Sporty 2011 Honda CR-Z hybrid – Will it fulfill its promise?

Honda announced this week that its CR-Z hybrid sporty car will go on sale in the United States in 2010. Otherwise, there hasn’t been much news about the car since we first covered it at the 2008 Detroit auto show. However, our experience with the Honda Insight has given us some, uh, insight into what the powertrain may be like. 

The CR-Z is a two-seat hybrid that Honda claims will be the spiritual successor to both the CRX sporty car and the original two-seat Insight hybrid. (That Insight posted the highest fuel economy of any car Consumer Reports has ever tested, at 55 mpg overall.) The CRX, especially the performance-oriented Si model, was a favorite of car enthusiasts for its light weight and nimble handling. And it got impressive fuel economy, too. The idea of a car that combines the fuel efficiency of the original Insight with the fun-to-drive character of the CRX sounds really appealing to us. But will the CR-Z live up to the promise?

The CR-Z will be derived from the Insight platform and adapt its 1.3-liter four-cylinder hybrid powertrain. This is the source for some concern. To say that we were unimpressed with the Insight is an understatement; it scored too low in our tests to allow us to recommend it. The extra weight of the hybrid drive system could make it less agile and hurt acceleration and braking.

In our testing, the latest Insight delivered 38 mpg overall, achieving 45 mpg on the highway. In a smaller car, it is conceivable the fuel economy could edge up, putting it in rare company with more than 40 mpg overall.

Honda faces real challenges in making the CR-Z attain its potential, and compete with the memory of its CRX predecessors. The company has a few more months before the CR-Z goes on sale in Japan, so there is time to give the CR-Z more polish than Insight received. We hope it is enough.

—Eric Evarts

Comments

[Meknjinear]

I have owned 5 Honda CRX's, 4 being the coveted 2nd generation, and still ocassionally drive a '91 Si that has over 210,000 miles on it. Needless to say, I have been eagerly awaiting a proper replacement from Honda for years. The CR-Z sounds promising, but frankly I doubt that Honda will pull it off. For the same power-to-weight ratio as my Si, a CR-Z which weighs (current estimate) in the neighborhood of 2850 pounds will require at least a total of 145 hp from the IMA system. This is possible only if Honda uses a version of the 1.8 liter engine used in the current std Civic, not the puny 1.3 liter from the Hybrid Civic or worse, the even lower hp 1.3 in the Insight. Also, the suspension system used on the Fit/Insight platform that is supposedly being adapted for the CR-Z is not nearly as sophisticated as that of the 21+ year-old design used on the CRX, which was probably the most advanced of any contemporary car for its era. MacPherson struts and a twist-beam rear axle are nothing but a bean-counter's special. Honda, do it right, or forget about it.

[gasburner]

Is the CR-Z being aimed at primarily a US market, or is Honda starting to design its vehicles with a more global outlook, leaving the US to like it or lump it? If Honda is designing for Japan or Europe first and the US last, maybe that could account for the poor suspension. Maybe in Japan and Europe performance comes second after bean-counting.

[Frank]

I had a CRX SI. I bought it new in 1990. I sold it 6 years later with 160,000 miles on it in great condition. To date it was my all time favorite car, a blast to drive. Even the SI only had 108 horse power and ran 0-60 8.5 sec. and 1/4 mile time in 16.5 stock. (Source; Car & Driver)
I assume the CRZ will be a bit lighter judging from the pictures available, and new technology, 100 horse power in a tiny package should do the trick. Remember Honda does a lot with a little.
Do you want the money now ?

[mike]

I bought a '86 CRX Si one year used with 10,ooo miles. It lasted me 13 more years. The morning i drove it to the Honda dealer to trade in for a new civic it had 261,000+ miles and still ran like a champ. I loved the way it handled for what was not considered a sports car and for its time it got great milesge (30+ city and almost 40 on long highway trips). If the new CRZ lives up to the old CRX's, I'll be on board for one.