2014 Honda CR-Z - The Sporty Hybrid

The Honda CR-Z has been around for a couple of years now, and we still get confusing signals when looking at it. It has a compact, super sporty silhouette that screams tuner car. Furthermore, it’s a two-seater, which should have great appeal with Generation Y youth.

It’s so aggressively styled you’d expect that maybe Honda would have squeezed the 2.5-litre, 200 hp engine from the Civic Si under the hood. It would certainly prove a popular combination for pseudo street racers intent on slipping on a loud exhaust, slamming it to the ground with lower, stiffer suspension, and giving you a headache by incessantly driving loudly up and down your street.

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Although CR-Z styling recalls the ’84-’91 CRX, and the latter has gone on to become somewhat of a cult classic, it’s unlikely the CR-Z will follow in its footsteps. The problem, it seems, is that drivers looking for an inspired, sporting car usually aren’t interested in an eco car.

Instead, what you find propelling the CR-Z is a hybrid powerplant that incorporates Honda’s Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) to provide additional power to its 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine. IMA is essentially a 10 kW electric motor located between the engine and transmission that helps boost engine output to 130 hp. Although horsepower numbers are modest, the electric assist helps the CR-Z attain a combined 5.0L/100 km with the optional CVT transmission. With the standard six-speed manual, fuel consumption is negligibly higher at 5.1L/100 km. Another advantage of Honda’s IMA is that the electric motor also provides starting duties, as well as a measure of regenerative braking that helps charge the battery.

Well appointed

The interior, which as mentioned above, seats two. It is roomy and the seats are comfortable, though the sloping roof combines with large C-pillars to limit the view out the rear. Honda wisely decided not to include rear seats, which it could have probably done if it used tiny seats and called it a 2+2. The absence of rear passenger accommodations has instead frees up lots of cargo space behind the seats, and the CR-Z boasts a 710-litre storage capacity, a significant amount when considering its external dimensions.

In keeping with the CR-Z’s high-tech drivetrain, the dashboard is alight with flashy displays. The digital speedometer is raised inside the centre of the dial tachometer, giving it the sensation of depth, with displays on either side that provide fuel and energy consumption information. The climate-control, dashboard-mode, mirror-adjustment and drive-mode switches are mounted on pods at each side of the central display and the whole dashboard looks more like the helm of a spaceship, though it’s attractive and functional.

The CR-Z has three drive modes, Normal, Sport and Econ, easily selected by three buttons on the left side of the dashboard. Sport mode is the most ambitious, with the electric motor providing more assistance at lower revs, and steering effort is slightly firmer for improved road feel. When in Sport mode the normally blue central display glows red.

Econ mode smoothes throttle response, turns down the air conditioning, and engages the start/stop function sooner, all of which help to reduce fuel consumption. Normal mode sets the parameters somewhere between Sport and Econ mode.

One feature that is unique among hybrid vehicles is the six-speed manual gearbox, which has short, precise throws and is a true joy to use. For the modest premium of $800 you can have the CVT but we couldn’t think of any reasons you’d want it.

Only two trim levels are available, with the Premium level offering such luxuries as leather-trimmed, heated seats, a 360-watt sound system with Bluetooth connectivity and steering-wheel-mounted controls, a navigation system, 17-inch wheels (16-inches standard), and HID headlights with LED daytime running lights.

End of the line or new beginning?

Curiously, as we went to print Honda had not yet provided updated information for the CR-Z on its website, with the latest information available being for the 2012 model year. Talks with tight-lipped Honda reps failed to produce any confirmation of the model’s continuation or if a new model was in the pipeline. There was talk in 2012 of a second-generation CR-Z coming down the line, possibly for 2014. We will keep you informed on the latest developments on our website, guideautoweb.com.