Item: Honda CR-Z 2010-2013
Rating: 3.5

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Whatever Honda bigwigs say, it’s difficult to avoid concluding that the CR-Z is a blend of both the 1999 Honda Insight and the excellent first and second-edition Honda CR-Xs. However, hybrids aren’t usually cars to quicken the blood. They’re technically impressive and sometimes generate interesting levels of torque, but they’re usually as sporty as slippers with zips.

So this Honda CR-Z hybrid is something different as a compact, 2+2 coupé whose electric motor is as much about giving its 1.5-litre petrol engine boosts of torque as it is about saving fuel. Though the latter is, of course, a major mission of the CR-Z, whose 56.5mpg combined consumption and 117g/km of CO2 emissions make it one of the most economical compact coupés on sale – in theory, at least.

Has Honda married driver appeal to the frugality and urge the CR-Z’s hybrid system should provide?
Andrew Frankel
Senior contributing writer

The CR-Z is part of Honda’s mission to make a massive step change in the number of hybrids it sells around the world, in company with the Civic Hybrid, the hybrid Jazz and the Insight (the latter pair share a platform with this coupé).

Platform sharing helps the CR-Z to keen pricing, whether you’re going for base S level, Sport, GT or GT Nav.

Question is, has Honda married driver appeal to the frugality and urge the CR-Z’s hybrid system should provide?

Verdict

Model tested:

Rating: 7

Used Honda CR-Z 2010-2013 review

Good

Styling

Value

Performance/economy balance

Bad

Rear seats

Not brisk

Dull chassis

DESIGN & STYLING

The Honda CR-Z has a 112bhp 1.5-litre engine, and an electric motor which produces 14bhp for a total power output of 122bhp and 128lb ft of torque.

The electric motor generates its 58lb ft torque peak at just 1000rpm; it strengthens acceleration in the same way as a supercharger, Honda says, to produce an unusually flat torque curve.

The CR-Z's drag co-efficient is 0.30, but the 1999 Insight’s was 0.25 Cd
Richard Bremner
Senior contributing editor

The CR-Z’s 1.5-litre petrol engine is a VTEC unit derived from the US-market Fit (aka Jazz), but here it’s configured to allow one intake valve to be deactivated at low revs for more fuel-saving swirl. It is linked to a modified version of the Honda Civic six-speed manual ’box, with a short-throw shift.

Honda experienced some difficulty making the CR-Z’s bonnet look as low and sleek as it wanted, while meeting pedestrian impact regulations. The huge black section in front of windscreen deftly reduces the bonnet’s visual area.

European CR-Zs get daytime running lights consisting of eight LEDs and emphasising the rearward sweep of the headlights. Blue-hued xenons are standard for GT spec.

You get a wiper for the near-horizontal upper rear screen, but the CR-X-echoing vertical pane soon gets dusted with dirt — and the horizontal beam separating the two is very visible in the rear-view mirror.

A rear diffuser hides the exhaust, which exits meekly beneath the plastic and can be seen only if you duck down to look. The diffuser’s plastic contains aluminium flakes to give some metallic presence to the rear.

The CR-Z’s low nose, long roof and vertically cut tail are all designed to lower drag. The CR-Z's drag co-efficient is 0.30, but the 1999 Insight’s was 0.25 Cd.

INTERIOR

The Honda CR-Z’s cabin is as intriguing as the exterior, especially once you’ve turned on the ignition, which electrifies a colourful 3D instrument pack.

As with the Insight, the colour of this display blends from blue to green if you drive more economically, while in Sport the illuminations turn red.

The Honda CR-Z’s cabin is as intriguing as the exterior, especially once you’ve turned on the ignition
Nic Cackett
Road tester

Minor instrumentation includes an ‘eco-drive bar’, indicating whether you’re drawing current from the battery or regenerating it, an econometer, a fuel gauge and an energy path display, as well as the usual journey statistics. You can also recall the average fuel consumption over your last three trips.

Add in a gearchange shift light and the ‘leaves’, which reward economical driving, and there’s plenty to divert beyond the normal driving. Clusters of minor switches flank the steering column to complete a busy confection of controls and readouts that are nevertheless reasonably easy to use.

You sit lower than you do aboard an Insight, but there is still decent room for two in every direction. The same can’t be said of the rear seats, which are barely worthy of the term. This confined space is best used for luggage – even if you can squeeze someone into the back, the sloping roofline means they’ll have to sit with their heads skewed to one side.

The boot is fairly big, at 225 litres with the rear seats up, but much space is lost to a foam tool tray (there’s no spare wheel) beneath the floor.

Quality is a step up from the Insight, but that’s not saying much. In spite of an attractive leather-rimmed steering wheel with controls for stereo, phone, trip computer and cruise control, the plastics are too hard and unwelcoming.

ENGINES & PERFORMANCE

The Honda CR-Z is not a high-performance coupé, although it’s brisk enough to be fun, especially if you engage the Sport button. This not only changes the characteristics of the hybrid drive by serving more torque from the electric motor, but also sharpens the throttle and increases steering effort.

In this mode the Honda scores a 9.1sec 0-60mph time, bettering the VW Scirocco TDI, if not the 2.0 TDI Audi TT. The Honda feels peppy and no more than that, although it is intriguing to feel the strength of the electric motor’s contribution at around 1500rpm. It’s also present at higher revs, an effect you’ll notice as much by its absence when the nickel-metal hydride battery is depleted as you do when it’s on full assist.

The Honda CR-Z is not a high-performance coupé, although it’s brisk enough to be fun
Matt Prior
Editor-at-large

The entertainment value is heightened by a tuned exhaust that generates lightly encouraging noises, and the usual hard induction hum of a hard-working Honda engine. It can sound a little frantic when you’re in a hurry, though it’s not unpleasant.

Allowing yourself to indulge the Sport mode is difficult with so much eco symbolism in the car. As well as the econometer and (if you’re not in Sport) the changing hues of the tacho, there’s a shift light to admonish you. Better to relax a bit, and grow plants. You can do this in either the Normal or Eco modes; visual rewards are provided by the appearance of leaves in a section of the instrument pack. These eventually grow into a flower if you continue to drive economically.

All of which adds to the pleasure of driving the CR-Z, besides improving economy by up to 10 per cent if you respond to this electronic coaching. Standard stop-start helps too – and the CR-Z’s starter-generator electric motor serves impressively smooth restarts.

RIDE & HANDLING

The good news first: the Honda CR-Z handles with a great deal more enthusiasm than the Insight. It changes direction with zeal, rolls very little, musters decent body control and is pretty good fun on a B-road.

Yet something of the Insight’s inert chassis character underpins this experience, so the CR-Z fails to produce the kind of enthusiasm that made the second-gen CR-X such fun. That’s partly down to the steering, which, despite being a lot more direct, precise and sportingly weighted, still talks to you through a reaction-dulled veil of electric assistance.

The Honda CR-Z changes direction with zeal, rolls very little, musters decent body control and is pretty good fun on a B-road
Nic Cackett
Road tester

The chassis’s mild directional torpor also contributes to this feeling, to produce a car that’s a bit bland when it comes to charging curves. Yet that changes, and quite considerably, if you find some wide, open bends and dare to tackle them fast enough to make the back end react. Some of that liveliness could do with appearing at lower speeds to make more of a dynamic entertainer of this car.

Which isn’t to say that it’s dull. The eager sound of the engine, that low driving position, the electric motor’s thrust, a quick-snicking gearchange and good brake feel all provide the right signals. But this car does not better the Mini Cooper that Honda cites as a dynamic target, and certainly not the Lotus Elise that it also mentions as an inspiration.

Curiously, the CR-Z rides better than the softer Insight. The suspension isn’t so crashy over harsh bumps, it’s more composed through corners and doesn’t pitch as much. It can turn oddly bouncy on a badly surfaced B- road, although the dampers keep the bounces to a staccato rather than a swell. Refinement in other directions is acceptable rather than exceptional; the gradual build-up of wind and road noise is noticeable at higher speeds, although the petrol engine quietens down effectively at a cruise.

MPG & RUNNING COSTS

In the real world of our own tests, the Honda achieved 43.1mpg, which is good for a petrol-engined car, but not so special considering the CR-Z's size, accommodation and weight; the Audi TT 2.0 TDI manages 48mpg, for example, while the much faster 208bhp Scirocco TSI GT petrol is not so far off, at 39mpg.

As with other hybrids, then, the fuel consumption of an equivalent diesel is only just achieved, and with considerable extra complication. But a petrol engine’s NOx and particulate emissions are usefully lower. Though top-spec GT models push the price up, the base CR-Z S’s list price makes it look like a bargain against admittedly roomier, faster and better-finished models like the Audi TT. However, a base Mini Cooper D costs less.

As with other hybrids, then, the fuel consumption of an equivalent diesel is only just achieved, and with considerable extra complication
Matt Burt
Executive Editor, Autocar

Sport trim adds ambient lighting, alloy pedals, cruise control, a multi-function wheel, a 240W stereo and parking sensors. GT includes leather heated seats, xenons, auto lights and wipers, a glass roof and the option of sat-nav. Running costs ought to be low, not least because residuals should be high, although not quite up at Audi TT levels.

VERDICT

Verdict

Model tested:

Rating: 7

Used Honda CR-Z 2010-2013 review

Good

Styling

Value

Performance/economy balance

Bad

Rear seats

Not brisk

Dull chassis

On price and looks alone, the Honda CR-Z car has strong appeal. Never mind that it looks a little less dramatic than the concept; it’s still a head-turner. It’s also an intriguing drive, because you can feel the effects of the electrical assistance, and because those eye-catching instruments that tutor you in harvesting kinetic energy are fun to use.

In Sport mode the driving experience is modestly diverting, especially for a coupé that can make a strong case for itself as an eco commuter car. It handles better than you might expect from an eco-friendly coupé, turning in well with strong grip and minimal body roll, helped by a low centre of gravity. Performance feels a little stilted, but it can still be fun.

The CR-Z is not quite the miniature driver’s tool that the second-gen CR-X was
Vicky Parrott
Deputy reviews editor

You shouldn’t expect any coupé to offer much in the way of practicality and that’s certainly the case with the CR-Z. In spite of a decent boot, only two people will be comfortable for any amount of time – the rear seats are best reserved for luggage. And while the kit list is extensive, the quality of the interior is more akin to the entry-level price than the considerably pricier GT models.

The CR-Z is not quite the miniature driver’s tool that the second-gen CR-X was; nor does it have quite the fuel-sipping potential of an eco-optimised diesel supermini. But it’s different, stylish and engaging in unusual ways that are difficult to resist, especially at pricing that’s pretty keen for such a distinctive and technically advanced car.