FastMotoring Motor News In Speed
Honda CR-Z is positioned as a successor for the Honda CR-X. Both are categorized as the compact sports car, both front wheel drive and both do not need to have a big engine under the bonnet. If this is the 21st century CR-X, how good can it be? Read on the find out about this sporty car.
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First off, the looks. The Honda CR-Z is definitely one of the good looking cars on the road, even sportier looking if you put on a good set of wheels and maybe the Mugen body-kit. The low bonnet, LED integrated daylight and the bullet design of the entire car certainly fit into the modern compact sports car requirements. It has 2 doors and seats at the rear. The rear part of the car is recognizable design cue from the Honda CR-X.
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As we step inside the Honda CR-Z interior, the blue illuminance further embraces how modern sports car should look like. Advanced dashboards like this are usually seen only in concept cars. However, Honda had successfully brought this to a production vehicle like the Honda CR-Z. It may seem to be sophisticated at first glance with the numbers of buttons and informations displayed on the dash, but once you get used it after a while, you will love it.
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There are 3 modes for select to change the way the ECU (Engine Control Unit) interacts with the engine, throttle control and air conditioning etc. In other words, there’s a “ECO” -mode to set your CR-Z to save the planet, a “Normal” mode, as well the rev-happy “Sports” modes that makes the car come to life by burning more fuel for performance. The dashboard changes colour instantly on the way you drive as well, green for good fuel efficiency driving, blue for moderate, and red means you are consuming a lot of fuel. The dashboard also indicates when does the hybrid system is charging the vehicle to its battery and the number of trees appear in the dashboard is to remind you how fuel efficient is you driving pattern.
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The Honda CR-Z model we drove was equipped with a 6-speed manual gearbox, and Honda claims that it is the first of its kind to have a 6-speed manual gearbox on a hybrid car. The gear change is smooth and solid into each gear position. Powering the Honda CR-Z is the Honda’s 1.5L i-VTEC with IMA hybrid system that gives the CR-Z a 124ps and 174Nm of torque, not a number range you see in a usual sports car. Considering it is a hybrid and it is designed with the element of saving fuel, who says sports car need to be high horse power?
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The Honda CR-Z gives the driver and front passenger a sporty sit position; however the 2 rear seats are not suitable for adult because of lack of head room and leg room. Those rear seats are probably suitable for kids below 9 years old. There’s adequate space for the boot and retractable sheet to cover your items as part of the boot cover is transparent with glass. The wheels size is 16-inch and it is good enough for us when we benchmark the Honda CR-Z with one of the best handling sports car from Honda – the Honda Civic Type R (FD2-R).
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The Honda CR-Z definitely got the looks as compared to the Honda Civic Type R. However, it hasn’t got the high horsepower engine like the Honda Civic Type R so we will leave that point aside. Lastly, the handling – Both cars handle pretty well, driving the Honda CR-Z into a corner with high speed. The standard tyre grips the road well and the body rolls doesn’t seem to be noticeable. The Honda CR-Z is probably one of the best handling cars within its category. The Honda CR-Z gives us much confident & fun because we are able to drive it without worrying it will lose control. As for the Honda Civic Type R, obviously the car can grip the road and entering corner with a much higher speed but because it’s a higher performance vehicle, it will take some time for an amateur driver to tame the beast.
Our verdict for the the Honda CR-Z as a hybrid sports car – It is absolutely fun to drive. It is certainly good looking. The Honda CR-Z can be used as a daily car but not as a family car like a sedan. The horsepower figure is not big concern anymore when you look at the car as a whole package. Moreover because of the hybrid initiative by the government, the Honda CR-Z is priced at just RM115,013.50 with insurance for the manual transmission model and a CVT automatic transmission model costs, RM119,000.00 with insurance. Most importantly, choose for the manual model instead.
Photo Gallery: Honda CR-Z Review by FastMotoring
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