-
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. Photo Gallery
Peter Lyon road tests and reviews the Honda CR-Z hybrid sports coupe in Japan.
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.
Arrival and price
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.”
Platform and interior
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.
Drivetrain
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.
Driving
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.
Honda CR-Z
Arrival: later in 2010
Price: more than $35,000
Engine: 84kW/145Nm 1.5 litre i-VTEC engine plus 10kW/78Nm electric motor
Total outputs: 91kW174Nm
Transmission: six-speed manual
Economy: 4.85L/100km
