The new Honda CR-Z is an important car in the auto industry. It is the worlds
first 2 door hybrid sports coupe and the only hybrid car with manual transmission.
Hybrid fuel mileage has had to take a step backwards for
this car in the name of compromise because Honda wanted a sporty drivers
car in addition to good fuel economy.
Even so,
Honda CR-Z fuel mileage is better than 95% of
cars out there and the best for a sports coupe. At the heart of the 2011
Honda CR-Z is a 1.5 liter 84kW engine combined with a 10kW electric motor.
The CR-Z is a mild hybrid. The electric motor never powers the car on its
own but assists the engine. Total combined power is 91 kW at 6100 rpm.
Honda CR-Z fuel mileage is 31 mpg in the city, 37 mpg on
the highway and 33 mpg combined. Toyota's Prius, by comparison, has a fuel
mileage of 51 mpg in the city, 48 mpg on the highway and 50 mpg for the
combined cycle. While Toyota's most economical car is significantly more efficient, sports coupes are definitely not. Mitsubishi's Eclipse, for example, has a city fuel mileage of just 20 and does 27 miles per gallon on the highway.
The Honda CR-Z is a very attractive car and has hints of Honda's CR-X sports
coupe in its design. It boasts a sharp wedge shape with its rear end abruptly
chopped off no doubt to aid its drag coefficient. It's designed well for
the corners too with a low center of gravity, a wheel in each corner of
its wide chassis and a stiff suspension.
As already mentioned this car is a compromise between hybrid fuel mileage
and sporty handling characteristics. We've seen the compromise in terms
of fuel economy. On the flip side the compromise from a sports car point
of view is in outright speed. The Honda CR-Z 0-60 time is 9.9 seconds which
is obviously slow for a sports coupe. Honda couldn't opt for a more powerful
engine because it would have been too detrimental to fuel consumption. Despite
this the Honda CR-Z does still feel like a good sports coupe because of
the excellent job Honda have done with the road handling. Its a really fun
car to drive. It has precise and nimble steering and plenty of grip to fill
you with confidence. Its a great achievement because heavy hybrids are not
usually associated with the word nimble. Honda have made a big effort to
save weight in every way possible to enable such good handling. The CR-Z
weighs only 1147 kilograms.
The same fuel economy focused display is used in the CR-Z as in the Insight.
There's five sprouting leaves to reward economical driving and changes of
color to teach fuel efficient driving. Other features include iPod docking,
bluetooth connectivity, leather seats and alloy trim. There are rear seats
but they're only suitable for small children. There's six airbags and stability
control as standard.
Honda's CR-Z costs about 10% more than their most popular hybrid model,
the Insight. A reasonable premium for a good sports coupe. We like the car
and it should do well, currently being the only vehicle to occupy the niche
of engaging sports driving with high hybrid fuel mileage.