DETROIT – In addition to producing high quality reliable vehicles, from time-to-time Honda manages to do something that is both interesting and sexy. In this case, that would be the CR-Z.
I had the 2011 version and took note of some of its characteristics. The most important, and strangely enough, character trait that few people recognize is that the Honda CR-Z is a gasoline electric hybrid.
My test car had a hi-tech interior. The seats were gray checked and the instrument panel was black and gray. What’s more, those instruments were driver orientated. They sort of wrapped around me but did so in a way that didn’t isolate the passenger.
The speedometer, which was an analog readout, was at the center of the odometer and it was three-dimensional. What Honda called a three-mode hybrid system added some driving character to the CR-Z.
This car was really fun to drive and was chock full of creature comforts including a navigation system, voice controls, a premium sound system, Bluetooth and paddle shifters.
It was powered by a 1.5-liter engine that worked in tandem with what Honda called its Integrated Motor Assist system. It’s a 10- kilowatt DC brushless electric motor that assists in acceleration and also acts as a generator during braking or coasting to capture kinetic energy that can recharge the 100.8-volt IMA nickel-metal hydride battery pack.
The engine automatically shut off during my test drive at stop lights and during long idles to improve fuel efficiency. My test vehicle had a continuously variable transmission (CVT) but it can also be equipped with a six-speed manual gear box which Honda says is a first for a hybrid.
With a combined horsepower output of 122 and 123 pound-feet of torque available at 1,000 to 1,750 RPM, I found the Honda CR-Z very responsive to my input. Being a hybrid, I didn’t drive the car like it had a 300 horsepower engine under the hood. But my test vehicle was an easy drive and I didn’t feel like I was piloting a really slow car.
It handled well, cornered crisply and it was very comfortable and ergonomically friendly. The only time I could sense that it was a hybrid was when the shocks compressed deeply after going over a sharp bump.
All of the instruments were in front of me. There was no looking on the center stack for anything because there was no center stack. It was a horizontal layout and that made my test car seem wider than it actually was.
What’s more, as with most hybrids, the CR-Z was really a gas sipper. It has an EPA rating of 35/39 mpg in city and highway driving when equipped with the CVT. That’s not the best but it’s not bad either. The car’s 37 mpg combined rating makes it the fifth best fuel efficient car on the market.
Not only was the Honda CR-Z environmentally friendly and fuel efficient, it also looked great. The car was a two-seat hatchback coupe. Honda called the exterior design a “one wedge form.” I called it eye-catching. Everywhere I drove, the CR-Z garnered second looks and people questioned me as to what kind of car was it.
The windshield was raked so was the back glass and the rump was chopped. All of that helped reduce drag and improve fuel efficiency. The car had a wide stance, short wheelbase and employed weight saving aluminum in the suspension.
The sport mode increased the power delivery curve at lower RPMs and recalibrated the steering for a sporty feel. The Econ mode smoothed throttle input, reduced the air conditioning system’s impact on fuel consumption and activated idle stop sooner. Normal, of course, provided a balance between the two.
What I found most intriguing was the price. My test vehicle was $24,125. That’s astoundingly reasonable for any hybrid.
Frank S. Washington is editor of AboutThatCar.com.
