insight’s 1.3-litre petrol engine with a 1.5 litre i-VTEC engine from the Jazz, and then mated that with a revised six-speed manual transmission lifted from the European 1.8-litre Civic.  In contrast to the engine’s 84kW/145Nm, the electric motor generates 10kW/78Nm and - through a complicated calculation - the end result is 91kW174Nm in total. Fuel economy is 4.85L/100km.“Given the 1.5 litre’s greater torque we had to redesign the IMA system and gearbox to cope with the greater amount of torque,” explains Tomobe.   He admits the CR-Z is a bold step but is convinced Honda has launched the coupe at the right time.  And there is even more to come, with a high-performance tuned CR-Z from Mugen in 2011.I am pleasantly surprised when I come face-to-face with the CR-Z at an exclusive preview drive in central Japan. It looks like nothing else on the road.  It's instantly recognizable as a CR-Z with the imposing grille and upslanting headlights, and the design flows through to a cleverly sculptured rear deck.As I prepare to drive, Tomobe suggests I go for the sports mode to get the best impression of his new car. This regulates throttle response and employs the electric motor as a kind of mild supercharger to assist the engine when accelerating. The first thing I notice is the beefy torque as I move away, as it jumps from rest to 100km/h in just over nine seconds. Still, I expected this and the CR-Z is noticeably faster than the Insight.  Keep the engine spinning between 4000 and 6000 revs and the CR-Z will reward any call for go, as the specially-tuned throatier exhaust adds a sporty new hybrid note.Compared to Econ mode, which effectively restricts throttle action and contributes to the overall economy, the Sports mode is a keeper.  With world-beating manual gearboxes like those in the S2000, NSX and Civic Type R, the CR-Z has a lot to live up to, and thanks to some inspired revision on the European Civic’s gearbox the CR-Z’s six-speed delivers deliciously short throws and a firm, precise linkage action.Honda paid special attention to steering too. The coupe’s revised electric-assist steering is superbly weighted, has excellent steering feel and turns in on a penny. It's no surprise that Tomobe benchmarked the steering on his own BMW 325i M Coupe.  The CR-Z also has a rigid chassis, with a significant revision to the torsion bar rear suspension also improving the right and handling.The Insight is plain harsh and the CR-Z is stiff but compliant, a big difference.  There are many Insight carryover parts on the CR-Z but there are also some strategic differences. Like the brakes, which are fully hydraulic with regenerative braking only as an assist mechanism. And the result is sure-footed stopping power every time.